Rhys Fulber – Ostalgia (CD Album – Sonic Groove)
Genre/Influences: Industrial-techno, IDM, minimal-electro.
Background/Info: One year after the successful album “Your Dystopia, My Utopia”, Canadian electro veteran Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One, Noise Unit ao) strikes back with his second solo-album. The title of the album reflects ‘ a romantic nostalgia for the old but comforting ways of Communist East Germany – and a yearning for rigid systems after progression into the future has led to chaos and uncertainty’.
Content: The title of the album might be understood as a sonic metaphor from an artist in search for good-old electronic sounds. One thing is for sure, Rhys Fulber moves on exploring techno paths, which he meticulously merged together with harsh industrial sound treatments. This album sounds more into the techno direction, but still reveals the sophisticated approach of the musician/producer. The second half of the work becomes more elaborated and into IDM.
+ + + : Rhys Fulber confirms feeling comfortable composing ‘’his type of techno music.” The industrial-techno genre isn’t new at all, but this artist mixes it with some good-old sound treatments. But the album also sounds like a magic box, which features an endless number of sonic tricks and effects. Some tracks are progressively evolving towards a truly climax. Just pay attention to “12 Steppes” and the darker “Consum” and you’ll seize the complexity of “Ostalgia”. I might prefer the previous album, but what I especially like on “Ostalgia” is that Rhys Fulber evolved with his techno exploration.
– – – : “Ostalgia” made me a bit nostalgic from the more explicit EBM and techno-body approach from his previous album.
Conclusion: Rhys Fulber is a meaningful project when it comes to industrial-techno and IDM. This artist has no limits when it comes to expose his skills!
Best songs: “12 Steppes”, “Consum”, “Apostel”, “Right Hand Of The Free World”, “Misery Whip”.
Rate: (8½).
Artist: www.facebook.com/rhysfulbermusic
Label: www.sonicgroove.com / www.facebook.com/Sonicgrooverecords
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
