Ellen Allien - "Thrills"

I still can't get enough of Berlinette either. LOVE the Allien.

In that I've nearly started this thread myself before.

Ellen Allien: "An album is a work from a period in one's life. Constantly rushing around through clubs makes me feel distracted. I'm no longer grounded. Instead, I'm still floating somewhere inside this club action, fluttering through the night, standing between the bass drum and the emotions of the people. I'm totally absent. Often I'm no longer inside my own body. When I have more time, when I'm on holiday or just lying around in my bed, I can finally start to process things. I don't often have this peacefulness in my life, and it's the same with music. Learning to say no is a virtue, being able to concentrate on only one thing - my own thing. Making an album mainly means coming down, relaxing, finding myself again, making contact with myself again, finding out where I want to go, showing what I'm capable of. It's a nice process, returning to the things I like."

http://www.bpitchcontrol.de/

thrill. a feeling. feeling the body in the world.
goose bumps. it's the most sensible reaction to the world and the quietest and loudest at the same time.
noticing, perceiving the world - realizing your self only by taking in the world. liberty, feeling free. feeling your self while feeling free. to be in the music; beeing the music itself. feeling the sounds entering the body.
more goose bumps, the tickle at the surface.
the sounds are tickeling under the surface.
so, the body twitches, moves, until it finds a rhythm, which can only be an mage of the sound.
no marching, but a dance, synchronized by devotion.
the profession is creativity.
this is a task of realizing the conscientous self.
withdrawing control so that no pain is noticeable.
only this itch. crossing borders - and yet this passage constitutes the threshold between the body and the outer world. it makes the body part of the world.
twisting buttons until hands bleed.
draw the figure of intuition with a mouse.
only feel the stormy propensity from the inside.
it's the inside wich wants to be outside.
music from the inside which wants to be outside.
not controlled, only filtered by the structure of beats.
the code of the soul, a coding of the soul in zero and one. in the areas in between there is no emptiness. that is where the concrete part is developed.
the clarity. a clarity which only stops when thinking recedes. ecstasy.
the thrill of one'sown thrills.
(how beautiful.)

http://www.bpitchcontrol.de/

In the meantime, Ellen Allien no longer places the primary emphasis on testing her own abilities, perspectives (Stadtkind) and links to current movements in electronic music (Berlinette). Rather, her third album "Thrills" makes a clear statement: Her passions have become her profession. This also means that she has withdrawn from the daily grind of being a label manager to allow herself as much freedom as possible - namely to define herself as an artist, with all it entails. And that can only work based on the well-oiled team at BPitch Control giving her the necessary logistical support. Concentration is vital. Creative expression has always been her outlet in the search for the thrill of sensing and feeling. On "Thrills" this builds up to a great moment of clarity. Ellen Allien puts her two feet on the ground and lets her thoughts play in the clouds. Thrills may be her balance between concentration and relaxation. She perceives excitement as a single moment, in which the half-closed eyes show the surroundings in a blur, when one can feel a slight tingling beneath the scalp. This bodily sensation, of being "here and now", may be an intention of "Thrills", to hold on tight to this one moment of clarity. For Ellen Allien, music is expression and at the same time, a channel. "Thrills" is a result of excellent teamwork with Holger Zielske (Smash TV) with whom she also produced "Stadtkind" and "Berlinette". But the making of "Thrills" is not only defined by concentrated and experienced working methods. The ability to let go and to feel like oneself also requires a very free and relaxed approach to handling production technologies. With new-old units like the Roland 808 and an ARP 2600 a much warmer, non-digital sound emerged, which also altered the music in a new and at the same time an old way. On "Thrills" one can now interpret Ellen Allien's search for a way to merge man and technology as an intermediate result among many others. Nevertheless, despite these recurring sound frames, Ellen Allien remains a tinkerer who objects to staying in comfortable, wellknown surroundings. The ARP 2600 has become Ellen Allien's new favourite instrument, for which she searched for two months on Ebay. Her love of technology is also elementary to "Thrills", while always remaining a means to an end - not vice versa. Ellen Allien allows herself the freedom she needs to let out this inner thrill, this ecstasy, which can be experienced by producer and consumers alike. Her years of travel, the incredible flood of sensations, the filtering, capturing and framing, has, meanwhile, helped Ellen Allien to perceive herself more strongly. She no longer feels lost in this world - on the contrary. The relaxedness which emanates from "Thrills", without being slow or chilly, is a sign of maturity. Ellen Allien has found her musical path, her orientation. She has built her own system of coordinates. She seeks out traces, and finds them. Ellen Allien's musical future is a link between past and present even though she thinks that "future is dust".
The clarity of sound on "Thrills", the coherence, which finds its basis in Ellen Allien's personal history, refers to memories - ones that were really experienced and not just re-produced feelings - which are still so moving that they not only become the sound of a whole generation, but also the soundtrack to her own biography. Ellen Allien's technoid, electroid roots, the everlasting game of asking the question "What else can you do with it?" shows that techno has not come to an end by a long way - on the contrary. Because with every shout of "Techno Is Dead", it is newly born with a different face, which at least on "Thrills" is very coherent and self-contained and invites you to linger. And all this time, Ellen Allien's orientation toward what rocks the hardest, what makes the dance floor boil over, is emblematic of her life and experience as a DJ. The bass is always the common thread and all the vocals and melodies twirl around it.

