NEWS: Ostgut Ton announces Efdemin upcoming album \'New Atlantis\'

Just receiving dope news of one of our favorite artist of all times, the thing is that Efdemin’s upcoming album ‘New Atlantis\’ will be released via Ostgut Ton on February 15th on 2×12”, CD and digital formats. This record will mark his 4th full-length and his first solo release on Ostgut Ton as following his previous albums on Dial. However, he’s been a resident at Berghain / Panorama Bar for more than a decade.

Inspired by Francis Bacon’s 17th century novel with the same title, this album will combine for the first time Phillip Sollmann’s deep dancefloor productions as Efdemin with his sound art and experimental music projects such as his 2017’s Harry Partch-inspired \’Monophonie\’ performance or 2018’s \’Panama / Suez\’ EP with Oren Ambarchi and Konrad Sprenger.

As well, the album features a track co-written with 60s California art icon William T. Wiley and guest appearances of the likes of his PNIN band colleagues Nika Son (Synthesizer), Joachim Schütz (Guitar) and PAN’s Konrad Sprenger (Motor Controlled Guitar) for the 14-minute long title track.

Sollmann will curate album release parties at Berghain on February 16 and at London’s Village Underground on March 15 – see full list of dates on the press release, as well.

Listen to Ostgun Ton previews on soundcloud (previews soon):

Overview: So begins New Atlantis , the fourth full-length album by longtime Berghain resident Efdemin aka Phillip Sollmann. The words, sung by 60s California art icon William T. Wiley and embedded in glowing drone swells, set an otherworldly tone for Sollmann’s first solo release on Ostgut Ton.

Over eight tracks, New Atlantis oscillates between fast, kaleidoscopic techno, multilayered drones and acoustic instrumentation, fusing for the first time Sollmann’s deep dancefloor productions as Efdemin with his sound art and experimental music projects. The latter include 2017’s Harry Partch- inspired Monophonie performance and 2018’s Panama / Suez EP with Oren Ambarchi and Konrad Sprenger.

Long drawn to utopian musical traditions, Sollmann took inspiration for New Atlantis from Francis Bacon’s unfinished 17th century novel of the same name, which describes a fictional island devoted to social progress through the synthesis of art, science, technology and fashion. In the story, Bacon imagines futuristic ‘sound houses’, which contain musical instruments capable of recreating the entirety of the sounds of the universe; a 400-year-old prophesy of today’s digital sonic reality.

Through Sollmann’s lens, Bacon’s vision ebbs and flows over 50 minutes in varying speeds and colors, emerging as a tapestry of different utopian musical traditions – through billowing synth lines, early Detroit techno, resonant wooden percussion, trance, droning organs, dulcimer, electric guitars, hurdy-gurdy, just intonation, poetry, hymns and murmuring voices. Sometimes they merge into epic, rhythmic journeys like the 14-minute long title track; other times they appear as a briefly open sound portal (“Temple”), or in the forlorn human voice on “Oh, Lovely Appearance Of Death”, calling to be freed from jail of the human body and pass into the afterlife.

Like previous Efdemin albums on Dial, New Atlantis veers off the techno path to explore other musical territory. Here however, Sollmann occasionally abandons the club entirely, returning only to push its boundaries with other instruments, mythologies and psychedelic story telling. 

Cover Artwork.




Artist: Efdemin 

Title: New Atlantis 
Label: Ostgut Ton 
Cat.No.: OSTGUTCD45/LP31 
Formats: 2xLP / CD / digital 
Release: February 15, 2019 
Distribution: Kompakt 
Barcode 2xLP: 4250101402579 
Barcode CD: 4250101402586 
Barcode Digital: 4250101402593
Photo credit: Yasmina Haddad

Tracklist.


A1. Oh, Lovely Appearance Of Death 

A2. Good Winds 
B. New Atlantis 
C1. At The Stranger’s House 
C2. A Land Unknown 
C3. Temple 
D1. Black Sun 
D2. The Sound House


Label.




All tracks written and produced by Phillip Sollmann except A1, written by Phillip Sollmann and William T. Wiley Guest appearances: “Oh, Lovely Appearance Of Death”: William T. Wiley (Vocals | from Vision #4 – Word of Mouth, Crown Point Press, 1980) “New Atlantis”: Nika Son (Synthesizer), Joachim Schütz (Guitar), Konrad Sprenger (Motor Controlled Guitar) “At The Stranger’s House”: John Gürtler (Saxophone) “The Sound House”: Andrew Wass (Vocals), Tomas Svensson (Sing-Drum) Published by Copyright Control Mastering by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin Artwork: Max Stocklosa | Layout: Yusuf Etiman Release page: http://ostgut.de/ton/record/234 Upcoming dates, discography, bio, pictures, more: http://ostgut.de/booking/artist/efdemin 

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