Beefcake - Drei

What is happening? First, Radiohead releases In Rainbows on donation basis. Then, The Flashbulb uploads his own album, STAVL to bit torrent (see my full interview in Conversations With Benn Jordan). Then, Nine Inch Nails repeats the donation-based approach with a twist - offering an ultra-deluxe edition of Ghosts I-IV for $300 limited to 2500 copies. Within a day, the album sells out (that's a hefty sum of $750k for those without an abacus). And now I see that Volker Kahl has released ALL of his previous albums to the public, embracing the collapse of the industry as we know it. Being a huge fan of Kahl's most recent releases under the Kattoo moniker, I couldn't pass this one by, grabbing his older Beefcake releases (in collaboration with Gabor Schablitzki), and of course, donating in the process. I immediately embraced myself for breaky, crunchy IDM goodness over ambient atmospheres and orchestral pieces, and was rewarded with every track! This album was difficult to track down for a very long time, especially since Thrill Beat Construction packaged it in a miniature canvas tote bag, and chances are that you haven't heard this 2001 release! Well, now is your chance! If you are a fan of Hymen releases, Gridlock, Architect, Somatic Responses, Venetian Snares, Hecq, Wisp and Jega, you probably will melt into this cinematic masterpiece, and hopefully reward the artist accordingly.

"Drei" is one of rare albums where harmonious versatility meets highest sound quality. This solid 78,5-minute recording represents itself a mixture of harsh IDM beats, melodic trip-hop pieces, complex drum-n-bass rhythms, grand orchestral fragments, cinematic sounds and what not! Listening to it at first time is like an adventure experience - you are involved and can never guess what happens next. Track 14 is probably the highlight of the album: "cheesy" female vocals sink in juicy distortions and then there goes some of the most breathtaking ambient/IDM/jungle pieces I've ever heard. An experienced listener will also recognize some familiar samples. For example, track 11 features an excerpt from Wojciech Kilar's Dracula OST ("Ascension") and track 13 uses the beginning of Namlook/Inoue's "Biotrip" from Shades of Orion 1. Too bad the album is so limited and takes the heck of a time to find. But if you do it, you will never want to part with it.