Ubi Bene finds German electronic music legend
Hans-Joachim Roedelius collaborating with Oslo-based musician
Leon Muraglia of Krautrock-influenced bands
Salvatore and
Radio 9. The double LP is a wide-ranging collection of pieces ranging from shorter, snowflake-like miniatures to extended suites with racing drum-machine rhythms and wavy synthesizers. The overall feel of the album is lighthearted, playful, and nostalgic, with a childlike sense of wonder reflected in the new age piano melodies of tracks like "A Reflection in Deep Sea," and a surrealness to the bizarre alien soundscape "There Is a Huge Duck Standing Right Behind You/The Haunted Space."
Roedelius' unmistakable piano playing is present, and many of the rhythm tracks instantly trigger memories of his pioneering work with
Cluster and
Harmonia, but even with the album's nostalgic intentions, it still exhibits a fresh, updated perspective of his sound. Some of the tracks on the album don't seem to materialize fully, but the album's best moments are as creative and wondrous as anything
Roedelius has ever done. ~ Paul Simpson