| Artist: Keller & Schonwalder Album: Long Distances Released: October 2011 |   |
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Rather than be intimidated by the spirits of Spacemusic master's past, Detlef Keller and Mario Schonwalder are encouraged by their ghosts. Derived from the same structure as the classics their live CD Long Distances (74'55") indeed may be just simple melodic improvisations atop a composed repeating bassline - or could it be a metaphor for the inner workings of the Universe? Either way, it is obvious by this duo's vast musical output that they are playing something out of their own lives - filling the vast emptiness of space with their active imaginations. Whether it is a warm lead line swirling back and forth along the keyboard or icy chords slowly changing and holding, the open structure of Long Distances works well due to a casual intimacy between each musician. The music ramps up and winds down in wonderfully dramatic cycles. With its harmonic waves of pastoral synth strings and celestial choirs drifting along at the pace of the cosmos, to expressive keyboard solos hovering above mechanized sequencer patterns, the three tracks on Long Distances whirl in a pool of rhythm and sound. With a constantly shifting interplay between the parts Keller and Schonwalder have found that there is no predetermined way for this kind of live music to play. The process may best be described as devising a dream, then asking the listener to step inside.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 8 December 2011 | |
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