Ellen Allien - "Thrills"

(dammit I wrote all this and you lot got there first X) )

!

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!.

I'm curious why anyone would think that Apparat is the secret genius behind the things they like on "Berlinette". If he has anything like those tracks in his discography, I'd appreciate someone pointing me towards them. The Apparat I have ("Duplex") is much more ambient IDM/Aphex Twin type of stuff, without the pop appeal or dance-floor imperatives that drive Allien's work.

They have kind of collaborated on one track before actually o. nate. "Fuse" on the b-side of Apparat's 'Koax' 12" on Bpitch. You could give that one a listen. It hardly reveals any new insights though.

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.

Last post today, promise!

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

not sure if people found out, but there's a tracklisting of the ellen set on saumrai.fm there:

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

this just in: fandango works with tomas andersson on his ilx posts

LOL! Um... sorry I don't no :-(

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.

apparat helping out on berlinette isnt a secret, he gets a credit on the back of the album

I also think it was no big secret that Ellen and Sascha (aka Apparat) were dating at the time. I have no idea if they are still together though...

I kind of regret going to Virus Syndicate over Ellen Allien at Sónar now, even though they were astonishingly good. Possibly I should have run back and forth between rooms.

I agree with Ronan. I'm not really feeling Thrills. First Allien thing that has left me a bit cold. (I love The Remix Collection, Berlinette and all the DJ mixes.) I was hoping for more stuff like "Bang Bang".

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.

Not sure I should really be posting this if it's supposed to be streaming but - http://www.ellenallien.de/cms_media/mp3_stream/mix_2005.mp3 is how to download that Sonar set.

Guess that'll get me accused of promotions work once more... le sigh.

Thanks! (actually I meant I'll try and find a way to listen to the stream, but I am not a computer techie so tend to get my terminology wrong)

(just read) Michael Gill's review of Thrills in Stylus is wonderful. not sure whether approp./or need to post a link here. really made me want to listen again as i burned out quickly on this album but possibly b/c its heavy duty and it just don't get any lighter with play. i'm betting hearing the ideas expressed so well in language might remedy that a bit for me.

Hua Hsu's review in Slate is short, but at least (unlike the Pitchfork review) you feel like he's at least hearing the same record:

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

Hsu's right that this is definitely a night album - it sounds very good at night. Of Allien's prior work, this reminds me the most of her excellent mix album Flieg Mit - she achieves a similar aesthetic here, except this time making the music herself rather than mixing other people's tracks.

thrills has grown on me considerably but overall i still think it's a huge disappointment

This is one of those albums which, despite having read tons of reviews of, I have no clue as to what it sounds like.

I don't consider it a disappointment at all. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up listening to Thrills more than Berlinette, which has some great tracks but is also a bit uneven. There's nothing on Thrills as cringe-inducing as "Trashscapes". But I can understand that people who were hoping she would turn into Lali Puna might be let down that she doesn't sing much on this one.

xpost

It's the most teutonically "listening" album I've heard in a while.. meaning I can't muster the desire to want to pick this up on vinyl and want to DJ it, despite it being pulsing all the way through. However, I do want this on CD to listen to.

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.

While it's fair to suggest that listeners hoping for a more expansive, complex album from EA might be disappointed by "Thrills", I'd say this is the album that was right for her to make at this time: a lean, muscular, bass-heavy techno record. Given her serious views on techno, indutrialization, Berlin, etc., accompanying this release, I'd have lifted a brow if she dropped a follow-up as warm and poppy and accessible as "Berlinette", which while pretty good, still brought the "Berliniamsburg" wince out of me.

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.

Plus, for whatever it's worth, the first Grace Jones record I heard was "Slave To The Rhythm", which I purchsed when I was fifteen based on the cover alone. While I liked the record, I was disappointed by how soft and convential it was in relation to the cover. I was expecting something really tough and strange and other worldy.

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.....

fans of thrills should check out anthony rother's stuff if you haven't already.

One listen and I have to say this sounds awfully dry...

Another pretty decent review for what it's worth - http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/2257

I still don't like it very much.

I'm not trying to persuade anyone... I wouldn't mind erasing some of my gushing upthread at this point perhaps.

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.

i don't think i've gushed enough about this. it has its limitations and is dry in a way. anyway, i'm not gushing b/c don't have time right now...will come back later.

so is this idm or dance

i'd say its definitely more idm leaning, but that distinction is weird, isn't it? do you mean, can you dance to it?

Michael F Gill to thread!

There's not much skronk/blarrrrz/pffffppptttth abrasive noises on this one. Is how I'd have to put it.

Much more broadly 'dance' than her previous work.

the spirit of it is total idm i think. not that that helps. Michael F. Gill to thread yes!

I've made a total 180 on this one and really like it now. It's still very unfamiliar and I imagine I'm gonna love it by the time I really know it. The sparsely used vocals are always really execellent.

I love this even more than when I first heard it. The opening bars of 'Come' are such a rush.

i can't see any way this could be classified as IDM.

not at least in the 2000-2005 definition of IDM as "kerwhackity-whackity" hip-hop/gabber DSP overdriven fusion. in my obviously all-knowing mind, nothing with a predominant 4/4 signature is really IDM these days (leaving open the question of what may have passed for IDM back in the artificial intelligence days, when it was more of an attitude than a distinct set of sonic/rhythmic characteristics).

I still can't get into it. It just doesn't seem to kick off for me, too bassy maybe? humourless? devoid of pop?

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!

Anybody want to YSI that remixed 12" of hers?

i dunno phil, i think the textures and timbres do have something in common with idm. moreso than the majority of 4/4 electronic being made these days, anyway.

I kind of agree with mark, plus I feel there is a definite emphasis on craziness/dischord which feels more idm/techno than the predominantly house aesthetic of alot of other German producers at the moment. The anti-pop thing, this is a very unglam serious record.

I think Philip is OTM, this isn't really IDM. Adding to his comments, Thrills has an almost stadium size feel to it (in overall sound and in the way the melodies jump out) which is a kind of extroversion most IDM producers shun.

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.)

i will regret putting this out here but...
maybe knowing very little about what its sounded like prior to Ellen etc., i'm mostly going on my own ideas and feelings of how traditional dance music has failed. i thought that idm was meant to deal (atleast partially) with establ. deeper connection between the visceral and mental - which i think she does here - "fascinated by the mechanical/urban images the tracks" - totally, the fact that its danceable is just a natural by-product of her amazing talent to reveal the structure/pulse inherent in such things. i'm amazed by the tracks the mechanical/urban images create. and i know its just amazing descriptive powers and tapping into common denominator of human experience, but it feels so real. -phil this is like last nites conversation...and feel like its still going nowhere/in circles!

ok i seriously retract my statement. i really don't want to talk about this! i've decided its best to let the music do this work-which i'll just assume it is.

That post was great Susan!

thx man!

susan every time you post something insightful you temper it with a self-effacing disclaimer! ilm is a pretty gruesome place at the best of times but don't hold out on us ok? your posts have been rad so far.

yeah i know. its acknowledgment that i tend to push things where i want them to go and not always pay attention to reality/facts. i sense its better during these times, to shut up and listen.

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!

Susan completely OTM.
There are some moments on the album, especially at the end, where I'm alaways thinking "damn, she is saying so much more with this texture/melody than vocals could ever do".
In a way, it feels very introspective and intimate, always looking inwards or treating the other as a mirror ("your body is my body"), but on the other hand it always sounds steeped in a wider environment, the city, the club, the music.