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Quietus Mixes & Radio

Quietus Mix 44: Brandt Brauer Frick Sing The Body Emotional
The Quietus , September 29th, 2011 06:53

The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble contribute the latest in our mix series, in advance of the release of their new album Mr. Machine and their show at Fabric next week

The latest mix in our ongoing series comes from genre-blurring German ensemble Brandt Brauer Frick. The tracks that make up their 'Emotional Body Mix' are an appropriate demonstration of the range of influences that make their way into their music - everything from the exploratory sounds of Matthew Herbert to Soundstream's deconstruction of Berlin dub legends Rhythm & Sound. It's a lush, jazzy tryst that works perfectly with the strangely extended summer warmth we're currently experiencing.

In line with their shift in name, the newly expanded Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble have widened their vision considerably since last year's debut album You Make Me Real, which crafted arty, melodic techno out of sampled orchestral instruments. The result was far more fluid than much of the techno that emerges from their home country (especially the metronomic thonk of Berghain-styled warehouse tracks), ending up somewhere between the Latinised shuffle of Villalobos or Luciano and a particularly anxious form of lounge music. It was certainly that little too restless to sit comfortably on coffee tables, despite the jazzy pianos that licked across its length.

New album Mr. Machine remains connected to their debut - in ensemble form, they've reinterpreted several of its tracks - but further ramps up the improvisatory feel through live recording. It occupies a similarly liminal space between genres though, frequently flitting from textures you'd more regularly associate with classical and jazz to those you'd find on the dancefloor - and, regularly, integrating the two. 'Pretend', which we gave away yesterday, is a good example - featuring Ninja Tune vocalist Emika's ice queen vamp, it surrounds her voice in an ever shifting sea of clicking percussion and the subtle four-to-the-floor pulse of a kick drum. Look at this 'Emotional Body Mix' as a precursor, or a side dish, to the album itself.

The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble play a gig at London's Fabric club next Wednesday, 5th October, with DJ support from Ivan Smagghe.