As the press release and sleeve notes are all entirely in German, and I don’t know a word of German, there’s not a lot I can garner from them. It shouldn’t really matter: the music should do the talking. However, it is possible to deduce that Joke Lanz (perhaps best known for his work with Sudden Infant) is the sole musician on this release, and he plays turntables. Furthermore, Münster Bern – recorded live as an improv in Bern cathedral (Münster Bern) in 2010 – contains one track – Spielzeit – which has a running time of 26:17.
The chime of a heavy bell marking the hour presents an ominous start. Unexpectedly, the sounds begin to alter in pitch until a cathedral’s worth of bells are ringing out, then slowly begin to warp and melt, with more sounds being added on top. It’s only the beginning of a rather strange sonic journey, a collage work constructed from a melange of incidentals and curious manipulations.
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Although interesting at times, it’s hard to see this as anything more than a collection of noises assembled for a degree of novelty value. As a one-off, it’s fine, but after 26 minutes, the novelty’s just about worn off and the ‘Joke’ isn’t funny anymore.
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