Listening to music is an emotional experience. This is not exactly news to any person who has ever smiled when their favorite song comes on the radio, or a new record never leaves the platter for a month. Every individual experiences music in a slightly different way, which is why one person may like an album while another thinks that it is noisy drivel. This extremely individual response to music has not only created hundreds of sub-genres but has created a long-time love for the mix-tape; while originally a method for portraying one’s love for a girl (or boy) when words alone were not adequate, it is now an extremely important and widespread form of new music. As with mix-tapes for potential lovers, “professional” mix-tapes can either blow the listener’s mind with a delicate blend of sounds, moods and spaces, or, if mix-tapes are not created with care, they can have disastrous results including hurtful rejections.
Thank God Alec Empire’s mix-tape composed of some choice cuts from the Staubgold back catalog is of the ‘blow the listener’s mind’ variety. Alec Empire has an incredibly vast discography under that moniker, as well as Atari Teenage Riot’s producer and DJ. His new DJ work sees him creating pounding industrial electro club hit after hit, yet Rauschgold: Alec Empire Plays Staubgold is a truly masterful homage to the Staubgold family as well as a beautifully crafted mix-tape.
The first track, Empire's remix of an Irmler / Reuber cut is a slowly building, pulsing ambiance of static, guitar and synth that guides the listener into the depths of the main content of the album. The second track falls into place right after the intro with a subtle mix style that is prevalent throughout the album. The poppy, very rhythmic electro sounds of Groenland Orchester take the album away and beauty doesn’t stop until the “Outro”, composed by Empire himself.
As mentioned before, one of the highlights of this mix is that the transition between songs is unique to each pairing of artists. There are no basic club DJ transitions of beat matching and dropping the first song. Every transition incorporates original material from the songs being mixed as well as new material created by Empire to create transitions that are not only seamless, but also completely sensual; thy are appropriate for each song and the album as a whole. Great care was taken to make the album feel like an album and not a mix-tape. In fact, after my first listen I wasn’t entirely sure whether Rauschgold: Alec Empire Plays Staubgold was a mix-tape or original work (I like to listen to albums as blind as possible the first time around). This is a testament to the well-crafted mix that Empire has created.
The artists range from psychedelic kraut-rock sounds like Faust to hip-hop styles like Beta Erko. There are some funky house elements as well as experimental electro ambient elements. One would think that with such a disparate source material the album would seem disjointed or like a patchwork but, to the contrary, the album melds together with perfect precision and creates an emotional path that is sure to please most who listen to it. Empire puts his club skills aside and lets his true musicality shine through with this album. I recommend checking this out if for no other reason than to get a lesson on the gems that Staubgold has released over the years, but don’t lose sight of the prize of a mix-tape – getting a date.
-Greg Norte