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CD
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BB 449CD
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La Freiheit des Geistes (BB 166CD), a collaborative album by Tom Dokoupil and Walter Dahn under the moniker Die Partei, emerged in 1981 with a fusion of Kraut electronica and early NDW vibes. Fast forward 43 years, their latest release Celaviemachinery reflects a refreshed sound rooted in their artistic origins. With dreamy landscapes and nods to influential records, the album is not just a homage but a testament to compositional beauty, inviting listeners into hypnotic experiences across its twelve tracks, reaffirming Die Partei's enduring significance in contemporary electronic music.
"On the one hand, there are clear traces of 1970s and early 1980s Kraut electronica, echoes of Cluster or Neu! and an affinity to Manuel Göttsching and Michael Rother... On the other hand, there is a certain edginess which is not so far removed from the hectic nature of early NDW (German New Wave) as it emerged in the Federal Republic -- and, in anticipation of future electronica, a compositional rigor associated with the likes of Thomas Fehlmann and '90s techno. Now, some 43 years later, Die Partei are back... Celaviemachinery is an apposite title for a machine of sentimentality such as this. Thoroughly refreshed in terms of sound, Die Partei are clearly speaking to the 21st century, but even more so 'Mouchette' on the cover transports us back to a world in which European art was still wild.. Time and again, old vinyl friends appear fleetingly on the horizon. Could that be Harald Grosskopf? That looks like Tyndall's 'Traumland' and, even if Walter Dahn never tires of citing 'Ralf & Florian' as the most important record in the Kraftwerk catalogue, tracks like 'Domino' or the title track itself are audibly reminiscent thereof? The elegaic luxury of 'Here come the warm jets' or 'Autoselbstfahrer,' which revolves gleefully on its own axis, the ominously fraught 'Nacht zum Tag' or the conciliatory melancholy of the final piece 'Heb mich auf.' It all amounts to a beautiful experience, inviting the listener to dive into twelve short hypnosis sessions (over and over). Anyone familiar with Dokoupil and Dahn's machineries will understand how lucky we are to have Die Partei with us again. It just so happens that they are always right." --Philipp Theisohn
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LP
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BB 449LP
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LP version. La Freiheit des Geistes (BB 166CD), a collaborative album by Tom Dokoupil and Walter Dahn under the moniker Die Partei, emerged in 1981 with a fusion of Kraut electronica and early NDW vibes. Fast forward 43 years, their latest release Celaviemachinery reflects a refreshed sound rooted in their artistic origins. With dreamy landscapes and nods to influential records, the album is not just a homage but a testament to compositional beauty, inviting listeners into hypnotic experiences across its twelve tracks, reaffirming Die Partei's enduring significance in contemporary electronic music.
"On the one hand, there are clear traces of 1970s and early 1980s Kraut electronica, echoes of Cluster or Neu! and an affinity to Manuel Göttsching and Michael Rother... On the other hand, there is a certain edginess which is not so far removed from the hectic nature of early NDW (German New Wave) as it emerged in the Federal Republic -- and, in anticipation of future electronica, a compositional rigor associated with the likes of Thomas Fehlmann and '90s techno. Now, some 43 years later, Die Partei are back... Celaviemachinery is an apposite title for a machine of sentimentality such as this. Thoroughly refreshed in terms of sound, Die Partei are clearly speaking to the 21st century, but even more so 'Mouchette' on the cover transports us back to a world in which European art was still wild.. Time and again, old vinyl friends appear fleetingly on the horizon. Could that be Harald Grosskopf? That looks like Tyndall's 'Traumland' and, even if Walter Dahn never tires of citing 'Ralf & Florian' as the most important record in the Kraftwerk catalogue, tracks like 'Domino' or the title track itself are audibly reminiscent thereof? The elegaic luxury of 'Here come the warm jets' or 'Autoselbstfahrer,' which revolves gleefully on its own axis, the ominously fraught 'Nacht zum Tag' or the conciliatory melancholy of the final piece 'Heb mich auf.' It all amounts to a beautiful experience, inviting the listener to dive into twelve short hypnosis sessions (over and over). Anyone familiar with Dokoupil and Dahn's machineries will understand how lucky we are to have Die Partei with us again. It just so happens that they are always right." --Philipp Theisohn
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CD
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BB 166CD
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In 1981 Tom Dokoupil and Walter Dahn, two young and wild protagonists of the German underground, got together to create a new music project entitled Die Partei. Using his Siluetes 61 alias, Dokoupil was already known as something of a musical eccentric and as a member of The Wirtschaftswunder. Walter Dahn, a star pupil of Joseph Beuys, collaborated with Dokoupil's brother Georg in the Mülheimer Freiheit art group, and played music in the Cologne scene which emerged around Can. A chance meeting between Dokoupil and Dahn led to their teaming up. They met in Dokoupil's Studio 61, The Wirtschaftswunder's workplace. Die Partei was christened a few sessions later and a plan made to create a concept album according to strict rules: they would record on a single weekend, the music would be instrumental, electronic and danceable, sprinkled with a few film quotes. Dokoupil and Dahn knew exactly the moods they sought to conjure up with their tracks. They only allowed themselves the use of certain instruments and adhered to a duality of contrasts: good/evil, beautiful/ugly (in terms of sound), fast/slow, rightist/leftist politics (with reference to the artwork). The last piece of the puzzle was an album title: La Freiheit des Geistes (trans. "The Freedom of the Spirit"). And here's what Sounds magazine wrote about the album in January 1982: "La Freiheit des Geistes is quite an accomplishment. Dokoupil and Dahn have succeeded in making a cheerful, relaxed dance record without resorting to funk or DAF. Warm sounds abound, mechanically swift rhythm machines barely register, sparse guitar, bursts of trumpet and saxophone. Topped with little melodies, as simple as they are memorable, not dissimilar to Yello."
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LP
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BB 166LP
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LP version. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl. In 1981 Tom Dokoupil and Walter Dahn, two young and wild protagonists of the German underground, got together to create a new music project entitled Die Partei. Using his Siluetes 61 alias, Dokoupil was already known as something of a musical eccentric and as a member of The Wirtschaftswunder. Walter Dahn, a star pupil of Joseph Beuys, collaborated with Dokoupil's brother Georg in the Mülheimer Freiheit art group, and played music in the Cologne scene which emerged around Can. A chance meeting between Dokoupil and Dahn led to their teaming up. They met in Dokoupil's Studio 61, The Wirtschaftswunder's workplace. Die Partei was christened a few sessions later and a plan made to create a concept album according to strict rules: they would record on a single weekend, the music would be instrumental, electronic and danceable, sprinkled with a few film quotes. Dokoupil and Dahn knew exactly the moods they sought to conjure up with their tracks. They only allowed themselves the use of certain instruments and adhered to a duality of contrasts: good/evil, beautiful/ugly (in terms of sound), fast/slow, rightist/leftist politics (with reference to the artwork). The last piece of the puzzle was an album title: La Freiheit des Geistes (trans. "The Freedom of the Spirit"). And here's what Sounds magazine wrote about the album in January 1982: "La Freiheit des Geistes is quite an accomplishment. Dokoupil and Dahn have succeeded in making a cheerful, relaxed dance record without resorting to funk or DAF. Warm sounds abound, mechanically swift rhythm machines barely register, sparse guitar, bursts of trumpet and saxophone. Topped with little melodies, as simple as they are memorable, not dissimilar to Yello."
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