Asmus Tietchens — Eisgang
Comprising three, long, well composed tracks, Eisgang makes no bones about its pace, and uses its minutes to move, evolve, and fill the air with exactly what it wants. Opening with the ethereal "Rasch und Mäßig Bewegt," the listener is exposed to the vast expanse that is Asmus Tietchens' sound, and is all the better for it. While its beauty could be aphoristically described with, "the sky's the limit," many aerial, ethereal tracks fail to capture the openness and expanse like "Rasch." Lofty and shimmering through the stratosphere and beyond, "Rasch" opens up Eisgang's gates, and allows the listener to float away as they wish. Despite the title, "Nahezu Unbewegt" seems to move fairly vibrantly. The reverbed organ sounds on top of an almost train like electronic chug combine a mix of floating freedom with an almost forced direction. Shifting in volume and focus, "Nahezu" never feels its almost twenty minute runtime, and manages to keep the journey in the mind of the listener. Flowing almost seamlessly into "Mäßig Bewegt," Eisgang undulates forward with more of a darker, subterranean tone. Almost choral/chanting in spots with its reverbed notes, "Mäßig" manages to make an almost claustrophobic composition and expand its parameters to the infinite. Wrapping up this new edition, "Die Barentssee" is an abrupt change in tone from the prior three tracks. Biting and somewhat alien, "Die Barentssee" adds a harsh, ending to this expanded version of Eisgang.
Klanggalerie's re-release of Asmus Tietchens' Eisgang is a lovely, contemplative piece that works due to its etherealness. While the bonus track, "Die Barentssee" is an engaging piece on its own, it feels shoehorned in on this release. However, that doesn't detract from the original composition of Eisgang, and, really, the more great, experimental ambient, the better.