Selected reviewsSelected reviews ( english, spanish, german )
Klk001
Sutekh : Deposited Trails 12"
Klitekture is a new label from Spain, here featuring two fat and long tracks from acclaimed US producer and west coast 'laptop' genius Sutekh.
This rising star in the experimental techno scene has givin' us an array of abstract minimal madness on such labels as Delay, Proptronix, Cytrax and Cocoon. These pieces both offer up a little more than your average release, as heavy bass and gritty soundscapes, take us on a hypnotic subteranian journey, accompanied by deep atmospheric synth swells and a groovy 4/4, giving you real space to move the mix around. On the flip
things get a bit darker as gritty atmospheric soundscapes open things up to an infectiously dubby 4/4, topped with layered textures and drop outs...phenomenal production, sublime and beautiful!!!" Sutekh deliversanother dub-click-tech bomb. (Phosphor Magazine)
" Primera referencia de Klitekture, el sello del canario Luis Ortiz. Y vaya estreno. El honor se reserva para el americano Sutekh, (dueño del sello Context), que firma, como en él es habitual, una gema de la abstracción bailable. Crujidos, calambres y clickeos arropan una estructura con ritmo marcial, conjugando baile y experimentación ruidista. En un futuro próximo, Twerk y el propio Luis Ortiz darán más momentos geniales a este recién nacido." (Victor Flores, ClubbingSpain.com)
klk002
Mikael Stavöstrand: Format EP 12"
"Mikael Stavöstrand, one of the key figures in Sweden's electronic scene, label owner of Mitek (presented in Berlin) and known from his work as Vita on Force Inc. is responsible for he second release of the Spanish label Klitekture. "Format" is a Stunning 4-track EP conjuring a depth and atmosphere that exquisitely moves the listener in an digitalized organic groove. The A side consists of complex structures of minimal techno and deep atmospheres. Traces of unessential frequencies infect and permeate through his compositions, yet a solid dance floor stability hold the minimal tracks in place. Central to everything though is the iciest of echoing, delayed pads that runs throughout the duration of the track, rising and falling as the plug-in effects take their grip. A fascinating sound environment, warm and complex, where the natural mingles with the
artificial." The B-side heads into more lo-fi territory with no bass-lines as such, just punchier, but altogether quieter drums and sweeping pads sequenced as per-usual to perfection, and more in line with the sublime work under his Vita moniker. All in all excellent click house tracks with evocative textures and atmospheres. (Phosphor Magazine)
"Mikael Stavöstrand is one of the key figures in Sweden's electronic scene, through his work moonlighting as Vita on Force Inc. or thru his own Mitek label. 'Format' conjures a depth and atmosphere that exquisitely moves the listener in an digitalized organic groove. Traces of unessential frequencies infect and permeate through his compositions, yet a solid dance floor stability hold the minimal tracks in place. A fascinating sound environment, warm and complex, where the natural mingles with the artificial." (Sub:Strata)
klk003
Deadbeat - Disaster In The Dancehall (Klitekture/003)
Das spanische Label hat sich nach Sutekh und Mikael Stavostrand nun Deadbeat geangelt für eine EP und er meint es mit Dancehall Disaster ganz schön ernst, denn schon auf den ersten Grooves von "Skematik Skank" zeigt er, dass die Dubs überall explodieren können und rockt dennoch mit grabender Bassline zu minimalen Klicks ungeheuer los, brät sorgfältigst alle Ecken aus und dürfte, wenn das so weiter geht (tut es), zur Nationalhymne aller Tischtennisspieler werden. Vielleicht kann man's ja sogar im Training benutzen. Auf der Rückseite mit "Post Nasal Drip" (ein ziemlich gruseliger Titel) einer dieser Tracks, die klingen, als wären sie inirgendeiner Gruft unter Wasser aufgenommen worden, und "Laughing Ghost" beschließt das Ganze in einer tropischen Nässe auf Monsterechos.
bleed (de:bug) •••••
The three tracks on 'Disaster...' are all built around determined, uptempo 4/4 beats awash with watery dub sounds that give a welcome organic feel to proceedings. The A-side cut ‘Skematik Skank’ is somewhat more epic and glitchy, but still relentless, whereas ‘Laughing Ghost’ is exactly as the title says, spooky and subterranean in a manner reminiscent of UK magicians and electronic pioneers Coil. Very unsettling. The E.P.´s most strangely named track, ‘Post Nasal Drip’ is also the most closely related to 'Journeyman’s Annual', but still far removed in time and sound, with a battery of delay effects fleshing out the percussion to create a spiralling mirage around one of the most hypnotic bass riffs around.
This E.P. is experimental where 'Journeyman's...' was accessible, but there is enough force in the beats and disquieting warmth in the buried, ambient textures to make it a worthwhile listen if, like me, you missed it the first time around.
Resident Advisor
Dub dancefloor techno of the likes of Akufen, Sutekh, DE9 and Ricardo Villalobos.
Klitekture is proving to be one of the premier labels for this sound.
(tonspion.de 14.01.2004)
klk005
Paul Farrington's work under the guise Tonne has tended towards an exploration of the fusion of the sonic and the visual. His first solo album'SoundToy' on BiP-HOp probed the possibilities of screen-based custom-built sound toys, featuring collaborations with Scanner, Hakan Lidbo and si-cut.db. Released to widespread acclaim in 2002 it quickly led to numerous higher profile projects, not least recent work on a Depeche Mode sound toy and the development of Moby Hotel (www.mobyhotel.com) for Mute.
'Lilium' sees the emphasis shift from software processes to pure, jet-propelled sound. Across its ten abstractly titled tracks Farrington balances deep, seductive grooves with a delicate digital effluvium, the by-product of his resolutely on-screen environment.
