3.5

Release data:

Filter-Kaffee – 102
CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Manikin Records, 2015

Filter-Kaffee’s second album “102” came out on E-Day 2015, on which the duo Frank Rothe and Mario Schönwälder also performed parts of it live in concert.
The tasty but short “Intro” hails back to TD’s begin/mid ‘70’s retro-days, followed by the halucinogenic atmospherics, lush mellotron textures and vintage sequencing of “RubyRed” “Sequence A”. These aural spaces (with a occasional slight gothic and darker undercurrent) line up very nicely to classic Berlin School as heard on “Phaedra” and “Rubycon”, but moulded into in a spatial but authentic sound design with occasional minimal flavours.

“Sequence A” follows the same pattern, but the outcome (which also features a contemporary edge) somehow is a bit less captivating. With the 15-minute “Six-Eight Time”, the duo delivers another very nice and moody piece, taking off with melancholic spaces, followed by a fine combo of pleasantly tuned sequences and a smooth soaring solo-voice, at the end winding down with tranquil mellotron realms.

The 22-minute “Darkshift”, the longest piece on the album, is a sequenced, slow unwinding exercise that’s in constant motion, gaining more body along the way (although some of the solo leads in there aren’t that attractive nor effective). The finale (“Outro”) is a short ethereal piece dedicated to the memory of Edgar Froese, who passed away a few months earlier.

I think aficionados of the classic Berlin School should seek out this album despite some weaker moments.