Luftschloss – Nature By Numbers (Box)
September 19, 2014 | Philip James de Vries
As the first release since Groj’s own Playmorium was put out in late 2013, Berlin-based producer Luftschloss is accompanied by Morris Cowan, Magic Panda, and Groj himself on Box’s latest: Nature by Numbers.
The young German musician takes influence from nature on the EP. “Self-Propelled Particles” is built around the conceptual framework of the swarming behaviours of birds, reflected sonically in the track through the panning effects and small particles of electronic data Luftschloss employs. This approach creates a sense of reciprocated movement in which each of the sounds appear to influence one another in the path they follow, resulting in a “swarming” effect. With such subject matter, Hitchcock’s Birds may come to mind, but Luftschloss’ moods here are anything but menacing. Where Hitchcock used birds to terrorize, the birds of “Self-Propelled Particles” are conversely of inviting celestial fascination.
Though the opening track is conceptually captivating, it’s the raw melodies of “Fairytale Tree” that stand out amidst the EP’s more technical works. Luftschloss accents his chief melodic theme here with high-tempo, metallic accents that compliment the track’s melancholy-optimism motif. Over seven minutes the stuttered beats of “Fairytale Tree” carry listeners through a wonderful journey of skyward gaze; Luftschloss’ detailed production and harmonic sensibilities come together strongest here.
The EP’s remixes are each powerful in their own right; Morris Cowan’s chaotic approach to melodic techno is as unrestrained here as ever, while Magic Panda closes out the EP by pushing “Fairytale Tree” much harder, hammering it into a punchy work of “neo-80s” pop. Box founder Groj puts his own spin on “Self-Propelled Particles,” yielding a peculiar mix of slowly developing melodies that could easily have found themselves embedded amongst his works on Playmorium. Nature by Numbers is a wonderful EP to accompany coat-clad dawn walks to close out the summer season.
Artist: Luftschloss | EP: Nature by Numbers | Released: September 2014
Label: Box Records | Genre: Melodic, Techno, Electronica
Rating: 4/5