Ellen Allien & Apparat ‎– Orchestra Of Bubbles

The best thing either artists have ever done.

This album is simply a gem. It's not necessary to be a fan of either Ellen Allien or Apparat alone, although they are great solo artists too. This record is quite different from what they tend to create on their own, and you'll be amazed by the quality throughout the album. I've listened to it tons of times, and it's still one of my favourites.

It would be great if Apparat did more collaborations with mood-creating artists like Allien, because it fits his technical genious very well. He's an amazing sound engineer, and creates some of the more complex beat structures out there. This combined with Ellen Allien's sence of creating elevating, moody tunes should tempt anyone just slightly into electronic music. Some of these tunes are excellent club tracks as well, like for instance "Way out" which is a classic in its own right.

I've heard a number of all-star collaborations that produced mediocre results. Slag Boom Van Loon should have been a stellar album. Speedy J and u-ziq? What could be better? The results were okay, but fell far below what I had hoped. I was skeptical about this CD when I first bought it. I like Ellen Allien a lot and I've just lately been getting into Apparat. I was very pleasantly surprised with this. It seems to combine the best of both artists into what I hope will be a continuing series of collaborations.

It's danceable, maybe a bit more so than Apparat's usual style, but rhythmically interesting. So often the tired four-on-the-floor beats do little to differentiate themselves from all the rest, but here, the foundation is further enhanced by microscopic little touches - it makes all the difference.

The main strength is the melodic component of each track. If you've heard Apparat's "Walls" album, you know what to expect: tuneful, if slightly mellow electronic music that is both danceable and listenable. I'm happy that the album isn't totally dominated by Allien's vocals. While her voice is very effective on her own work, it would have given this CD a different and altogether more mundane feel. Instead, the music is mostly instrumental allowing for different song structures.

While I say that the melodic content is impressive, that doesn't mean there's a shortage of interesting sounds. Quite the contrary. It's just that the sounds are themselves melodic, rather than rhythmic. When listening to, say, Richard Devine, I'm constantly aware of the amazing sounds he's getting out of his computer, but they are textural rather than melodic. Orchestra of Bubbles clearly falls in the latter category.

If you're a fan of Ellen Allien or Apparat, this is a no-brainer. Buy this immediately. I'd also recommend this to fans of forward-thinking electronic and dance music. It's definitely one of the more unique albums to come out this year.

Usually with collaborations, one voice dominates the other. However, with Ellen Allien and Apparat's ORCHESTRA OF BUBBLES, each partner is given equal time. So while Allien's industro-techno leanings are immediately apparant on "Turbo Dreams" and "Way Out," Apparat's classical touch can be felt on the strings in "Retina" and "Metric." The driving "Jet" has Allien's guitar work balanced by Apparat's chilly and deft synths. "Do Not Break" has a smart rhythm topped with a heavily chopped and processed voca sample--funky indeed. The sweet vocals of "Leave Me Alone" feel adroitly balanced atop the stop-start strings and the driving beat, while "Edison" has an aharmonic zither playing over a throbbing IDM backdrop. "Bubbles" closes the album on a mysterious note, Allien's whispered vocals, blending into the melodic tones. Let's hope we hear more from these two soon.

A fantastic blend of experimental and dance floor dynamics. Apparat's slick production techniques are very apparent on this LP, with lush soundscapes and crisp sounds. Ellen Allien clearly brings out the rhythm on this LP as well, but it is hard to tell and seems this was very much a 50/50 production. Way out has some fantastic soaring lyrics that are deep, yet enthralling. My personal favourite is Do Not Break, with it's very emotional keys and stripped back breakbeat production. A very consistent LP that is worth listening to from start to finish over and over again.

This album represents a coming together of 2 very talented artists. Allien takes a break from her usual minimal/trippy techno sounds and combines with Apparat, a technical genius, to produce a quality album that ranges from down-tempo to futuristic disco, while maintaining its overall experimental feel. Very highly recommended.