moebius & tietchens: s/t

With Asmus Tietchens and Dieter Moebius, two artists counting among the greats of German avant-garde electronic music have come together. Both have been active for well over 30 years: Moebius (since 1970) as a member of Kluster/Cluster and Harmonia, as well as solo and in numerous collaborations (Brian Eno, Mani Neumeier, Conny Plank, Mayo Thompson and many more), and Tietchens (since 1979) almost exclusively as a solo artist, beginning in the fields of electronic music and musique concrète and later mainly in the realm of abstract music. Moebius + Tietchens is now their first collaboration in 32 years. With this album, Dieter Moebius and Asmus Tietchens fulfill a promise that they made 35 years ago. That is, in 1976, when the five musicians of Liliental completed the recordings for their eponymous album and again scattered to the winds, Moebius called out to Tietchens from the already-moving car: "We have to make a record together sometime." At least that is the report of an ear-witness. Whether or not it's true... In any case, both decided in 2011 to record the album which is now released. Moebius (Cluster, Harmonia), since the early years of Cluster, has neither lost his curiosity nor his eagerness for experimentation. On the contrary: he has downright cultivated them. Tietchens is not only a true aficionado of Cluster's music and friend of the duo, but has also released countless albums of electronic music and musique concrète since the 1980's -- like Cluster, initially on Sky Records -- then later only in the field of industrial and abstract music. Their album may come from out of the blue, but the large amount of overlap in the music of both artists made it a forgone conclusion to finally make good on the aforementioned promise. Thirteen pieces carry the album. These are thirteen ideas that could hardly be heterogeneous -- no two pieces are similar. From the rough sketch to densely-gripping rhythms, one can clearly hear just what these two old masters of electronic music have in their arsenals. This is not a result of the routine that comes with so many years of experience, nor a thin portion of tired old recipes for success. Other than a few faint echoes of a bygone era (perhaps as a sentimental reminder), Moebius + Tietchens is an album that could only emerge from the here and now. It is contemporary, new music.