Rector Scanner – Radioteleskop (Album – Alfa Matrix)
Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Body-Pop.
Format: Digital, 2CD.
Background/Info: Set up in 1997 by Rene Nowotny –who’s actually more known from his involvement with the EBM project AD:Key, Rector Scanner doesn’t release new material on a regular basis. “Radioteleskop” is the third album by the German artist, which is inspired by sci/fi and the origins of mankind and outer space life forms. The album features eleven songs plus eleven extra songs/remixes on the extra disc.
Content: Rector Scanner is clearly inspired by vintage Electronics, which might remind bands like Kraftwerk and Welle:Erdball. The songs have been achieved with space-like bleeps and atmospheres –which totally fits the concept, while the harder songs feature an EBM touch on top. The vocals have been produced with a robotic effect while you also will notice female backings.
The second disc reveals a few alternative edits and an important load of remixes from AD:Key, Massiv In Mensch, Metroland, Merry Chicklit, Letal 30 and 808 Dot.Pop.
+ + + : Scanner brings vintage Electro with a refreshing approach. The sound isn’t innovative and yet, this ‘time-travel’ approach has something magic. The songs are well-crafted featuring great sequences and solid sound treatments, and also great atmospheres. The robotic effect on top of the vocals accentuates the retro-approach of the work. The opening part of the album is simply brilliant. You will (re)discover the EP-title song “Der Dichter Und Die Frau”, but also other great songs like the title song plus “Die Eisigen Ufer Des Titan”, “Minus 180 Grad (Celsius)” and “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All”. Among the remixes I noticed great contributions from AD:Key transforming “Radioteleskop” into a solid EBM piece, Massiv In Mensch putting their sonic stamp on the title song and Metroland revisiting “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All” in a minimal format.
– – – : The first part of the album is absolutely phenomenal while the second part is more stagnating and sometimes becoming a bit repetitive.
Conclusion: Rector Scanner is back on track with an intelligent, uplifting and alluring Electro-Pop work.
Best songs: “Radioteleskop”, “Der Dichter Und Die Frau”, “Die Eisigen Ufer Des Titan”, “Minus 180 Grad (Celsius)”, “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All” + “Radioteleskop – AD:keY Wow!-Signal Mix 3”, “Radioteleskop – Remix By Massiv In Mensch”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.facebook.com/rectorscanner
Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Radioteleskop’.
About Rector Scanner
Rector Scanner was founded in 1997 by René Nowotny in Germany and is now based in Berlin. Discogs lists René and Andrea Nowotny as members; the two also form the EBM duo AD:keY, which started around 2007 and signed to Alfa Matrix in 2017.
Rector Scanner self-released the CDrs “Digital-Hertz”, “Molekül” and the EP “Eisplanet” in 2001. The album “Vocoder” was released by Pandailectric in January 2004 and “Herzschlag” by Emmo.biz and Kompuphonik Musik in September 2015. In March 2018 Alfa Matrix reissued the back catalogue digitally, including the EPs “Komm Zu Mir” and “World Wide Web”.
The EP “Der Dichter Und Die Frau”, released on 4 March 2021, was the first new Rector Scanner material in fifteen years. “Radioteleskop” followed on 18 June 2021 as a limited 2CD and download with 22 tracks, the second disc collecting remixes and alternative versions. Later in 2021 the project released the twin EPs Das Mädchen aus dem All and gave Side-Line a ‘Click Interview’. The eight-track EP Fluormenschen came out in June 2022. “Radioteleskop” is the album that reactivated the project.
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