seven

thrill beat construction (aka t.b.c.) is a new german label based in jena. I have stumbled upon it trying to track down new beefcake cd. this double lp compilation limited to 500 copies is this label's first release. the packaging alone will make any obsessive collector salivate - it comes in a tinfoil envelope and cloth bag, protecting the records.

the lineup itself says enough - exclusive tracks from arovane, beefcake, skanform, phonem.

most impressive tracks on this compilation are done in the melodic idm style - sparse percussion textures, soft dreamy melodies. take opening arovane - uwe zahn never ceases to impress me with his well-known brand of melancholic strings and soft keys sprinkled with firm percussion. "noimh" is no exception to that - polished and simply beautiful work.

skanform is presented with two tracks - "midnight romance" seamlessly flows, shimmering with minimal key progressions along dark melancholic strings contrasted by steady percussion drops - a nice continuation after opening arovane track. a little later "untitled 2" warms up with simple analog melodies, presenting yet another side of this artist.

of course beefcake, one of the most anticipated tracks on this compilation, does not disappoint. "comp.3 marisella" reluctantly starts with minimal glitchy atmosphere, long pauses, slowly building elegant texture of the track that becomes an amazing mix of delayed percussion drops, meaningful pauses, irregular clicks and skips, glued together with gorgeous melody that always remains composed and amazingly earthly, contrasting the technoid "coolness" of this track. I can only applause beefcake's move into more minimal and refined world of spacey abstract constructions, a move that retained the emotional side of the band that always set it apart.

it would be interesting to compare "taufrisch" by item with early beefcake - roughly half of the track could be easily mistaken for anything off previous beefcake albums - similar strings and percussion textures, similar composition. even the photos on the little inlay lead you to believe that. in any case, this track builds upon sparse percussion drops and beautiful key sequences, much in the vein of beefcake as we used to know it.

two tracks by frederik schikowski dip into the playful analog melodies, sometimes dramatic - but always amusing. normally I would not be too excited about it, but they present a nice contrast to surrounding tracks. machiste is yet another example of this style, but "reale la vita...cu" is so much more addictive with its beautiful analog melodies and fast-paced disco-like danceable tunes - a fine example of italodisco, a style favored by "seven" stuff as of late.

"un barrage contre le pacifique" by phonem is an interesting atmospheric track - not my favorite side of the band, but I can't deny the appeal of this composition with its small shimmering keys and distant vocal samples. somehow it reminded me of glitchy, splintery minimalism of "tourist" by lowtec - a track that could very well fit on the clicks+cuts sampler.

closing track by mik at home features interesting atonal keys and melodic elements - a light and very catchy composition, almost playful at times.

this is obviously one of those "buy no questions asked" releases, especially considering all the collector's value it carries.