Walls (Digi)

Though I like a lot of mainstream electronic/techno I've always been a bit scared of the ambient music scene. Some of it I like very much and some of it I REALLY hate. Well I first heard the song "Arcadia" while studying at a coffee shop notorious for playing an international selection of weird and ambient music. My ears perked up immediately. I ran up to ask the barrista who the artist was and the next day Walls by Apparat was on its way to my house. It is one of the few CD's I will never regret going out on a limb for. All the tracks have a different sound but still the album retains unity in the mellow beats. Its great study or chill-out music and your friends will be impressed by your eclectic yet classy taste. This is a good starter CD for people like me who don't listen to a lot of ambient music and a great CD for people who already love it. You can't go wrong with this album!

After checking out "Orchestra of Bubbles" (with Ellen Allien), I was moved to check out some of Apparat's solo material. Wow. "Walls" is one of the best CDs I've picked up in quite a while. It's got that certain IDM quality, but with a great sense of melody. I often hear excessively technical rhythmic programming in whatever we're calling "IDM" these days, but the melodic component of the music seems like an afterthought. Not so with "Walls"

The mood is relaxed and almost mellow. Things do occasionally heat up, but overall, this is a very chill CD. Some reviewers have called this "ambient" music, but I don't think that's entirely accurate. To me, ambient is something much more sparse with less activity, rhythmically and harmonically. Yeah, it's less beat-driven than some of the stuff Aphex Twin does, and it's not as dance oriented as Ellen Allien, but it's not really ambient in the strictest sense of the term.

The bottom line is, on Walls, Apparat gives us track after track of tuneful electronic music - perfect for just sitting back and listening. It's groovy, but the melodic elements really set it apart from a lot of similar music coming out these days. I highly recommend it to most fans of electronic music in general. If you're an IDM nut, then you'll certainly want to check this out. It's easily accessible, but with great staying power. Enjoy!

Are those violins I hear at the start of Apparat's _Walls_? Indeed, the album as a whole is a step forward from _Duplex_, more complex and more emotionally charged. The violins that introduced "Not a Number" recur on "Useless Information," accompanied with some new friends. The dark and funky "Hailin from the Edge" and the icy grooves of "Holdon" both benefit from Raz Ohara's terse vocals. But the beautifully glittering "Fractales, Pt. I" and the haunting "Arcadia" stand out the most, particularly with Ohara's dreamy vocals in service of the moody melodies. An excellent release.