~scape

scape25

		andrew pekler
nocturnes, false dawns & breakdowns One and a half years after new Berliner ANDREW PEKLER, a former Californian and proud purveyor of a solid indie background ("Mucus 2", "Bergheim 34", "Sad Rockets"), had surprised the world with his very own atmospheric blend of click & cuts aesthetics and sampled analogue jazz sounds on his astonishing, self-titled ~scape debut album, he now presents us with his second, rather more ambitious coup. All 14 tracks on "Nocturnes, False Dawns & Breakdowns" play with and around different facets of urban noir sentiments. The night has many faces – from the promise of excess to social gatherings under the club dictate and the alcohol-induced, melancholy mildness of the "wee small hours of the morning” (Sinatra), to name but a new of the myriad possible associations. Nevertheless "Nocturnes, False Dawns & Breakdowns" heads down a different, far more contemplative route. Not only did Andrew Pekler’s produce his tracks at night, but he allows them to reflect and reproduce the prevailing nocturnal mood. But unlike the above-mentioned associations, this album is about individual experience, circling around terms like introspection, clarity or concentration. And this is something all of us have experienced at one point or other: the later the night, the less we are assaulted by external input or exposed to ever-present, ambient noise – and this changes perception, throwing us back upon yourself. With titles like "Soft Dissolve”, "Stardusting”, "Leaden Lids” or "Slepless” this particular state suffuses Pekler’s tracks, leaving a lot to the listener’s imagination. As on "Station to Station" Pekler’s language might superficially hint at the heroic phase of late 60s/early 70s electronic fusion jazz. With the drums high up in the mix, accompanied by threatening keyboard clusters, the resulting sound is decidedly reminiscent of the open textures of classic Miles Davis records like "In a Silent Way” or "Bitches Brew”, even early Weather Report like "I Sing the Body Electric”. While Pekler’s sound might remind you of the soundscapes of collectively produced (and improvised!) music, he on the other hand prefers to work on a bricolage of found material which in turn helps to artfully open up further spaces. What, at a cursory listen, might seem easily categorisable, suddenly gains depth, indifference and richness. Like motifs, his distinct repetitive brass or vibraphone loops add enough recognition value, but these embellishments only mask a veritable abyss of diversity – most of Pekler’s sampling material hails from the analogue jazz of the late 50s. He makes a point of citing Miles Davis’ live soundtrack to Louis Malle’s 1957 film noir classic "Ascenseur pour l´échafaud", an existentialist fable clothed as a thriller. This, too, is a radical night tale! Furthermore, Andrew Pekler is a huge fan of Sun Ra’s "Ellingtonia” and especially the idiosyncratic sound of his reduced percussion. According to Pekler it makes Sun Ra’s love of the (constructed) exotica of a Les Baxter or a Martin Denny audible. But does this knowledge free us, free Pekler of the dictate of authenticity? Do we notice the narrator’s likeable, knowing wink in the series of "Streetworm”, "Leaden Lids” and False Dawn” – well aware that many night tales have already been told? Can we detect Pekler’s high esteem for the early Prestige-phase Moondog records? Is it necessary to know all this to appreciate "Nocturnes, False Dawns & Breakdowns"? Their challenging directness lends Pekler’s tracks a certain, irritatingly vague, floating, sleepy quality, they tell stories beyond conventional genre boundaries. And no track can be sure where its journey might lead! "Stardusting” might be any old swing intro, but knowing Pekler we should stay on our guard – at the flick of a switch his swing becomes funky. And just a few bars before its end the noisy "False Dawn” decides to honour the beauty of Sonny Sharrock’s "Black Woman”, balancing the gospel on a precarious two-chord noise foundation. But don’t fear! This album is not about nerdy virtuosity (at least not on the surface!), but rather a playfully curious exploration of the sound’s potential and listening expectations. Unlike Miles Davis tracks Pekler’s music is less determined by its flow, but rather by the extremely conscious and knowledgeable creation of specific moods to recapture dear discoveries of (musical) history. Like picking up stones on the beach: to contemplate them before replacing them again. Without interest! Intrigued! With this album Andrew Pekler proves that historical sounds cannot be deleted from the memory of a declared fan of music. Everything remains in place, preserved in wax, hidden, but not gone, just like the subconscious. Should we call this electronica? Or jazz, after all? Pop, even? Well, pigeon-holing has never been less important.