http://www.soulseduction.com/common/item_detail.php?ItemCode=B182429

MAKE ME MAGMA
bpc105
magma remixes by the mfa & modeselektor
release: 18.04.2005

with "magma" ellen allien sets out to loosen us up fo her third album "thrills" (bpc106). everybody will sweat in this small workout because magma is like a little steam turbine with which ellen allien softly digs up the dance floor so that we can dance at the center of the earth, sweating prufusely in the heat. whoever doens't understand that ellen turns more than just a few knobs is, so to speak, not seeing the forest with all the trees in the way. almost fourteen years of techno certainly leave their trace and, one must say of course, they've brought about a bunch of fun and coincidences. ellen allien, our magical fairy, steers the techno of "magma" with a baddass rowdy voice, like swinging around a wild red flag in order to push the limits of the tube even further.

http://www.bpitchcontrol.de/artist/1

http://www.bpitchcontrol.de/imglib/digifly.jpg

And she has an ARP now. OMG!

I'd love to hear this when it comes out, I really liked "Berlinette" a lot.

CD TRACKLISTING:

1 COME 6:39
2 THE BRAIN IS LOST 5:20
3 YOUR BODY IS MY BODY 5:36
4 NAKED RAIN 4:56
5 WASHING MACHINE IS SPEAKING 5:27
6 DOWN 4:38
7 GHOST TRAIN 3:07
8 CLOUDY CITY 6:21
9 SHE IS WITH ME 5:05
10 MAGMA 5:56

VINYL TRACKLISTING:

A1 COME 6:39
A2 THE BRAIN IS LOST 5:20
B1 YOUR BODY IS MY BODY 5:36
B2 NAKED RAIN 4:56
C1 WASHING MACHINE IS SPEAKING 5:27
C2 DOWN 4:38
C3 GHOST TRAIN 3:07
D1 CLOUDY CITY 6:21
D2 SHE IS WITH ME 5:05
D3 MAGMA 5:56

Possibly interesting link, all I know about these things really is the Andrea Parker connection (her use of it on 'Kiss My Arp' and the somewhat devastating bass sound it seems to make).

http://www.synthmuseum.com/arp/arp260001.html

More (Translated) Blurbs

New inches Allien
Bpitch lady acknowledges
[07.03.05 14:19]
Their new album brings inches out Allien, citizen of Berlin miracle child of the electrical and Technoszene in May. The album with the name ' Thrills ' comes in the Gloeckchenmonat - punctual to the revival the open air culture. The Beats sounds rather warmly, deep and soft. Breakbeats mix under melodies and gentle Vocals lift the tendency easily in Melancholi. The basses roll only so there - never really aggressively, always seeming and floating.

Perhaps the gentleness of new productions owes Allien to their newest favourite instrument - the ARP2600. Altogether ten TRACKS were brought in for the electronic scene for the new album and point interesting connections from today to yesterday. It knarzt, bleept and wummert - Techno is not not dead, under any circumstances.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.intro.de/musik/news/1110201598&prev=/search%3Fq%3DEllen%2BAllien%2Bmagma%2Bbuy%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official

All that, and the lack of german song titles (and singing?). I'm going to have to adjust my expectations a little here!

Oh, and.... there's a short, intriguing, sample of 'Magma' on the bpitch website now. Still pretty damn excited.

I actually can't remember if there are any German vox I'm afraid: the vox don't play as central a role as they did on Berlinette, for the most part.

And to think I was in Miami only last week.

promising!

also: terrific article/interview in the forthcoming Plan B, out next week. Ellen on the new album: "Thrills feels like me from the inside. To turn myself inside out while I make music is one of my favourite hobbies."

False hope is a bitch.

(xpost)

(btw: no German vox)

!
it's like knowing that you too are mortal.

Overall, very pleased.

i agree. the sounds seem very full and layered. infact you kind of have to play it loud to get the right effect.

OTM on the confidence tip. I think that's what i like it so much, it's like she's hitting a stride. It's arguably more ambitious of her to make such a dark, heavy record.

Berlinette always worked like that for me actually. With some serious volume, less of a 'pop' record and more of a crushing dark matrix industrial-tehnnoid beast of a thing. But still totally human, I felt I'd been wanting someone to make a record like that for years without knowing it.

