Asmus Tietchens — Dämmerattacke
Proving the timelessness of ambient, Dämmerattacke sounds as fresh today as it must have when it was released over twenty years ago. Opening with a bright and airy openness, "Zweite Dämmerattacke" carries the main mass of Dämmerattacke on its back. Comprising more than half of the original album, this 23 minute monstrosity feels like timelapse footage of the skyline at the shore. Sunny and airy, with liquid undertones, sometimes fog rolls in and thickens the mix with its vaporous blanket. Boats hit the docks at times adding surprising thuds, before the fog lightens and the song ends. Subtly oscillating, bell like drones shuttle forth before maneuvering and dancing near-fluted highs steal the show in "Erster Nachtschatten." Like watching a water spirit in a deep underground cave, "Erster" brings up complex feelings with its juxtaposed dark and light sounds. The chthonic undertones fully take hold on "Zweiter Nachtschatten," and the listener is brought into a deeper subterranean realm. This is expanded upon a bit in "Dritter Nachtschatten," but with an attempt to return to the surface. More bell like tones arrive, but with a more Orphic vibe to them. The first of the bonus tracks, "Schlagschatten," comes in like a banshee. Wailing and quickly moving notes summon darker tracks in the distance which soon overtake the high pitched siren song. Rumbling and heaving, "Schlagschatten" slowly ambulates forward as a grim soundscape. Closing with "Franz-Joseph-Land" seems an odd choice for this re-issue. Quiet, minimal, and very different from the preceding tracks, this one comes off as rather lackluster in comparison.
Asmus Tietchens crafts very engaging ambient pieces. The reissue of Dämmerattacke shows Asmus taking a deeper, more chthonic approach with his sound. Oft times grim, dark, and subterranean, Dämmerattacke does manage to brighten the mix in interesting ways. A solid reminder about what lies beneath, Dämmerattacke is a really solid reissue.