ELECTRONIC
BY STEPHEN WORTHY
Moritz Von Oswald
★★★★
Silencio
TRESOR. CD/DL/LP
Techno pioneer explores synthetic sound and the human voice.
As Basic Channel, Maurizio, and Rhythm & Sound with Markus Ernestus, Moritz Von Oswald set the agenda in the 1990s and 2000s with pioneering ventures into dub and minimal techno. Silencio begins – in typically Oswald fashion – with the title track’s 12-minute plunge into pared back, abstract melody and pillowy beats. But what follows is evidence of an abiding quest to explore further. With Finnish composer Jarkko Riihimäki and choral group Vocalconsort Berlin, Oswald investigates the relationship between human and synthesized sound. On Luminoso, bass voices lay down a titanic drone, offset by piercing soprano, into which Von Oswald folds in white noise and synthetic distortion. What at first appears to be a repetitive synth note on Volta isn’t digitally created but is instead female voices, setting a tempo. Electronic and human sounds have their differences, Von Oswald posits, but there’s also distinct synergies revealed here by repetition, reduction and rhythm.