Search - Thomas Brinkmann :: Row

Brinkman brings a human feel to glitch

Tamara Dorsett | Manhattan, KS USA | 01/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thomas Brinkman, German techno DJ and producer, is best known for his work in the field of glitch: creating complex beat structures through static loops and capturing the human voice through episodic samples of every day moments in spoken language.

Brinkman's previous works, while highly technically accomplished, are somewhat difficult to digest for the average ear that isn't tuned to glitches in audio equipment.

The song, like Whitman said of the poem, should be able to digest any subject. Row has digested the techno ethos so thoroughly that it's become filled with human feeling. It is also more apparently beat-oriented than in his other albums. More apprarently beat oriented-songs are not absent from Brinkman's ouvres, although few and far between.

Brinkman's work goes far beyond technical precision; it delves into the human psyche and the ways we all think about words in different yet fundamentally similar ways. The words in Brinkman's work are not meant to be taken literally but rather enjoyed as the beat of human awareness while sometimes incorporating classic elements such as folk songs which lend themselves to the episodic usage like the refrain in folk music.

N.M.Q.P. is an example of a classic French song, sung by such great divas as Nina Simone, being reorganized to fit a further mechanized society. Although somewhat mechanical it maintains a clear beat throughout and can be used to transition when mixing rather than as a compliment to a more accessible style, just as most glitch is mixed with house.

If looking for music with a similar sound the minamalist techno and electro clash (as an opposite) scenes have much to offer: Mira Calix, Matmos, Mathew Herbet and Dani Siciliano(minamalist tech-house), and Miss Kitten, as of recent fame.

This album, while difficult to listen to at some points, is the mark of an artist before their time."