The effect of the ten tracks is cumulative, with each building on the last - layer upon careful layer in a manner that mimics the carefully constructed and interlocking fixtures of house music. By the fourth track 'Lankongense' the groove has settled, albeit punctuated by a series of frequent and unpredictable slips and cuts - features which critically differentiate 'Lilium' from the main stay of 'clicks and cuts' predictability.
This is echo-soaked digital house, stripped down before being painstakingly rebuilt - itself a magical and mesmerising process. 'Bulbiferum' spills from the speakers mutating like some rapidly evolving organism, rich and exuberant, but slightly unstable - nonetheless a joy to witness. Closing with the hollowed snaps crackles and pops of 'Luteum' marks a fitting end -
a memorable late night ending, that rightly fades only to begin again...
Fallt
klk006
Lod - 4WD EP Klitekture
"Sojourner 4x4" ist einer dieser Tracks die sich ganz von der harmonischen tiefen Bassline aus denken und darüber dann nahezu unwillkürlich eine poppig charmante Melodie auspacken müssen. Sehr kratzig im Groove, aber aufgefangen durch den runden tiefen Bass ein Track der sich langsam ins Herz einfräst und einen in dabei in den Arm nimmt. "Montmelo" zeigt dann das kratzige Sounddesign von Lod in weniger harmonischer Umgebung und macht jegliche Tragik zum Anschein, kickt aber mit harschem fast schranzig Minimalem Sound und dazu gibt es dann noch einen intergalaktischen Remix von Sutekh, der weit weit draussen in der Welt der verknoteten Galaxien des Raums herumseegelt als wäre das schon immer seine Heimat gewesen.
bleed (DE-BUG) •••••
bleed (DE-BUG) •••••
klk010
Por un lado, hay una unidad conceptual. Luis Ortiz (capo del sello), Cristóbal Montesdeoca y Raúl González en la parte
sonora y Amanda López en la visual parten de los sonidos y paisajes de Canarias (tierra volcánica, de ahí el nombre del grupo) para elaborar un discurso que no tiene nada de folclórico pero sí mucho de orgánico y enraizado en un espacio físico definido. Por otro lado, tenemos una experimentación sin estrecheces que bebe de la música clásica (el piano tiene un papel preponderante), particularmente de Satie y los impresionistas, de la música concreta de Pierre Schaeffer, de la protoelectrónica de Jean-Jacques Perrey y Louis & Bebe Barron (la bso de Planeta prohibido) y los glitches de Alva Noto. Un trabajo solemne, grave y elegante. Y espeso e hipnotizante como la
lava. Llorenç Roviras - TRAXX ( SPAIN ) - elegido mejor disco del mes
Krater is a trio, with Ortiz playing electronica and samples, along with one Raul Gonsalez on samples, efx and textures and Cristobal Montesdeoca on piano. This is indeed much more CD music than vinyl. The piano playing is at the middle of the playing, and around it fly the particles of electronic sounds. The piano is sampled and pitched up and down, but also along with this sampling there is all sorts of crackles, hiss, static and the other usual components of microsound. Less than Noto and Sakamoto this is about rhythm and the textures of Krater are much more freely played. Sometimes tones do form a sense of rhythm, but it's even more minimal, just a bass bump, a high peep, but that's not the big thing. If Eno and Budd would have the same technology and still be working together than their ambient albums could have sounded like this. Quite ambient but also rather experimental, and a combination that works rather well here. VITAL WEEKLY ( HOLLAND )
I found this album interesting at first. Repeated listens, however, have dragged me right under its spell. Right now I’m listening through for the fourth time today. It has seeped under my skin and is stuck there.
Album opener, ‘Monogenetic’, works as a kind of overture - it introduces a few key ideas as seemingly random static and bursts of hum start to form into mellow rhythmic patterns. It doesn’t give the overall aesthetic of the album away, but certainly puts you into the right mindset. From here, acoustic piano is the dominant recognisable instrument. The playing is quite harmonically traditional and simple with no grandiose technical workouts. Melodies are built on basic two or three chord progressions with plenty of space to breathe. And while the ear’s first reaction is to try and concentrate on the piano playing, it soon becomes apparent that the piano serves as the canvas on which the actual details can rest. Samples of vinyl noise, delayed digital glitches and scratchy rhythms establish themselves as the main features. It’s a slick inversion of the usual pattern of field recordings and rhythms being used as the texture underpinning the traditional playing. As the album progresses, the piano itself starts being sucked into the foreground - brief looped samples, often grabbed with the attack of the played note removed, heading into Steve Reich territory. ‘Piroclastic’ utilises this process to build incredible tension before new piano patterns interact and the loop releases into warm static. The album also contains a surprisingly robust, though never punchy, bottom end which adds incredible weight to the otherwise fragile sounds.
The group is a three piece from the Canary Islands of Spain, with links to Berlin, consisting of Luis Ortiz, Cristobal Montesdeoca and Raul Gonzalez and are augmented by the visual artist and filmmaker Amanda Lopez. Their stated aim for this release is to explore the interactions between harmony and noise, hence the album title. They have succeeded. It’s a simple premise from which grand work has been created.
CYCLIC DEFROST ( AUSTRALIA )
klk011
Rotor: El prestigioso sello canario Klitekture, dedicado al minimal techno de vanguardia, tiene el acierto de publicar también en formato CD aquellos trabajos también escuchables fuera del ámbito de la música de club para DJs. Este es el caso del debut de TUPPERWEAR , un trío que parte de un “background” claro de minimal beats y microhouse para acercarse a terrenos de la música electrónica digital de vanguardia y con muchas influencias de diversos estilos: dub, ambient, jazz. Un disco magnífico y muy sobresaliente a nivel internacional dentro de su onda. No te lo pierdas si te gusta Sutekh, Autechre…
