Album Details

• Artist: Hauschka
• Album: Versions Of The Prepared Piano
• Label: Karaoke Kalk
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2007-04-20

Hauschka is Volker Bertelmann, a German pianist, and this is a remix of his 2005 album "The Prepared Piano." Tarwater, Mira Calix, Barbara Morgenstern and others help him reinterpret his own work. Armed with rubber, string, and aluminum, the altered piano resonates warm and metallic; equally random in tone and intent are the performances themselves, which, as in any anthology, both hit and miss.

The set starts off with its best track, Eglantine Gouzy’s "Mr. Spoon," where her vocals waver between the childlike and ballsy, like Bjork only more earthy. The atonality of the piano is perfect for her otherworldly meditation. More strighforward in their dreamlike feels is Mira Calix’s "Without Mornin" and TG Mauss’ "Things."

More out explorations are provided by Nobukazu Takemura and The Folder. In all, this is a pretty solid compilation. Kudos to Hauschka for being generous enough to open his music to other artists for remixing, and for the free reign he gave them to use his own methods of creation.

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