the august participant in our monthly feature is the german band chogori.

in october, the experimental duo will release the new album lake on less records, a label co-founded by composer tom blankenberg.

the first thing that strikes you while listening to lake, is the adventurous aspect of music the duo has embarked into. lake is hard to categorize (which is a good thing) due to it’s playfulness and openness. all tracks on the album are varied, each with its own story to tell. the fact that it’s a challenge to give any similar-sounding references makes this album a lot more interesting, and also more enjoyable. for example, there are some contemporary jazzy vibes in repetition, which make me think of manchester-based gogo penguin. i really need to mention that the rhythm section of repetition is absolutely incredible, both in terms of rhythms, but also in the way chogori allows the drums to breathe – the acoustic space is simply beautiful.

another favourite on the album is definitely ifny, atmospheric sounds with a continuous bassline that very much builds around the concept of the album/artwork. tracks like ifny adds to the already mentioned space, beautifully captured.

lake is in my opinion an album to look forward to – the perfect mix of electronica, classical and jazzy sounds. it is also a worthy contributor to the entire idea behind the less records collective, and i look forward to hear more both from the band and the label.

tracklist:

01 sinus flux
02 ifny
03 new temper
04 bowing elements
05 repetition
06 four
07 cottage
08 vico
09 thelonious
10 grand prix

lake can be pre-ordered through itunes.