But back to the thread... 'Thrills'. Wow, it's one hell of a left turn of a record! Going to need a lot more listens to properly evaluate. Nabisco didn't reveal what he was excited about above, but I haven't had such nervous anticipation about a follow up since between *'Debut' and 'Post' (!)

*I don't think she's the 'new Björk' fwiw. But she definitly shares a a similar kind of open-minded approach to music. The old one is still fine by me, but I can see where comparisons could be drawn (strong sense of regional identification in their work, working in two languages, vagina + electronic music (lazy), and Ellen has been known to drop her tracks live when DJ-ing but then a lot of people liked that SPT remix. Ahem). Still feels a little tenuous though.

I had a whole couple of pages of thoughts/reactions/feelings scribbled down about just those soulseduction samples! And now I've heard the full thing, well some of it is still applies, but I'd need to add more, change it around some, to describe the new & unexpected parts on here that make me break out into the biggest shit-eating grin ever.

I'm gobsmacked at the almost reckless bravery of it. I mean, she's virtually thrown away with her 'typical' sound set (Stadtkind/Berlinette/Remix Collection) here and doesn't seem bothered about the potential to fail without it this time round. She got new tools and wants to play! :-P

Doesn't sound much like anything else on Bpitch Control at all and it's certainly harder to hear other production influences this time round (Holger Zilske, Sascha Ring etc).

I can't see everyone being pleased, or following her along in this new direction. I get the feeling she's more than ready to accept this though, although 'Cloudy City' and 'She Is With Me' seem like the possible bridging tracks for fans of her earlier stuff.

On a slightly negative note, I think 'Magma' is my least favourite track here so far, feels slightly ugly and it is just me who hates hearing the last track on a record as the single? So glad I got to hear the whole thing early. But then I really wasn't expecting perfection this time out, I know how these things can go (I try and forget how badly 'Army Of Me' prepared me for 'Post'. That record still starts at track two for me.)

But there are many, many things I like about it so far too. Some of this sounds hilariously out-of-control, like Ellen is barely keeping that ARP from bleeping and bouncing out of the studio and into the streets under it's own unstoppable wayward energy.

Her beautiful, subtle yet strong, enigmatic melodies are still here even in all this flowing chaos. I'm not sure how I feel about the comparative lack of vocals so far either, they are there, but often much more direct when used. It still sounds more of a techno thing to me than electro-house, although 'Naked Rain' is kinda deep-house in a way. And 'Down' yeah, is more electro-y. It's just that it's as a whole so much less electro than her previous stuff, and so much weirder, frankly.

If I had to decribe it in less words than I've used so far I'd say: Vaguely Germanic beats meets Giorgio Moroder, LFO & the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Thinking of which I wonder whether I should try to hear that Emporer Machine record from last year if I like this. Seemed to be exploring similar territory.

I'm still leaning towards fucking awesome btw, I might have lost the main thrust of my point in all this chatter ;-) There's stuff going on in this record that absolutely kills.

I think I'm going to go listen some more now :-)

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned 'Washing Machine Is Speaking' yet - that tune is just HUGE.

Agree it is kind of more 'immediate' than Berlinette. It's almost too giving at times, almost ever track having some 'peak' ridiculously intense dissolving-into-bliss moment. I think 'epic' is the word indeed. It's still very grounded though, pushing at the machines really hard. In some ways more brutal than Berlinette, less controlled. I'm reckoning I'll probably end up playing this as much as 'Stadtkind' or 'Remix Collection' but not everyday. It's a bit too exhausting for that.

I'm sure some of the dissapointment here is due to the lack of more typically song-like material. I think it's closer to the aims of the more moving vocal-free parts of Stadtkind, or 'Dresden'. Listening to the samples before I'd quite expected 'She Is With Me' to spin off into something with more content (and to have spanked anything on Berlinette, in fact I'd be happy if this was the last track on 'Thrills' I adore it still). I'm still trying to throw off one or two other early-listening presumptions... mostly because they (I realise now) were all retro-active and coloured by expectations this would still be (in full) more like her previous work.

I'm suspecting this may sound a bit clearer/better mixed when the CD/Vinyl arrives too. I ran encspot over the tracks and got fhg/fastenc at flat 192kbps. My hearing isn't usually that sensitive but these leaks are probably a step down quality wise from LAME VBR and I certainly always put on the original of 'Berlinette' when I had the chance, it made a huge difference to my enjoyment.

