The Field – Yesterday and Today (Kompakt)
5/5
By: Tim Dellow
Kompakt; the legendary minimal techno label, finds itself in a strange position at the end of the decade. After pioneering what many consider to be the most influential form of new (or should that be ‘Neu’?) music, they are uniquely poised to cross over into a wider public consciousness and solidify a movement which has excited the lucky few for so long. The recent TOTAL compilations have hinted towards this, but perhaps their highest profile artist The Field demonstrates this desire for accessibility on his exceptional second album, crystallised in his jaw dropping cover of ‘Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime’.
Positioned after the tone setting (and indeed [anti]themic) ‘I have the Moon, You Have the Internet’ lingers on with delicate xylophones, the effect is both moterik and then expansive, as the chorus opens up into a serotonin haze of mournful highs. This almost contradictory mood of minor delight, a sadness that remains like the feeling of a light kiss at the end of a night – a beautiful, yet hopeful, absence of The Other, yet the feeling that they somehow remain, continues throughout.
The propulsive album highlight ‘Leave It’ thrusts you forwards into uncharted territories with individual almost-melodies that you can live in for months, eternally out of reach but close enough to tantalise all your senses. This is a truly immersive, complex and rewarding listen. The title track, and ‘Sequenced’ the closer move further into Kraut-esque live percussion, and Reich style overlapping loops and reassure even the most jaded that there is a future, or futurism for modern music. Quite simply, an important record, for Europe and humanity.
Artists in this article: The Field
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