Chimiefaserwerk/Tim Olive - Der Hafen

Released: July 7

Released on the recently formed Molt Fluid label, Der Hafen is a two part collaboration between Tim Olive and Chemiefaserwerk. The collaborative effort is rather interesting as each artist takes their turn creating a set of sounds from various sources and the other takes those sounds and conducts all of the arranging, editing and mixing for the track. What's more, each artists seems to have their own proclivity towards certain items and it reflects heavily in the track they create. 

In the first part of the album, Chemiefaserwerk creates an ambient dronescape with the use of a few prepared tapes and the simple feedback from a mixer. The track begin with nothing but this feedback until there is a break in which almost all the sound drops away and is replaced by the gentle, static-y sound of a degraded tape playing on a broken loop. Once this has had its moment, the feedback drone return but with a slightly different flavor now - warbling, struggling. It almost sounds as if the feedback is now being forced through the tape and makes it sound as if it is in some kind of pain. 

As we move to the second part, Tim Olive takes his own set of tools to create a more clicky, noisy, and less droning soundscape. Using a variety of metal pieces, pickups, and a spring reverb, Der Hafen 2 takes on a more electrified atmosphere. The sound of things spinning and clanging run amok along with a spring reverb sending ghastly echoes through the soundscape create something more abrasive than ominous. But it is his use of the magnetic pickups that introduce a soft but harsh buzzing sound into the scene that sends this track in a very strange direction, almost as if the whole thing is trying to short circuit in my ears. And it is a feeling I find surprisingly enjoyable.