I dunno, I'm getting sick of thinking about it now and feel like I'm repeating myself. I've lost the will to polish up the track-by-track review thang I started (I'm not even a journo, i just get a lot out of her music & wish I was better at translating why into print (last bit goes for all the music I like too). It's a fantastic record, very complete & holding up to repeat listens but not exactly an easy 'follow-up' and in some ways flawed, anticlimatic even ('Magma' is okay but no 'Open' by comparison in the best-album-closer-ever stakes) also my expectations had been unattainably high. I mean she basically had me for life at Berlinette!

first part was all jump-up bpitch crowd-rockers a'la 'My Parade', last hour(?) was a smooth glide of weird, dark and interesting (but not cold) electro that just seemed almost magical. 'Cloudy City' could easily have been slotted in there.

But Thrills, it's a bit IDM isn't it? But not exactly really emotive, for me, yet, either.

x-post don't be silly!

But would have needed 1000 words to get my point across.

As far as IDM goes... really? It seems like the least IDM thing she's done recently. For me 'Berlinette' dragged everything I like about that side of electronic music and gave it back heart, soul & a (4/4) pulse, returned it to techno nicely & without compromise. I still think it's incredibly under-appreciated on that level alone. The closest thing I can think of hearing since in a similar vein might be that Robag Whrume album. Which isn't close at all.

'Under-appreciated' to me probably = I won't be happy till I see her records in Virgin Megastore though ;-)

I guess she has recognition in all the places she wants to. And I'd rather see her cross-over on her own terms eventually.

I suspect that she's taken the IDM-ish direction as far as she felt possible for the time being. I didn't feel like the 'Astral' e.p. was as inspired, even as a dancefloor record & 'Bang Bang' was clearly moving further into the realm of things = more complicated/less danceable. Whereas 'Berlinette' got it absolutely spot on.

brilliantly otm.

Ronan, how do you find Thrills more IDM-y than Berlinette? It seems like a much more straightforwardly dance album to me, whereas Berlinette veered from maximalist bangers to glitchy experiments which could never have been meant for the dancefloor (or, fandango otm).

http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1TTA49BNJK1XP2QJEUHCQ4Z8TH

Has anyone (non-promo/press/DJ people) been able to get the single yet? I'm not sure if it isn't really out, or just sold out right now. Some of the catalouge is. Frustrating because I was going to order a few other 12"s at the same time (don't know if it makes any difference to the postage cost).

obligatory mailout with small bit of news

OUT NOW
ELLEN ALLIEN – „MAGMA“ (BPC 105)
NEW SINGLE INCL. REMIXES BY THE MFA & MODESELEKTOR

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

COMING SOON
ELLEN ALLIEN – „THRILLS“ (BPC106LP/CD)
NEW ALBUM INCL. BONUS VIDEO „DOWN“

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

„THRILLS“ RECORD RELEASE PARTY
IN ASSOCIATION WITH DESIGNMAI-YOUNGSTERS

ELLEN ALLIEN
JENNIFER CARDINI
THE MFA (LIVE)
LIKE A TIM (LIVE)
MDSLKTR DJ TEAM

MAY 15TH 2005, 11PM

WMF @ KUNSTFABRIK
AM FLUTGRABEN 3
12435 BERLIN

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ELLEN ALLIEN / THRILLS TOUR

APRIL 22ND 2005 / GB / LONDON / THE POKE
APRIL 23RD 2005 / GB / CAMBER SANDS / ALL TOMORROW PARTIES
APRIL 29TH 2005 / DE / REGENSBURG / SUITE 15
APRIL 30TH / CH / GENEVA / WEETAMIX

MAY 7TH 2005 / ES / FRAGA / FLORIDA 135
MAY 13TH 2005 / DE / STUTTGART / M1
MAY 14TH 2005 / NL / EINDHOVEN / DE STRIJP / ELECTRONOVA
MAY 15TH 2005 / DE / BERLIN / WMF @ KUNSTFABRIK
MAY 20TH 2005 / FR / AIX EN PROVENCE / CLUB 88
MAY 21ST 2005 / FR / NANTES / OLYMPIC
MAY 25TH 2005 / DE / NUERNBERG / HIRSCH
MAY 27TH 2005 / IT / TURIN / BEACHCLUB / XPLOSIVA
MAY 28 TH 2005 / FR / PARIS / REX

JUNE 3RD 2005 / CH / ZÜRICH / TONHALLE
JUNE 4TH 2005 / GB / LONDON / KOKO / EAT YOUR OWN EARS
JUNE 18TH 2005 / ES / BARCELONA / SONAR
JUNE 23RD 2005 / DE / MÜNCHEN / HARRY KLEIN
JUNE 24TH 2005 / GB / GLASTONBURY / FESTIVAL (fuck fuck no ticket fuck fucks).

I'm assuming that's what blackmail.is.my.life is listening to?

