All hail the ambient super duo of Marcus Worgull (Innervisions) and Danilo Plessow (Motor City Drum Ensemble), a meeting of minds that has resulted in this instinctive and very listenable long player. The two are focussed more on texture than rhythm in much of the course of their self-titled album, but that doesn’t mean a complete rejection of beats, as ‘Machina’ shows in its more propulsive approach. Generally, though, ‘Vermont’ unfolds at a slow and blissful pace, with beautifully moulded sounds joining to make potential Balearic anthems such as ‘Sharav’, powered by a soft clarinet-like riff, and ‘Cocos’, which has a softly oscillating piano loop. Both these tracks, and ‘Montag’ too, feature Dominik Von Senger, while Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit pops up on ‘Cocos’ and ‘Machina’, which makes sense as influences for which his band were so responsible come into play. Sometimes the bleeps are a bit more edgy, and there are noises here that could be lifted from Star Trek (I mean that in a good way!), which all adds to the sonic canvas. Best heard on wide screen – and then you can dive in easily.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
