marko furstenberg: ghosts from the past

Marko Fürstenberg, currently living in Leipzig, has been experimenting with sound since 1999. Rooted in classical dub-techno, he not only knows how to interpret it, he's extending it further with his own personal aesthetic. In 2001, his first releases on a number of net-labels gained him a broad listenership. Then in 2003, his first album Gesamtlaufzeit was born. (Then years later, a son was born as well, but we'll get back to that.) Since 2005, Marko has been constantly releasing vinyl on labels such as Ornaments, A.r.t.less, Echocord Colour and Rotary Cocktail. And he's also done remixes for labels such as Resopal, Telrae, Freund der Familie, and many more, which all demonstrates the quality and sheer competence of his work. With his new album Ghosts from the Past, Mr. Fürstenberg doesn't say goodbye to an old chapter, but he's rather building a bridge to a new one. Familiar elements are the mortar to a complete musical piece, with an extended foundation, new accents, and a fresh face. GFTP is a musical retrospective of a new way of life -- with a child -- that was born in November 2010. The conception and creation of this album began to take form in parallel to that of his unborn son, as an almost aural twin. Marko's wife helped with the album artwork while also carrying a little Marko inside her. Meanwhile, over the three and a half years in production, Marko was also actively involving his now-toddler child in the sound research for his new album. "Stolbenkraft" includes made-up vocalizations from his son, mixed with a sneeze to a euphony. In "Woahhh," he's exploring the playful dispute of his offspring with several toys, e.g. a Thai wooden frog, amongst others. His tendency in his style of weaving pleasant sound experimentations is shown on the track "Piano," which reconstitutes moments of a piano concert, while putting them into new structures. Quite some time has passed in between each production, and the diverse accents of time in which this came together can be heard. Everything on this album melds together organically. On "GFTP," the Zeitgeist is touched, an Arabic singer can find her spotlight in a colorful soundscape, which alternately holds and catches us, and then ultimately lets us go again.