I was fairly tempted to fork out for one that got offered on ebay recently... but the thought of it having copy-bleeps on, and possibly not having the vid make me not bother. That and it's not SO long to wait now for a real copy.

i listened to this on a brief walk and have to say that it's a lot of fun. i'm guessing something will happen with this and a few other things at the stypod in the near future.

xpost - which German techno albums is Berlinette blander than? (or, request for suggestions plz) Genuinely curious. It hooked me from the word go for literally months and well, I like it and rate it more than I want to say (out of fear of ridicule mostly). I'll see how I feel about it in five years time :-)

xxpost - don't sleep on Stadtkind, all her mix cd's are pretty exceptional, weiss.mix maybe having a slight over the others for badass-ness.

second thoughts: "a million other German techno albums" maybe only like 10-20 suggestions! I seem to buy a few already and a million would surely bankrupt me for good ;-)

OK, I exaggerated a bit :) ... but I thought that "Berlinette" tried to cover "minimalism" + "playful melodies", much in the same vein as The Modernist (actually, like most of Jorg Burger's work), Jurgen Paape, and Salz. "Berlinette" is half of a good album but it just didn't hook me for 50 minutes.

*eyes cheapish Modernist album suspiciously* I do NOT need more German electronic music this month >_< This stuff is like crack.

Also a free CD ... but it's boring as hell, despite a trendy label selection [wave music, rz, get physical, kailash, traum, mood music, mental groove, 2020 vision, sexonwax, more music, superfred].

I think "Thrills" is a natural progression from "Berlinette" - it still combines that melodic electro-pop sensibility with the German house dance aesthetic.

I'm warming up to Thrills, but it doesn't have the vital element that Berlinette has. I am coming back to it quite often, so I'm hoping it's a slow grower.

Although, I don't feel the same way myself. It was worthwhile reading. But I'm hardly surprised they haven't found much to like in her latest direction *at all* (come on, it's Pitchfork! They love real songs & real music & 'meaning' and above all boring-as-fuck indie rockers 4eva

... It is something of a shame when the previous Allien reviews have been excellent. I'm wondering if Stylus is waiting till the US release (but they gave 'Berlinette' only faint praise if I recall).

I'll admit that this, and the Isolée review earlier this week were the motivation for my comments here - Pitchfork: Classic or Dud?

I'm almost tempted to start a MU v.s Ellen Allien thread sometimes, the comparison comes up so often I even ended up getting a copy of Afro Finger & Gel (and getting burned! sorry, they're entertaining at best, over-wacky & close to dull at the worst, but at no point 'riotous' as I had been sorely misled to believe).

Yes, he makes it pretty clear why he didn't like it as much as Berlinette, but his reasons seem pretty wrong-headed: like not liking a chocolate cake because it's not cherry pie. I hate to bring up the dreaded "r" word (hint: it ends in -ism) but that comes through pretty loud & clear in that review.

Anyway the guy sounds like an idiot writing stuff like this:

"..the fabulously titled 'Ghost Train', which I would respect on name alone..."

This rubs me the wrong way, although there's some truth to it:
..surely to land itself on Fabriclive 30 between some Melchior throwback and a Senor Coconut track, remixed by Crazy Remixer Dude Nobody Actually Cares About. I guess there's merit there, but I'm not smiling; not dancing either.
Look, a vague generalization that is careful to snipe at past mixes with pointed accusations that create a landscape of eye rolling! Yes, Akufen included a Senor Coconut song. Yes, the throwback critique is used in reference to a lot of token inclusions.

This entire "dude nobody actually cares about" crap is awful in that it directly links the idea of cred into this whole ordeal. I swear that there's the implication that either: a.) stupid techno fans think you aren't cool if you don't know who crazyremixer is, how lame, b.) I am too busy to care about some song when I have no idea who mixed it.
Fuck that noise, really. You're a grown man reviewing music that's "faceless," just critique whether the song is good and whether it fits in. And do it on a review of an actual mix, not as a vague allusion on some hackjob against someone with a recognizable name.

The space-and-size issues still seem to me like the main thing the album has to offer. I suppose I'm with people like Nick in thinking that more sculpted movement would make it a better record, and I suppose I'm with people like Nick in thinking that the way Berlinette took on the "roles" of different genres at once was a more interesting or useful or exciting thing to do than this. But I'm down with Thrills, mostly.

unless he has inside info ("Ellen was busy listening to the latest Kompakt comp, stealing ideas! Apparat wrote the whole thing!"), that leap of logic seems baseless.

She's also set to appear on two tracks on fellow Berliner T. Raumschmiere's new album, Blitzkrieg Pop, due August 23 on Mute and is working on a 12" for Ghostly International, which should be out by the end of the year. Guess I'll be buying the T. Raumschmiere album after all then.

Also, wanted to add... with a bit of poking around, you can get a better quality (better than a realplayer stream) version of the Sónar set (also mentioned on Pfork) from her website btw. I didn't realise that's what it was until now actually! Sort of makes more sense now, how long did she play for after this? Was anyone at this? And what the hell is that track 45 mins in which is like deadly, precisely controlled acid-303 stabs + vicious military drumming?? *swoon*. I really should just make a fan page instead of bumping this thread again shouldn't I? Sorry :-( (although if anyone has answers to those questions, do say!).

