Präposition / Praposition

As with most of the DiN label's releases, Praposition has an interesting history. The German duo of Bernhard Wtinrich and Thorsten Niestrath recorded these tracks live in Wtinrich's studio over one weekend in late 2000. However, it was another two years before the pair handed the tapes to DiN's label head Ian Boddy. Mastered by Eroc, and mixed down by Boddy himself, the result is absolutely magical. The set starts off smartly with the ecstatic "The Regained Paradise" driven by the compulsive rhythm — a shower of beats throbbing, pulsing, and snapping away. But it's the enticing melody, stirring and foaming, cresting and washing up in waves, that propels the number towards nirvana, or more aptly paradise itself. But "Regained," which sprints off the blocks from the get-go, is an exception to Praposition's rule of slow starters. "Throne in the Background," in contrast, deliberately takes its time coalescing, nearly four minutes, while a haunting, rhythm-less intro slowly builds up the eerie atmospheres, until a subtle, pulsing rhythm finally begins simmering up from its depths. "In the Shadow of Possibilities"' rhythm is immediately evident, this time it's the melody that keeps us on tenterhooks, the bubbling rhythms driving the piece on, while the moods shift from eerie to enigmatic, brightening and darkening as the melody slowly takes hold. "Strengthening the Volatile, Pt. 1"'s rhythms and melody line swirl in and out like a riptide, gathering in strength, then slowly ebbing away. Its counterpart, "Pt. 2," is brighter, faster, and more experimental in feel, although not in sound, unlike the highly improvisational "Masked Woman," which barely fits the definition of soundscape, although its atmospheres are thick enough to cut with a knife. But as improv goes, "Treasures of the World" is the set's pièce de résistance, a splendid number with a languorous organ melody that slides around in the rhythm's slipstream. It's bright enough to conjure up sun-splashed reggae anthems, until it reinvents itself in splendid, proggy, Hammond drenched form, pushing the piece straight into space rock. All told, this is a stellar album, whose rich textures and tones, resonant melodies and intricate rhythms, highly shaded atmospheres and moods all combine to create a set of ever intriguing and entrancing music.