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ARTIST
TITLE
Liquorice
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
DIYNAMIC 006CD DIYNAMIC 006CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
4/12/2011

The second album on Diynamic from Hamburg-based producer Martin Stimming wasn't initially planned to be an album. There was an intrinsic need for him to express what was going on in this period of life. Relationship problems led to a very punk, off-whack attitude to his producing. With seven tracks done and dusted, he figured the work was more than just a collection of weird shit; it was a whole new music experience -- add another 5 months of studio work, and he named it Liquorice. Definitely hard to pigeonhole -- call it minimal, stripped-back, dub, experimental -- maybe "electronic free jazz" comes the closest. No sign of a typical 4/4 bass drum at all and Stimming has incorporated his trademark use of field recordings, from a marble run, a pizza slicer, a trashcan, a coffee machine, and an ice train shuttling past to name a few. The Stimming'esque percussion, which is even more radical this time, has been thrown in with all these facets in his massive melting pot, coupled with some dark emotions. "This time I didn't use all the main events a groove normally has," recalls Martin. "I kind of sneaked around the normal bass drum/clap or snare combination during the most productive time when I had to sleep on the couch in my 16 square meter studio -- certain circumstances didn't allow me to sleep at home... that was very, very intense." It's this loose, punk ethic that encapsulates the freestyle feel to Liquorice. Obvious bass and kicks have been stripped and replaced with eerie atmospheres, fluid percussion, found sounds and dystopian electronics in the search for something new. It's this sideways approach that also gives the album its glue, bringing all 13 tracks together as a unique listening experience. From the opening chattering of loose-limbed and scene-setting orchestral instruments on "Cold Water" the first three tracks give an idea of what will happen, building slowly to "Cooking Coffee" and the introspective feel of "On A Grey Day." The album's emotional climax reveals itself on "Don"t Touch This," and finally concludes on the beautiful closing track, "The Train." Stimming further elaborates, "Even when I have all those strange sounds in it, it's still very groove-based. I called it Liquorice because I simply love real liquorice-sweets and I have realized that it's something someone loves or hates."