Bleep

German veteran and Max Ernst label head Thomas Brinkmann makes his debut on Editions Mego with the What You Hear Is What You Hear LP. Whilst also known for his minimalist take on house and techno, Brinkmann’s latest output centres on a more drone-focused, experimental sound in a similar vein to his excellent The Mortimer Trap release with Oren Ambarchi in 2012. Each piece paints on a singular sonic sketch, shunning narrative in favour of a more static sound environment, each varying in texture yet equally involving. Opener ‘Ziegelrot’ is the kind of harsh feedback drone that one could imagine emitting from Keiji Haino’s amp stack, whereas the soft ambient wind of ‘Indigoblau’ reveals its deep hypnotic essence after a deeper listen. The harder, stuttering rhythm of ‘Agent Orange’ is more obvious, and all together more immersive due it its interesting panning effects, whilst ‘Bleiweiss’ sits at the other end of the spectrum, existing in a state of angelic weightlessness.