Published by Alessandro Violante on May 29, 2018
Independently from the result gained, it’s always beautiful for who has to review the new album made by an artist, to ascertain that he hasn’t repeated himself, that there’s been a step forward in his research. That its new music is unpredictable. Hendrik Grothe’ project Blac Kolor and his new album Awakening are an emblematic example of this. Some say that the third album is always the most important for an artist, and this is a good, mature album.
After having been born in ruins, he has woken up again with Udo Wiessmann’ HANDS, in a new awakening , a partial change of direction. An even stronger separation from the techno language, a switch to rhythmic noise structures and beats typical of the label. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a connection with his past music, electro industrial is still present in some of Awakening songs, but in a different way from what shown in his sophomore album Born In Ruins, released a couple of years ago by Daniel Myer’ Basic Unit Production. A maximalist electronic album, rather than a minimalist one, that’s the key element of Awakening. A rather various album, which only flaw could be find in having put too much things all together, giving to the listener the perception of not having a precise focus. Thirteen songs having various lengths, which together form a wide, complex album, non easy to assimilate.
The change in Grothe’ music is clear if we compare the opener In black, with its syncopated gloomy rhythm, with Spirits, the opener of Born in ruins which had a typical techno rhythm for its whole length. Here we already have each element of the new album: the aforementioned syncopated rhythm, the foggy atmosphere, a Postmodernist, Duchamp-like borrowing of elements typical of different cultures, the overlapping of different sound layers. Grothe has worked a lot in sound research, that’s clear.
While in the past Grothe’ songs were more schematic and “minimalist”, in Awakening they often change their shape. To find some good examples of this choice, let’s think about what probably are the best moments in the album. The digital single We are the darkness (released some time before the album, a new way of distributing music chosen by Udo Wiessmann’ label) and the title track, this featuring Jean-Luc De Meyer (Front 242) vocals. This last one is an essay of variety and technical skills, but most of all it is a blend of the future between EBM, electro industrial, techno and rhythmic noise, the most convincing episode of Awakening. Each elements communicate well together, and what emerges is something fresh. In We are the darkness, there are electro-industrial samples, there’s a less frenzied rhythm, but there’s also space for a short rhythmic noise moment, lysergic synths sound.
If Tears and Loneliness are good electro-industrial episodes, but not as good as the aforementioned songs, Nano creator melds well EBM, techno and electro-industrial, having an acid old school bassline and sci-fi samples, while Fire god! is pretty complex, once again showing a fascination for far cultures. Worlds collapse, No answers, Fall into oblivion and Abstand are good fillers with a cinematographic touch, more relaxed, they’re the glue needed to sustain the best moments, not by chance put in the middle of the tracklist.
Awakening is a more than good album, we could sayin the middle. Grothe has made a step forward, showing his technical skills, as well as his will to break his limits and those of music genres.
Rating: 8
Label: HANDS