説明
ベルリンの人気レーベルStil vor Talent主宰者が、自らの歩みと美学を壮大なサウンドスケープへ落とし込んだコンセプチュアルな一作。
Stil vor Talentを率い、メロディック・ハウスからテクノまで幅広い作品でシーンを牽引してきたOliver Koletzkiによる6作目のアルバム『The Arc Of Tension』。2005年の代表曲「Der Mückenschwarm」で注目を集めて以来、独自の世界観を築いてきた彼が、自身の音楽的遍歴や内面をひとつの物語として描き出している。
前作までのようなヴォーカル・コラボレーションを中心とした構成から一歩進み、本作では楽曲そのものの流れや展開で物語を紡ぐスタイルを採用。オープニング「A Tribe Called Kotori」から、ダウンテンポの「By My Side」「Tankwa Town」「Byron Bay」へと穏やかな空気を漂わせつつ、徐々にエレクトロニックな質感と緊張感を高めていく。
「Spiritual Not Religious」や「A Star Called Akasha」では繊細なメロディとチェロ、ピアノが交差し、「Through the Darkness」を境に作品はよりダイナミックなテクノ・サウンドへ移行。「Planetarium」「They Can't Hold Me Back」「Chaturanga」では力強いリズムと豊かな音楽性が融合し、終盤の「Power to the People」ではギターやTB-303由来のアシッドなフレーズが存在感を放つ。そしてラストの「The Day We Leave Earth」がアンビエントな余韻とともにアルバムを締めくくる。
ダウンテンポ、メロディック・ハウス、テクノ、アンビエントを有機的につなぎ合わせながら、一人のアーティストとしての軌跡を描いた完成度の高い作品。Oliver Koletzkiの音楽世界を深く味わいたいリスナーにとって見逃せない一枚だ。ワールド・ミュージック好きの方にもオススメ。
A1. A Tribe Called Kotori
A2. Tankwa Town
B1. By My Side
B2. Spiritual But Not Religious
B3. A Star Called Akasha
C1. Planetarium
C2. They Can't Hold Me Back
D1. Chaturanga
D2. Power To The People
D3. The Day We Leave Earth
On his sixth album, The Arc of Tension, the Berlin based DJ, label owner and producer OLIVER KOLETZKI yet again presents his remarkable vision of contemporary electronic music, while he assumes the role of a storyteller. The Arc of Tension speaks to its listener as a singular, self contained work, which communicates by way of its natural flow and arc of suspense. The latter is mirrored not only in the multifarious narrative of the actual album, but can also be understood as evidence for its creator's long musical history.
While Koletzki focussed on a diverse range of vocal collaborations on his previous long players, he now moves on to a different form of storytelling, rooted in the quiet confidence of a veteran musician, as well as the hectic lifestyle of a globally in demand DJ. The Arc of Tension is the psychonautic journey through the various continents of Oliver's consciousness. The quiet chirps and warbles, which initially unfold on the opener 'A Tribe Called Kotori', thus act as a loose associative bridge to 'Der Mu?ckenschwarm', Oliver's big breakthrough hit of 2005. The first minutes of the album leave no room for doubt - we are immediately locked into an autobiographical world of sound that knows how to captivate from the get go. The dreamy, exotic timbres of the downbeat tracks 'By My Side', Tankwa Town' and 'Byron Bay' penetrate our minds in a subtle yet purposeful manner. But soon the tension tightens and organic sounds one by one evolve towards a sterner, electronic cadence. The bittersweet neon synths of 'Spiritual Not Religious' pave the way for the complex rhythm of 'A Star Called Akasha', an early highlight carried by melancholic cellos and contemplative piano chords. The ultimate turning point follows with 'Through the Darkness'. Here, at the album's centre, Koletzki starts continuously upping the tempo and leads the way with his very own, melodic interpretation of today's techno Zeitgeist, which he has been shaping since 2015's 'Iyéwaye'.
'Planetarium', 'They Can't Hold Me Back' and 'Chaturanga' exemplify, moreover, that a fusion of delicate musicality and sheer force leads to impressively ecstatic results. With its rough guitar chords and the acidic chitter of the TD303, 'Power to the People' rings in The Arc of Tension's ending, until we fully take off into space, weightlessly propelled by the ambient drones of 'The Day We Leave Earth'. Ultimately, what lingers is the feeling that we are being granted a deep glance into the innermost being of an outstanding artist.
