2012 LP of kosmishe synth-explorations from Causa Sui drummer.
Doppler is the as-of-yet most conceptual album of El Paraiso Records ‘Impetus’-series, which is the labels imprint of improvisation and chance collaborations. On Doppler, Jakob Skøtt utilizes two synthesizers and a chain of effects. That’s it. This may sound like a tedious exercise, but for an album mostly spliced together by layers and layers of first takes and unexpected real-time peaks and turns, there is a unique sense of both structure and texture filling these vibrant tracks.
Although relying heavily on synchronisation (the most important source of sound being a Prophet 600, the first polyphonic-synth to implement the midi-synchronisation signal), every track constantly shifts and turns in unexpected ways. Sometimes creeping drones seamlessly leave heavy pulsations behind in the dust, other times abruptly blending melodies into strange permutations of polyrhythms, never quite settling back into any sort of pattern. An organic element being a constant presence in these tracks.
The closest reference to this sort of music is of course the school of german Kosmiche: Cluster, Kraftwerk, Harmonia, etc. But the strains of John Carpenter & Steve Reich individual brands of modulation & repetition is just as clearly apparent throughout the album. Topped off with an overall psychedelic tone ala Can or Soft Machine.
