Kenia meets Krautronics
Stefan Schneider and Sven Kacirek bring African
rhythms into dark electronica
Under the auspices of the Goethe Institute and Unesco, Stefan
Schneider and Sven Kacirek have spent a fair amount of time in
Kenya in recent years. As they travelled the country, they recorded
rare, traditional music in different locations, subsequently releasing
two albums of unembellished field recordings to document their
findings.
“Shadows Documents” takes a different approach: Schneider and
Kacirek graft their acoustically gleaned impressions of Kenya onto
pure electronic templates (with analogue accents). Field recordings
as such cannot be heard. A central role is played by the repetitive,
hypnotic element which is so integral to tribal music with its complex
rhythms. Both musicians share a fascination with these very rhythms,
a recurring theme in their careers to date: clearly audible in Stefan
Schneider’s work with Kreidler and To Rococo Rot, as well as on his
albums with Hans-Joachim Roedelius. In Kacirek’s case we can look
to his solo albums for evidence, in particular on the much lauded
“Kenya Sessions”.
The duo’s modus operandi differs from that of renowned Krautrock
pairings such as Dieter Moebius/Mani Neumeier or Michael Rother/
Klaus Dinger (= NEU!), where the drum kit plays a dominant role as
the driving force. With Schneider and Kacirek, drums mutate into a
sort of synthesizer instrument, almost subliminally melting into the
sound of other instruments as a virtual observer, adding a certain
nuance here and there, rather than performing a more catalytic
function. Played with greater restraint, the drums create variations,
translating physique into precision. Synthesizers, meanwhile, assume
many of the percussi.......
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