TOLOUSE Low Trax is the recording pseudonym of German composer Detlef Weinrich, and this is his fourth album under that name.
The eight-track album is a 38-minute smorgasbord of all manner of musical genres, ranging from krautrock to 80s’ electronica, with pinches of avant-garde, post-rock and ambience whisked into the buffet.
The album starts as it means to go on with “Inverted Sea”: a pulsing wave of trippy pop with obscure, introverted lyrics spoken over the hypnotic rhythm.
You get the sense that Weinrich is creating his own sonic universe for us to step into, a trance-like wave washing over us as we melt into his musical cacophony. This sense of abandon is perfect for these current uncertain times, a liberation from the world of isolation many are experiencing which allows this music to become universal.
“Berrytone Souvenir” is electronica stripped down to beats and beeps, but again taking you on a journey; tribal rituals and performance are the key to “The Incomprehensible Image”, a track that is more than seven minutes long and pays off the listener sticking with it. The title track is the essence of repetitive minimalist music – at times primitive but also freeing.
This is album is rich for discovery by fans old and new of ambient, minimalist soundtrack albums who may only be aware of Brian Eno. It’s evidence that there is so much out there in the world away from the mainstream; this is an album for the end-of-night dancefloor, for the vinyl hoarder who wants something to play to forget about the world that forgot about him.
It’s an album that can be played on beaches and up in the height of the mountains; music for fans of synths who cannot stand keyboards.
The final track, “Sales Pitch”, is a perfect combination of all the influences within the melting pot – industrial, krautrock, electronica – marking a nice send off for this unique listening experience.
The album is out from Bureau B records on September 11th, and is available here; or you can download it via Bandcamp.
