emporio
written and produced by christian dittmann
taking its listeners another step further down that elusive path know as minimalism, netlabel thinner delivers an ep of minimal stickiness from chilean electronic music artist christian dittmann. with two previous solid netlabel releases behind him, “cosas simples ep” on archipel and “cactus y volcanes” on thinner (where he joins jorge cortés as one-half of alta infidelidad), as well as physical 12” releases on the german label rrygular and the german label echochord, christian makes his first solo appearance on thinner with the alluring and exotic sounds of “emporio”. beyond the obvious musical influences of techno and dub, the elements of “emporio” are of two kinds. the first ingredient is explicit and definable whereas the second is intrinsic, almost mystical - rooted in the experiences and emotions of it′s creator - and only revealed in a minimal way.
this first ingredient is to be found in the title itself. “emporio” is a word commonly used in spanish that refers to a small village store that sells a wide variety of sundries to the local populace such as food items (fruit, vegetables, bread, wheat), tools, hardware, glasses, etc. in this present day, more often than not, the word “emporio” alludes to a nostalgia for times past. as christian explains it, the emporios are “traces of old times” - times when towns were less populated, the atmosphere more congenial, and when the daily pace of life was slower. people were kinder and actually had time to become familiar with one another. in christian’s words, the reference to “emporio” is significant to this release because: “these songs mirror different styles of my work and come from different periods in time so i thought about an emporio with so many moods put together behind the counter of thinner.”
the second ingredient is christian’s personal love of nature and its stimulating varieties of flora, fauna, and landscapes. embedded in the essence of these six songs of minimal electronic sounds, sticky beats and fragile textures is an understated passion for the organic and of “simple and daily things.” also illuminating is the fact that the tracks titles themselves are named after “immediate situations or thoughts”,that is to say, slices of life that came to mind as the songs were being formed.
“emporio“ begins with the low, resonating ambiance of “dub 2” that wastes no time in revealing its true character which, as the title makes clear, is pure minimal dub - smooth, deep, and earthy. “rechazamos el ahora” (“we refuse now“) follows and is a remake of a track created by christian’s friend and fellow musician/dj franco muñoz. a rather dark piece of minimal techno, there’s a definite undercurrent of tribal and ethnic influences in its beats and bass line. the dark overtones continue with the sinister rhythms of “la mafia”, an allusion to nicolae ceauşescu who was the leader of communist romania from 1965 until just prior to his execution in 1989. included are twisted samples of ceauşescu’s infamous final speech before a bantering crowd of thousands on republican square that marked the moment of his downfall as the deified dictator became a fallen despot. adding to the threatening atmosphere are the coarse guitar samples that appear midway into the song. moving beyond the ominous atmospherics of its predecessor, “signos” is cavernous piece of minimal techno about “waiting for signals, from outer space, from life, from blue regions, a static movement, an endless organic flow.” layered amid the heavy, persistent beat are watery reverberations, sandpaper-ish rhythms, and electronic signals that give “signos” its very spacious feel - a sensation of the infinitude of space or the vastness of the oceans. “planeta rojo” ("red planet") is an experiment in sound. inspired by much time spent listening to electroacoustic/concrete music, it’s an intersection of concrete music and minimal electronics. an amalgamation of sounds and influences, “planeta rojo” is infinitely dense and is brimming with intricate textures. “emporio“ concludes with the playful sounds of “josefina”. the song is named after christian’s girlfriend and is a “mixdown of lots of old material“ and also includes voice samples of her teasing captured during the process of making songs. techno, dub, and even reggae influences make their presence know here.
text written by larry johnson
reviews
gunnar borchers | germany | 04/2007
beim anhören von emprio fühle ich wie auf einer reise zu einem fernen fremden planeten. ich höre das rauschen der wellen am strand, das meer und die winde. am horizont sehe ich die erde aufgehen. gleichzeitig verschwindet der mond hinter dem ende des meeres. dann lasse ich mich in den sand fallen. da liege ich, höre in mich hinein und genieße die musik. so fühle ich mich wie in einer anderen dimension. nur weit weit weg. und ganz allein die kläge der musik tragen mich. einfach schön. emporio, das sind 7 titel, die zum träumen und entspannen einladen. hören und sich dann treiben lassen.click here for more reviews