I've heard her play things in a similar vein before, layering really active/pure acid lines over different, busy, breakbeat tracks... It's perhaps not anything super-original(?), but it stood out enough when I heard it before that it seemed like it.

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ellen+Allien

!

There's 3 12" e.p.'s and a debut album 'Stadtkind' (plus many remixes, later collected on 'Remix Collection') before 'Berlinette' :-O

In fact 'Thrills' rather reminds me of a more fleshed-out, extended return (unfinished business?) to the sound of the pre-Stadtkind stuff (including 'Dresden', which I mentioned upthread), that of it which I've heard anyway*, no glitches, expression coming mainly from very soft & simple basic loops.

Even I'll admit to having conflicting feelings about how far I'd like her to experiment with this kind of style though. If her records are going to be seen as just dancefloor material... I think she's capable of taking things so much further, when she feels like doing so.

*If anyone _has_ those early records, I'm very curious to give them a listen (not assuming they'll be great or anything obv) - gmail me!.

Basically my take (and Gear!'s I presume) on this 'controversy' is that there's easily enough material out there already that stands up next to anything off "Berlinette" (and could actually have slotted in there without being out of place) to credit the sound and purpose of that album to either producer (Apparat or SmashTV) in it's entirety.

For fans of the previous Ellen Allien sound, there is this to look forward to (assuming it will sound like that of course).

Ellen: I will see what happens. But what is concrete is that Apparat (Shitkatapult) and I are producing an album together. We share lines of a track—he and I add something to the track—it's like a puzzle. That's exiting, because I will not know how the track will be finished. He's an amazing producer. Watch out!
(http://www.regenmag.com/index.php?module=subjects&func=viewpage&pageid=180&pageno=2)

I think I meant (upthread) I have conflicting feelings about how far I want her to continue with the "Thrills" sound, I do want her to 'experiment'. Just because she sounds comfortable & confident on this one, doesn't mean it will be the direction she continues in forever I don't think.

Video for "Down" - http://www.mtv.de/media/artist/ellen_allien/ellen_allien_down.ram

Title: Sonar Presents Ellen Allien
Published: 14 June 2005
Duration: 1:18:53
Website: www.bpitchcontrol.de

Track Listing:

1. Darkfarmer - Zion - Swayzak Records
2. Hendrik Luuk - Vikat Voei Leib - Airbag Craftwork
3. Ellen Allien - Your Body is my Body - BPitch Control
4. Monoiake - Invisible - Monoiake Imbalance
5. G-Man - Graphite - Elektronixs Network
6. Donato Dozzy and Brando Lupi - Eskimo 2 - Electronicarma
7. Modeler - Mint Condition - Dubsided
8. Ben Klock - Track B2 - Memo
9. Playtracks - A2 - Electric Input
10. Stefan Manceay and Jo Flash - Twisted Area- Starbaby Records
11. Syncomdata - Denhaag - Bunker Records
12. Like a Tim - Like 6 - Like Rec
13. 3st Vs Dash - You can bomb me in 5 minutes - Rampe
14. Audio Werner - Zwrtshak Drive - Hartchef Records
15. Monolake - Axis - Monolake Imbalance
16. Sascha Funke - Boy - BPitch Control
17. Ellen Allien - Cloudy City - BPitch Control
18. Paul Kalkbrenner - Tatu Tata - BPitch Control

p.s. now I feel double bad about calling attention to yr review of said record. I don't want to call you a dick (see other thread) 'cos I don't think you are :<

I thought someone might want to see that vid though (just found it online now) like, vinyl buying people maybe. Anyhow, thanks for finding that tracklist david day.

There are a couple of nice things in the second half. e.g. "Ghost Train" and "She Is With Me".

Will try and find a way of d/ling that Sonar set.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2121387/

xpost

I DID pick up the "Magma" remix 12".. with remixes by Allien, the MFA, and Modeselektor. The MFA remix is predictable but certainly the best of them all.. although the Allien remix makes for better dance fodder than the album version. I'm getting tired of Modeselektor at this point.. they almost seem to force themselves to have to do SOMETHING jagged with any beat and fuck with it, even if it's a bad idea.

Given that silly Road Warrior URB spread following "Berlinette", and the cringe-inducing "electroclash-hipster" cover for "My Parade", I actually really like the sophistication of "Thrills", the single-minded seriousness she brought to it. Not pop. Not glitch. TECHNO record. Bam.

When I first heard "The Brain Is Lost", my initial thought was "THAT is what 'Slave To The Rhythm' should have sounded like!", based on the cover.....

