Anatoly Grinberg & Andreas Davids – Silence + Noise (Album – Ant-Zen)
Genre/Influences: Experimental, Electro-Ambient.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: Anatoly ‘Tokee’ Grinberg (Russia) and Andreas Davids (Germany) both are experienced artists who have been involved with multiple projects and collaborated with other artists. They now and for the very first time worked together on a rather conceptual album wherein they tried to explore the hidden meaning of silence and noise.
Content: The work features six tracks. It definitely sounds like an Experimental work mixing different influences together. From Industrial sound treatments to Electronic loops driven by slow cadences to passages revealing field recordings (or sampled noises), the work sometimes sounds like a big improvisation. The tracks are characterized by strong atmospheres like the tick-tock of a clock creating a countdown.
+ + + : “Silence + Noise” makes me think to a sonic labyrinth or an imaginary cabaret of sound rarities. It’s definitely Experimental, but a very accessible experience mixing Industrial and Minimal-electro together. I like some of the sound treatments, but especially “Nuclear Chillout” and “Strange Lifeforms”. The last mentioned song also is the last one of the album, which is accentuated by crescendo incoming sounds ending in a cool climax.
– – – : It’s a pity the album only features 6 tracks. It’s an Experimental work, sometimes a bit too into improvisation, but definitely worth repeating.
Conclusion: “Silence + Noise” is the meeting between 2 passionate music lovers who created a fascinating Experimental work.
Best songs: “Nuclear Chillout”, “Strange Lifeforms”, “First Contact”, “Pain Piano”.
Rate: 7½.
Artists: www.facebook.com/TokeePaindonor / www.facebook.com/andreas.davids
Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official
About Anatoly Grinberg and Andreas Davids
Anatoly Grinberg, who also records as Tokee, is a musician and mastering engineer based in Moscow, Russia. He co-founded the collective UTSC, short for Unguided Tactical Sounds Corp., and co-owns the label DOPE Records. His discography includes collaborative work with Mark Spybey and with Tapage.
Andreas Davids is an experimental musician from Germany. He was born in 1972 in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, and is based in Mantinghausen in the same region. He performs as a DJ under the name DJ ANDX and has been part of the Leipzig artist collective “Disappearance” since 2017. He has also recorded with Sven Phalanx.
“Silence + Noise”, the six-track digital album reviewed here, is their first joint release and appeared through the German label Ant-Zen in 2021.
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