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“Long Distances” is another typical Berliner-School inspired release from the German duo Keller & Schönwälder, for the biggest part made up of shelved recordings from a few years ago. The album contains two long pieces along one short track following in the footsteps of this EM-style, so no surprises there beside the fact that they overall are less dynamic in nature. Things start with the 26-minute “Long Distances”, in which I discovered some faint (but quite annoying) distortive noises, staying present all the way. After a five-minute atmospheric entrance, the track is slowly set in motion with a sequence along mellotron pads. The whole piece makes one vaguely think of the slow stuff Klaus Schulze executed at the end of the ’70’s and of the extensive track on “Body Love II”. Next is the 41-minute “live” recorded “Metropolis”. I very much like the unhurried, freeform and warm nature displayed in the first 8 minutes, which made me think of the atmospheric parts of the Ron Boots/Eric van der Heijden concerts in the ‘90’s. After the ten minute mark, a sense of motion starts showing up, later followed by faster sequencer lines. I’m not captured though by the Schulzian-kindred, pitch-controlled soloing popping up from time to time. They sound too improvised and stay rather pointless, and in my view things improve again and again as soon as they silence. The 7-minute “September Moods” following after it like a kind of “aftermath” doesn’t change that impression, and again I encountered quiet but clear distortions in the sound spectrum. Summerizing: “Long Distances” remains an average EM release with occasional uplifting, moody passages. |
| Website: www.manikin.de
You can see what reviews I have done of these artists on the Detlef Keller, Mario Schönwälder artist pages
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