Smooth, smoky horns, evocative of a New York Jazz Club, collide with synthetic filter-sweeps. Fragmentary strings appear out of the blue, only to fade and disappear into the foggy urban night a few seconds later. Spare, almost fragile piano accents seem to be hovering over laid-back slow-motion grooves, while jittery uptempo loops meet with serene melodies of an almost hymnlike quality. Despite their extraordinary variety, 8 of the 12 compositions of the album were obviously created as part of a whole. Four more were developed and re-developed in the course of several years since the original release of ego in the late nineties. The album was probably too far ahead of its time back then, and the previously recorded material was remixed and remastered to near-perfection in the winter of 2004/2005. The four newly written tracks are very much in tune with the original concept which suggested a mixture of two very different artistic qualities: the DJ's intuitive approach to rhythm combined with the musical refinement of the classically trained musician. Composition, improvisation and sound design combine to form an organic whole, resonant with the relaxed, yet intense ambience of Kessler's own studio in Duesseldorf. The work-flow was interrupted only by a series of live performances. Thomas himself will be the first to admit that friendship and interaction with musicians from all over the world has contributed on the new Kessler album, even though every instrument, every programmed beat on the album is uniquely his own. In his own words: "egolution is a soundtrack for the mind, seeking to connect with the listener's own fantasy and creative energy. This idea of intimacy, a kind of spiritual communication is really what keeps my music together."
Tracklist
01. bonesong, swampsong
02. boil
03. intensity / three colours
04. urban music, vol. 3
05. insomnia
06. ego
07. home
08. magellan
09. space #9
10. monkey drum
11. the pure jazz
12. divide by zero ./. illcit mix
Release Date: 2005-08-08
Label: peacelounge recordings
Format: CD
Labelcode: LC 11784
Catalogue No: peal 012
EAN: 4260044590141
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