Apparat, the project of
Berlin-based electronic musician Sascha Ring, who had debuted with the
five-song EP Algorhythm (2001),
crafted the "intelligent" techno music of Multifunktionsebene (2001),
i.e. subdued electronic poems that rely on thin irregular beats.
Multifunktionsebene emanates a sense of alienation and isolation.
The more propulsive 7.5t is covered with a layer of glitchy corrosive distortion.
Fucked Up emits farting noises and dub reverbs while exploring cosmic nebulas.
Aspirin feels like a damaged remix of a classical piano sonata.
The frenzied multifaced beat of Distance is drenched in psychedelic trance.
Execute is the closest thing to regular techno.
Forward/Backward has some synth progression that hints at melodic new-age music.
The level of sophistication in soundsculpting makes his method a genuine craft.
Despite being as artificial as it gets,
they all feel like living organisms photographed in their natural environment.
The EP Tttrial and Eror (2002) doubles down on the
"error" aesthetic with the disjointed and ebullient
First Eror,
with the warped melodic samples of Abs
and with the droning organ targeted by beat projectiles of
Bugs And Fixes,
whereas the sputtering Pressure adds a jazzy finale.
The project transitioned from that gentle and shy style to the more virulent form
of
electroacoustic music of Duplex (2003), which incorporated vocals,
sampled instruments and more intricate counterpoint of synths.
The fractals of Granular Bastard and the convoluted Steinholz
unveil a more complex and less danceable format
The sung ballads are a bad idea and too many pieces feel like unfinished
experiments.
The injection of a catchy melody in Negra Modelo yields an odd kind of instrumental synth-pop, perhaps an attempt to reach a broader audience.
After collaborating with Ellen Allien (Ellen Fraatz, founder of BPitch Control and UFO music labels) on Orchestra of Bubbles (2006), Apparat
crafted the 13 digital elegies of Walls (2007).
They are sandwiched between two
gamelan-inspired pieces, opener Not A Number and the
nine-minute closer Like Porcelain.
The grating ethno-techno of Limelight is the highlight. The rest is
an eclectic parade of styles, from
the pseudo synth-pop of Useless Information
to the funk-rock ditty Holdon, his first successful (non-instrumental) song.
The bulk of the album consists of
generally more pleasant background music (Fractales Pt I, You Don't Know Me)
and dreamy ballads like Birds and especially Headup.
Moderat (Bpitch Control, 2009) was a collaboration with
Modeselektor.
The synergy yielded hybrid digital vignettes such as
Seamonkey and A New Error.
In the age of the chillwave,
The Devil's Walk (2011), with both vocals and live instruments,
felt like a cold and mechanical calculation
rather than the vibrant case of inspiration that Walls had been.
Sometimes technical prowess becomes a handicap, not an asset.
Black Water is the rare exception.
