Kettel – Through Friendly Waters

My favourite album from Kettel. Forever I guess.

This creation is an ode to freshness and softness combined to the perfume of freshly cut grass. This may be a coincidence, but all the reviews here about "Through Friendly Waters" have been written during late winter/early spring. That may be cause this album sounds like a celebration, a daydream about green leaves, flowers and sound of birds and bees that are going to color and englight your life again soon. Spring is coming! Spring is here! And "Through Friendly Waters" is its hymn. : )

This creation with a marvellous cover art by Jeroen Advocaat also marks and underlines the top and climax of Kettel's art. Everything that came after this album is still a work of genius, but "My Dogan" (in 2006) introduced a new sound for Kettel's future, with heavier synths and acid excursions, more "HD", more powerful and muscular, and finally a bit less organic. Interesting aesthetics too, but quite different from this very singular album (and from all his previous works).

The aesthetics of "Through Friendly Waters" is particularly intelligent and timeless. Here the sound is fragile, delicate, meticulous, naive, very green and organic, with some hints of clicky, numerical material to create a perfect balance between 21th century and a timeless mood. Actually, it's a bit like this music is painting the bliss of living a simple life. The morning sun, your pets playin' in the garden, some fresh linen drying on the clothesline, a hug from your beloved. = )

Particularly influenced by nature, there's also a video-game influence in Kettel's music. I remember the day when I made a friend listen to "Pinch Of Peer". He was not into music very much and spent his spare time playing with his game console. (well, me too, but...) and he said : "Wooo! It makes me think about Zelda or Secret Of Mana!". And that was quite true. The "cuteness" of Kettel's ambiance surely could be played in an old joyful role-playing game.

This album is a perfect synthesis of Kettel's sound and combines everything that Reimer has been creating since his debut. Twinkling and cute (think "Shinusob"), melancholic (think "I Was Fine"), or elegant and super-soft like cotton pillows (think the eponym track). All the tracks have got a lo-fi and biomechanical feeling, as if everything was a super precise recipe or elixir created by a druid with his secret micro machines.

"Through Friendly Waters" is much more than just music! it's like an applescent foambath, It's like having a small garden when you live in an appartment, it's also like reading a story from Beatrix Potter (can't you see these cute animals running and jumping and playing and talking together when you listen to "Purple Jacket Trot"?).

While "Mwoeb" sounds like a long trip through a peacefull pond, the final track takes us back on the grass and announces the end of this organic masterpiece. Highly beautiful, slightly melo-dramatic, "Whom" sounds like a fading, a wilting, a fresh nostalgia for this short but intense adventure we've just lived.

More than 10 years ago, I swam through these friendly waters, and fell in love with this place, which is now stuck in my soul and DNA forever. I keep going back here when I feel the need to be connected with my best memories.

Absolutely essential.

PS : the two "new" tracks included in the reissued version of 2007 are very nice, particularly "Toen". But that being said, I think they don't fit the album very well. Because if I particularly love "Through Friendly Waters", it's for its lack of acid sounds, and unfortunately, "Toen" and "Unistar" have some. They would have fitted "My Dogan" way better. But hey, it's just to be picky. ; )

This album is a masterpiece. Combining the intangibles of real bouyancy, youthful exuberance, judicious ambient use and experimentation (beat-wise mostly for people that do IDM as a genre), the release contains an uncanny natural beauty and assured musical skill. With a surreal brilliance of tune quality thrown in for good measure. It seems to compliment and naturally follow as Kettels amazing ode (or andidote)to the equally amazing 'Volleyed Iron'.
Immortal tunes and an unmissable release.

My favourite Kettel album. The only minor problem I have is with the tracklisting - in my opinion the final two tracks should have been switched round, as after the incredible beauty of Mwoeb nothing can top it and on first listen the last track was sort of an afterthought in my mind as I was still trying to comprehend just how amazing Mwoeb was. It's right up there in my top 5 favourite Kettel tracks.

Other than that pedantic issue, a brilliant, brilliant album.

This album is organic. It's alive with DNA, eye-sockets, and fingernails. The sounds are non-discrete, they are mushed like flesh and blood. I've never heard anything like this. It's hard to explain, but I never knew how conformed I was to the more robotic nature of other IDM and techno styles. This is not an android's IDM, this is a mitochondria's IDM. The sounds are intriguing and warrant infinite listening. Without a doubt, this is an extremely innovative piece of music.

What drew me in particular to these sounds is the presence of melody, and it is this melody that makes the songs come alive - as if they were breathing, thinking, feeling emotion - and it inspires the same feelings within the listener. This makes the listener experience a relationship with the music, which is what music is all about.

Much respect, Kettel.

Words can not explain how good this album is. Anyone who is into Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Autechre, etc, Should own this LP. Beautifully sublime melodies a vast soundscape with a great depth, and excellently produced. The start of a great new label. This guy is seriously good! An absolutely essential purchase for 2005!!

Probably the most beautiful release of Kettel up to date. Last two tracks are more than astonishing. A real masterpiece that makes me start day dreaming and feel like floating far above the skies. Recommended to every fan of light and instrumental electronic music.