Betrieb

After assessing the state of modern musical minimalism, Autopoieses member Ekkehard Ehlers concluded that, for all the rhetoric and rationalization, this important artistic form's representation has often fallen short of its intentions. Rather than adding to the pages of over-intellectualized polemic, Ehlers attempts to teach by example.
BETRIEB (business, activity) establishes a closed system within which the interactivity of a self-limiting set of samples--fragments from such turn-of-the-century composers as Charles Ives and Arnold Schoenberg--can be observed. Ehlers recomposes cut-up string phrases and orchestration, creating an environment of shifting, slightly dissonant ambience that evolves and dissolves throughout the album's 17 tracks. He introduces digital processing effects and electro-acoustic squeaks, skips, and creaks into the flow, providing a constant supply of redirecting stimuli. The results range from ear-pleasing stretches of looped instrumentation ("Open," "Late," "Deep," "Always") through abrasive, deconstructed treatments ("Earlier," "After"), hitting all points in between and always maintaining musical interest. BETRIEB mirrors label-mate Curd Duca's miniaturized conceptual contexts, where each piece is a subset of the main system. However, Ehlers allows his tracks to develop gradually, and BETRIEB's approach is much more minimalist than formalist.