Apparat
DJ-Kicks
German-born and Berlin resident Sascha Ring, also known by his more recognizable name, Apparat, has had one of the most consistent electronic artist careers to date. With his knack for beautiful compositions and sonic artisanship, Apparat has developed a unique style of his own through a synesthetic blend of ambient, downtempo, techno, glitch and even trip-hop elements. Having an exceptionally bright solo career, his work with Modeselektor last year under the name Moderat was more than exceptional, combining parallel electronic directions into one unique and inspired project that demonstrated an extended range of his interests and talents. (Related: It received a perfect score from URB last year, see here.)
Being 2010 and commissioned for a DJ-Kicks mix as most reputable DJs are, Apparat has been enabled by the folks over at !K7 to rummage through his collection and assemble a mélange of his influences and favorites through the almighty compilation format. Wasting no time, Apparat works through 24 tracks of blissfully melted cuts by playing with multiple rhythmic styles and patterns to assemble a thoroughly fulfilling and aurally pleasing experience. Beginning with one of his own oft-overlooked track “Circles,” Apparat, in many ways like Kieran Hebden of Four Tet (who is actually featured on the comp via his remix of Born Ruffians “I Need A Life” and a track from the amazingly amazing Burial + Four Tet release Moth/Wolf Club 12”), scrapes through the beginning in a somewhat jagged yet soothing opener whose most basic of pulsating chime is cleanly picked up by the complementary energetic and Detroit original classic “Rushed” by 69.
Exemplifying the kinetic nature of Apparat’s stylings, he demonstrates some very effective transitioning through the pixel-perfect renditions of tracks by Telefon Tel Aviv (a personal favorite), Burial + Four Tet, Tim Hecker, Ripperton, and Thom Yorke. In a moderately-paced record, Apparat methodically sifts through the works of these artists in a seamless and unique way, fashioning in disparate elements and drawing connections from vocals to beat patterns and glitches as congruent, leading to exciting ways of organizing, selecting, and mixing (most notable here is Yorke’s “Harrowdown Hill”).
For those reluctant to pick up this DJ-Kicks compilation (I don’t know why you would but there’s always folks on the fence), Apparat entices listeners by including a new and exclusive track, “Sayulita,” a cooled out track referencing a town near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico that evokes a sensation of relaxation, movement and the lapse of time. This track reference might perhaps be helping the Mexican government’s efforts to appeal to tourists to visit Mexico as part of its recent advertisement campaign (perhaps not, though). See for yourself, Apparat and DJ-Kicks have made available the new track for download here.
The record is great as it contains a lot of classics, exclusive blends and reconstructions, but most importantly, it’s an architecturally well-thought out piece and expresses great care and precision. The time and tinkers that Apparat put into this compilation make it an engaging product of subtlety and contemplation. It’s a pensive collection of sounds that collectively resonates with comprehension and technical prowess. DJ-Kicks has a habit of never disappointing, and with Apparat’s already-impressive musical repertoire, this is a natural pairing that’s organic in both its creation and realization.
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