Legowelt - The TEAC Life

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  • In his recent review of Fatty Folders, Derek Miller noted that, "Few producers have reveled in sonic idiosyncrasies…like Roman Flügel." It's a label that could just as easily be affixed to Danny Wolfers. The Dutchman's quirks aren't just sonic, however. They seem to colour every aspect of his approach; composition, promotion and distribution. Take his website, a purposefully anachronistic melange of tiled backgrounds and sparkling GIFs that'll make you think web design hasn't advanced since 1995. Or The TEAC Life's blurb. "Its got a hella lot deep tape saturated forest-techno tracks on it and when I say Techno i dont mean that boooooooooooring contemporary shit they call techno nowadays with overrated tallentless pretentious douchebag cunt DJs playing a few halfassed dumb mongo beats and being all arty fartsy about it. F*ck that, I am talking about: Raw as fuck autistic Star Trek 1987- Misty Forests- X-FILES,- DETROIT unicorn futurism made on cheap ass digital & analog crap synthesizers recorded in a ragtag bedroom studio on a TEAC VHX cassettedeck in DOLBY C with an unintelligible yet soulfull vivacity." Did I mention this album is free? Every track on The TEAC Life is like a restless dream; liable to end any minute, but with waking impossibilities to rush through first. Wolfers shows a certain distaste for empty intros and moments of quiet. Instead of staging breakdowns, for instance, he simply slides alternative elements into place, moving fluidly from one fevered imagining to the next. And like a dream, these individual scenes are often meaningless or perplexing, but no less affecting for their vividness and sincerity. "The Night Wind" leads off, chugging like a toy locomotive. Its mellifluous synths first exude calm, but later build to a hyperactive peak amid slapping drum hits. From here, Wolfers offers a diverse range of tunes. "Half Moon 106" is characterised by a swan-like elegance, while "Moonmist" is filled with bustling, medieval-sounding chords and Roland drums. Then there's the intrigue-laden "Encounter At Farpoint," which would do well soundtracking a James Bond flick, or the uplifting "Metro Airport," where insistent rhythm sticks and tissue-paper hats are overlaid with vast, shining ribbons of synth and arpeggio. There's certainly no lack of quality, or variety. What disappoints is Wolfers' unimaginative finishes, presumably a result of his live sequencing method. A vast majority of the tracks conclude with a simple fade-out, often while still charged with momentum. And even when these endings don't seem premature, it's easy to feel deprived of some final flourish. It wouldn't appear Wolfers is overly concerned with making a traditional "masterpiece" album though. Totalling 110 minutes, the contents of The TEAC Life simply sound like the latest things to have tumbled from his studio. Referring back to Wolfers' write-up, however, it's clear that he's wary of over-thinking things, and more interested in honest, raw creations—just another of the idiosyncrasies that make Legowelt's music so unique and delicious.
  • Tracklist
      01. The Nightwind 02. Half Moon 106 03. The Soul of a City 04. Forest Conditioner 05. Metro Airport 06. Moonmist 07. Beyond Ur Self 08. Wherever We go 09. Mystery Cruising 10. Can U Feel the Other Side of Ur Soul 11. Dolphin Day 1992 12. Dare to Dream 13. Encounter at Farpoint 14. U Can Fly Away from the Hood
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