I hadn't really heard many artists who'd created warm and inviting sounding 'electro'. In a non-pop sense. I think I associated the term with the very opposite, which threw me way off on first listen. I've heard some since though, and it makes a bit more sense now,

But the 'sounds' here have definitely had time to sink in way past the level of familiarity by now and I still dig them a whole heap. "Refurbished" does seem an apt term to apply to her new/old explorations here, it isn't in any way a 'retro' record for me. Nostalgic at moments, but that's a different kind of dip into the past.

Much more broadly 'dance' than her previous work.

I don't know, it just doesn't do it for me, there's no magic there, it's cold but not cold like stuff I like.

I have tried so many times!

Ronan is right about this being a serious and cold record, and I do agree that can be a turn off for most people. I am, however, fascinated by the mechanical/urban images the tracks create (my Stylus goes in-depth about that.)

but from now on when i get the uncontrollable urge to chime in regardless - i'll just go with it and deal with the fallout. bombs away!

All these thematics and locales ARE cold, bleak, stark, etc.

I heard the Magma remixes (eh), but Washing Machine comes to mind first, maybe a Rother or Weatherall remix....

i find this album to be very easy to engage with, it is almost like a blank slate. i also find it to be less cold than either of her previous albums. that's probably the arp talking. the tracks sound like they are 120bpm, but they all hover around 128. i wish the tracks were slower actually, but then it might not sound so techno. i think it has a very late night humid vibe to it.

one was a quick 20 minute blast at Nitsa (check the Sonar thread) the other (on her site) was a portion of her main floor show, and unusually subdued and minimal-tech-dubby (up to that point, it may have got more interesting later on?).

I've heard better/more exciting sets from her to be honest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/urban/oneworld/professor_ellen.shtml

Guess I'll have to search that one out on 5l5k sometime :(

Jeez. There are bigger things to get annoyed by in life I know but ffs.

creamfields, andaulcia.

I think she's a fantastic, radical DJ!

'Down' remixes by dinky, fuckaloop & drama society out sometime. Looking forward to the Dinky particularly.

Nice write up here for this mix - A set that Ellen Allien recorded as a Sónar promo, originally hosted by Samurai FM, is now streaming from the "Online Radio" section of Allien's own website. Like everything Allien does, it's wet and dry, brainy and ravey, shocking and blasé all at once. I didn't know half the tracks-- like the crickets-in-rocking-chairs opener, or the plaintive yet blissed out Basic Channelly number that follows it-- but a helpful ILMer posted the tracklist here, so we can all trainspot together as Allien veers from planar click tracks into ridiculous kazoo fantasias, and from massive overdriven hangar bangers into the epic, John-Williams-goes-raving conclusion of Paul Kalkbrenner's newest "Ta-tü-tata", a record which-- like Sascha Funke's "Boy", also a recent Bpitch release-- everyone should own.

Funny how it never really clicked with me completely before now (found that whilst already listening and googling, like most pieces of "news" on Pitchfork I completely miss them at the time 'cos the layout is so crapshite) I love how it's so airy yet claustrophobic. I just wish I could squeeze it all down into 45 mins, it's a bit slow to unfold (and the mixing on the last three tracks is erm.. not the best, esp. for her).

!!

=)

I'm still excited about the interview where she mentioned ideas for her Fourth album! (i.e. not this one).

Either way a semi-quiet stopgap 2006 could be good... I feel like I might burn out on Bpitch before I burn out on Ms. Allien though (and perhaps current dance stuff generally, maybe it's winter blues or I've just been following stuff, in my way, to the exclusion of too much other music... either way I've been a little less enthused of late).

She calls it their "first proper collaboration" anyhow, can't see any reason why she'd be obtuse about it. Holger Zilske has been credited with co-production on all three albums so far, I think he deserves more of the credit myself, for the sake of accuracy.

(omg bootleg with kate bush's 'mrs bartolozzi' is dying to be made)

Just like Berlinette* wasn't boring & straight enough for the techno purists, but way too danceable for the IDM geeks. I think she's better than many artists in both areas at the moment.

It's all near-perfect for me though =)

I just find this rather slow, steady uptake in general (and Bpitch too, if the boat hasn't been missed completely now) frustrating. But then I'm a total fanboy and probably have all this totally out of perspective.

Susan, I'm not even sure if 'electronica/dance/techno' is 'huge' in Europe by the standards of previous years. It's also hard to gauge living in England (not London for me), it feels like a really backwards country a lot of the time now since the Britpop years. Not that d/t/e automatically automatically = forwards thinking, but dance music doesn't seem to be viewed as a creative sector here unlike er... The Libertines?? Oh, and Grime.

i do think ellen and bpitch have done a very good job of breaking into US indie-centric media, along with kompakt and, before them (and more indie), warp.

and i can't WAIT to hear ellen collaborate with apparat.

