“This is a real feast for those who like exploring a Berlin School in perpetual movement”
1 Aeromancy 6:13 2 Drive 7:32 3 Labyrinth 10:48 4 Galaxy Zoo 5:53 Paul Lawler Music
(DDL 30:28) (V.F.) (Psychedelic Berlin School)
Joint Intelligence Committee, Arcane, Spank the Dark Monkey, Binar, Max van Richter, Paul Nagle and Paul Lawler. Discreet names, sometimes even forgotten, that have all they their influences in the evolution of EM, in particular the England School style. If one; Paul Nagle likes a music multicoloured of quirky tones, as well as a little more hammered rhythms, the other one; Paul Lawler, is rather a fan, and even a craftsman, of rhythms and ambiences of a little more chthonian Berlin School as well as a music a little more centred on the cinematographic pattern. The fusion of both visions could only give interesting results. Aeromancy is the result of this synthesis and JAM SESSIONS Vol. 2 is their second mini album to appear since January 2013.
The influence of Tangerine Dream, or his former members, encircles mainly the works of both accomplices in this crazy day of improvisation of July 9th in 2014. I say that because the introduction of Aeromancy releases the sweet sonic madnesses of the very attractive Wuivend Riet Part I from Johannes Schmoelling. Ambient, the intro is stuffed of organic tones and synth pads of which the strange symbiosis strolls around some fascinating elastic pulsations. Very slow and wrapped by dark wandering choirs, this weary rhythm hangs on to the cymbals and their tsitt-tsitts which run after the knocks of bass-drums a bit more sustained. Flooded by a sonic dryad as much organic as teasing and by synth pads flavored by choirs and by streaks to the garish colors, Aeromancy beats between our ears with this soft perfume of oddities which puts both ears on the alert while hypnotizing all its senses. I adore! The moods are decorated by TD's recollections of Going West with delicate breezes of indigo colors which float with some very beautiful nostalgic perfume and synth pads filled of distant voices which remind some fascinating aboriginal hooting on a driving and constantly hyper activate structure of rhythm. This is quite good. Labyrinth is my jewel on this JAM SESSIONS Vol. 2. It embraces the slowness of Aeromancy but with an even more intense organic sound fauna. The hits of percussions knock such as an object of greed to scatter thousands of electronic bugs which teem all over these ambiences and of which the chirrups are gradually covered by synth pads. And their vaguely sibylline smells pour an attractive scent of threats, as well as strange chants which seem to come from the hot gorges of vuvuzelas. Mixing the beats of Aeromancy and Drive, Labyrinth converges on a structure animated by percussions with some smooth aboriginal nuances. On the opposite of Jam Sessions Vol. 1, the latter improvised rendezvous of Paul Nagle and Paul Lawler offers an EM clearly more concentrated on lively rhythms. Rhythms which in the end are alike just as much as the ambiences and harmonies which are carried away by Johannes Schmoelling's souvenirs, for Aeromancy and Labyrinth, and by Tangerine Dream's for Drive and the very catchy Galaxy Zoo which also seems to come straight out from some lost sessions of Franke, Froese and Schmoelling. And Galaxy Zoo goes out brutally; leaving furrows which resound in the ear and which explain why Aeromancy becomes as necessary as Perge and all these artists who navigate on the vestiges of the timeless trio of Franke, Froese and Schmoelling.
I can see you frown again and ask yourself if a mini album which finds its source in a crazy day of improvisations justifies its presence on downloading platforms. A little as if Internet would have become an enormous cultural trash where all the ideas can be associated with works finely polished up. To this I would say that there are actually some goodies, as well as something not that good and other things rather very ordinary. With this fascinating troop of quirky tones which comes down like a swarm of fly on a delicious buffet forgot at the outside, JAM SESSIONS Vol. 2 turns out to be a real feast for those who like exploring an endless sound universe in perpetual movement. Although very minimalist, the rhythms are charmingly hypnotics and their progression are subtly nuanced by a sonic decoration which reveals that Paul Nagle's immense talent becomes comfortably to the very vintage approaches of Paul (Arcane) Lawler's Berlin School visions. Treat yourself, this is very good.
Sylvain Lupari (August 25th, 2014) *****
Available at Paul Lawler’s Bandcamp