BERSARIN QUARTETT – SYSTEME
The fifth full release of Bersarin Quartett sees the light of day four years after 2019’s Methoden Und Maschinen. This imaginary quartet still is no more (and no less) than one person: Thomas Bücker from Münster, Germany.
The music on Systeme still presents the widescreen cinematic arrangements we’ve come to expect from Bersarin Quartett. But Systeme is not simply repeating a successful formula. There are deeper layers here, a hard-to-define dimension below the surface that makes this album ‘exciting without freezing in escapism’.
‘Microtonal shifts, polyrhythmic structures, tempo fluctuations and sound aesthetics torn out of context create a fragile, unpredictable foundation’ – but at the same time, the music feels natural and accessible. No shallow melancholy here on what may prove to be the best Bersarin Quartett release until now.
ERALDO BERNOCCHI / HOSHIKO YAMANE – SABI
Also on the Denovali label (like the Bersarin Quartett release above), is this second collaboration of Italian composer Eraldo Bernocchi and violinist (and Tangerine Dream member) Hoshiko Yamane. It is the follow-up to 2020’s Mujo.
‘”Sabi” is a Japanese aesthetic that celebrates the beauty of impermanence and decay. It is often associated with the simplicity, austerity, and solitude found in nature, and is said to evoke a sense of melancholy, nostalgia, and reverence for the passage of time.’
The reference to ‘impermanence and decay’ applies to the musical themes, not to a lo-fi production technique – on the contrary even. Bernocchi‘s electronic soundscapes perfectly match Yamane‘s acoustic violin parts. The music is ‘sometimes melancholic, evoking a sense of solitude and simplicity, at other times more energetic and uplifting, celebrating the beauty of transience’.