OTM. I thought it was too polished ... too much of the Kompakt-esque smoothness (which I like ordinarily) ... I strongly prefer the dirtier, sloppier "Thrills" (particularly stuff like "The Brain Is Lost").

It was always going to be a tricky one though, I mean "Berlinette" was just one of those huge, huge records for me personally. Also that has 'dirt' too (that wildy flanging, filthy bassline in Abstract Pictures - OMG) but yes, I can totally understand it coming over more considered, produced, premeditated overall. Thrills manages to do 'mimimal (in the most UN-minimal, fattened up & slamming way possible) and 'raw' at the same time.

That feels pretty much the opposite of the 'cold' sound of Thrills to me. Give it a go :)

rereading/remembering upthread about your warmth issue Ronan -the type of warmth Thrills provides feels better to me than Berlinette's. so maybe if you didn't enjoy B, maybe you'll like T eventually. i just know when people say this electronica is so "warm" i often don't agree - feels like there's emotive melody or vocals or organic or lush sounds laid over some totally opposing material and i feel annoyed to try to make it work. i had that problem with some Berlinette tracks, but with Thrills its much more integrated. Mabye b/c its less about warmth of emotions than it is about the well...the body, or atleast some other more simple but all consuming aspect of being alive. its all the sex/hunting/building/running/breathing we have to do so much that that might as well just not worry about anything else. atleast this is how i'm feeling it right now.

I love 'Naked Rain', those airy, soothing but forceful synths are as satisfying as any point in 'Mandarine Girl' for me. 'She Is With Me' seems underappreciated too... I flipped out completely the first time I heard (a sample of) it. I loved the off-hand description I read somewhere about "she even finds time to break a piano over Autechre's knee" zing!

Clearly I could still write a great deal of crap about this record and what it seems to describe so effortlessly with sound for me. But I'll spare y'all that.

altho prob not apparent, i'm restraining myself too!
and yeah i would say it moody and somewhat emtional too -i don't mean to describe it so ridiculously Ayn Rand? but I think she's celebrating some of those things outwardly.

I think that might be how I feel about "Thrills".

xpost - The whole field of genre labelling seems a tangled nightmare at the moment, which is also probably healthy, but still I find "Thrills" touching on House/ElectroHouse (and as you've pointed out before maybe descended from her "Fleig Mit" mix)... but no way would I sit it more than 25% in that category. It's quite a stretch for my understanding of what I take the term to represent (lighter, more playful & nimble dance music, less thumping & banging, more shuffling).

xxposts - I've actually heard quite a few mixes go south attempting to get her records in. Except for her own, unsurprisingly!

(check her website charts this month ^_^ )

i've heard 'magma' played out quite a lot (and have played it myself), and it always got a great reaction - it definitely felt like one of the anthems of the summer for me. i haven't heard 'come' but that would definitely get me going, and i think 'washing machine is speaking' and 'the brain is lost' would go down v well too.

o nate otm about the cold/warm duality of the album. i'd agree with susan too - there's something very physical, but also very internalised, about thrills, like maybe it's replacing the blood running through yr veins. susan, i'm curious as to what you don't like about 'washing machine is speaking'? that was my immediate favourite and still one of my highlights.

did anyone else read the great ellen interview in plan b back when this came out? she said lots of interesting things about how she made it.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3838/picture2nb.jpg
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/1223/picture0013jr.jpg
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/4605/picture0020xf.jpg

There's a list of all the gear she uses at the end of this piece though, which might be interesting (if you understand anything about that stuff, I don't) - http://www.shejay.net/articleDetail.php?articleID=185

Your Body is My Body -- even at 8am on the subway, I'm totally in the hands of that heavy chugging sound mixed with the metal swirlies

Come as some sort of opening, definitely.

Brain is Lost when you're assured that no one in the room is sober or can move quickly.

and I can't remember what the others sound like. Lex, I'll have to listen to Washing Machine again b/c I can't remember why I didn't like it.

i didn't mean how ellen made the album in a technical sense, more her motivation ("to turn myself inside out" etc) and what drives her to make sounds like that. i really love that piece.

I'm somehow more excited about the 'listening tracks' that the rest of it, perhaps because I'd rather this was a total detour than "Berlinette" revisited... but I'll surely be excited about it all the closer it gets to April. Maybe time for a new thread in 2006?

the square! i totally associate that color with Thrills now.

Felt compelled to listen to Thrills all morning. Despite its title Your Body Is My Body is probably my favourite track, for the hum that drifts in at 1:20 and for nailing the album's cold/warm vibe. Surprised at how little it's mentioned in this thread.

And whatever happened to Susan Douglas?

the kiki remix of "your body..." is superb as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UciALMrsE0k

this one was good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLfk74eHcxY