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Back in the mid 70s, Kraftwerk discarded their conventional instruments and turned to synthesizers to create their hugely influential LP Autobahn. Nearly forty years on, another German group are again playing with musical conventions, but in a reverse of their forebears, Brandt Brauer Frick are using acoustic instruments to recreate techno. In doing so the group aren't the first to translate dance music through 'traditional' means, but the sound they created on their debut LP You Make Me Real was much more automated and ultimately rhythmic than that of say Christian Prommer's more jazz based Drumlesson. As the group's Paul Frick explained at the time of release: “instead of using only the typical epic orchestra or piano sounds, we love to explore the dirty percussive sides of those instruments.” It's an approach that sits the group perfectly between Steve Reich and Jeff Mills two of their biggest inspirations, and one that makes them equally at home playing the Modern Art Museum as Club Berghain. It's been through these live performances that the group has developed the sound we hear on this their second LP.

"Mr Machine" sees BBF further the concept of their outstanding debut, building on those live shows and dispensing completely with all 'synthetic' sound. Paul Frick explains the changes in what has become a ten-piece orchestral work: "On "You Make Me Real", we still used some effects and more synths, whereas Mr Machine is completely unplugged, except for the Moog synth, which is amplified through a bass guitar amp. You Make Me Real was still 'produced'. On "Mr. Machine" there's nothing like that at all." 

For the first time, The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble’s seminal album "Mr. Machine" is being re-issued on coloured vinyl. This is a record that put them alongside names as Steve Reich and Philip Glass, but with considerably more groove. More than anything, Daniel, Jan and Paul are keen that the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble are not written off as a curiosity:

“Often people focus a lot on this whole "cross-over" aspect,” says Brauer. “We wish people would simply notice we have good chords, melodies etc. and take the music as it is. Because we make it the way we feel, and not for other, let's say purely conceptual reasons. Some only seem interested in how it’s made. Some reviewers perceive us as minimal techno, some as modern classical, some as nu jazz and so on. But we don’t divide the world into techno and non-techno.” — (via Bandcamp)

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Label: !K7 Records – !K7286LP
Format: 2x Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Clear
Country: Germany
Reissued: Feb 23, 2024 / Original Release: Oct 24, 2011
Genre: Electronic, Classical
Style:  Modern Classical, Experimental, Tech House, Minimal
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File under: Leftfield