seven

without much fuss roel and don funcken have quietly released their best material to date and most dramatic departure from their recognized sound. this release in itself is enough motivation for one to purchase an md player.

quench has been a strange beast, its first album - a fragile glitchy structure - was nothing like other projects of funcken brothers; exclude, however, was very much in the vein of funckarma, perhaps slightly simpler and heavier; the same goes for the vinyl releases on aim records and u-cover.

with punctuated quench has entered the world defined by the palette of an impressionist painting - muffled greens and blues, hushed luminous colors and overall fluid, carefree feel. the sharp contrasts that defined previous funckarma's work (notably brilliant bourbon sounds on delikatessen) are perceived as if through the sheet of falling rain that at closer inspection becomes a whole universe in itself.

this is one of those releases that takes the music out of tight confines of the genre, away from typical compositions and petty emotions. punctuated offers enveloping melancholy of delicate polyphonic textures, colossal open spaces that never lose their intimate side, wealth of gradients and subtle details. the heaviness and breaks are still present, but they do not define the overall flow of music, rather adding depth and complexity to the multilayered composition. at times I am reminded of dreamlike spaciousness of bola's soup, thoroughly re-orchestrated and refined without losing its emotional side.

this is a phenomenal release that I have been addicted to for weeks now. its volatile, continuously morphing nature and incredibly expressive sound is something infinitely memorable and instantly addictive, an album that one is bound to come back to again and again in search of elegance and depth.