Rumpistol, aka Jens B. Christiansen, has long become recognized for the detailed production of his work, which walks the border between abstract electronica and a more immediate mode of melodic exploration.
With this new EP, “Talk to You”, the pleasing dissonance his original style creates has been tightened and infused with a fresh sense of purpose and a sudden directness, with much of this coming from the vocals that dominate every track.
It’s a trend we’ve seen a lot of lately: IDM and dubstep producers (James Blake, Tim Exile, Clark and Magnetic Man to name a few) incorporating vocals into their work. But where all of the above have turned to the classic plug-in-a-mic-and-sing way of doing things, and their vocal expression has been rather overt, Rumpistol employs a more embedded mixture of cut-up and processed sampling, synthesized vocals and vocals sung by the producer himself, adding a new dimension to the sound.
The key to the EP is how direct it is. It’s as if the accumulated ideas and themes of the past have been pulled together and re-carved quickly to strip away their excess. In line with this approach and to “avoid fiddling around with the tracks forever”, a tight deadline was imposed on the recording process.
The resulting immediacy of sound and emotion has strong references to soul and R&B, with the essentially elements of IDM, glitch and dubstep alongside, albeit with a wonky twist.
(Crossover) acts like Flying Lotus, Mount Kimbie and Burial definitely spring to mind, and with the extra wonky element Rumpistol has tongue-in-cheek referred to his style as “Broken Soul”.
The tag seems more appropriate when looking closer at the titles, whose single lines or phrases make up the bulk of the lyrical content within the tracks. Talk To You, Don't Go, We're Not Gonna Make It, Through All This Madness… each title conjures feelings of isolation, dependency and despair, and yet embedded into the music of each track there comes an exuberant and unmistakable joy in the act of creation. This irony is nowhere more apparent than on We’re Not Gonna Make It, where the blankly pessimistic refrain becomes, as if by some strange magic, an uplifting and life-affirming celebration.
The artwork for the EP was done by Dutch artist Zeloot.
Original liner notes:
written & produced by jens berents christiansen
mastered by lupo at d&m
all illustrations by zeloot
graphic design by torsten lindsø andersen
supported by djbfa
c + p 2011 rump recordings
made in europe 2011 - RUMPEP004
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Grenade / Harmony Dies
you know what it's like to be alone and shut down
DOLOPHINE SMILE
Friendly People Making Noise
Walk Into The Fire
Asleep Awake Alert
Piano Improvisations (5.1 surround)
Seeds of Wild Love
Soundtrax Volume 12 - Svenska Hits
Soundtrax Volume 5 - Svenska Hits
Escho Live
Maskebal
Body Vehement
DEMO Master
Låter som miljarder
Vi kan göra det hur du vil
Hearts of the World
Malicioso Sonido Putrefacto
Metamorphobia
Monolog EP
You Don't Get To Quit
Väck mig
Ideal Plane
Go To War_40x40.png)
Love You Like A Love Song (Karaoke Backtrack in the Style of Selena Gomez & The Scene)
Bumble Bee
Doing THe Pretty
Engel (Instrumental cover made famous by Rasmus Seebach)
On The Run
The Star
Du är allt instrumental
Dansande Homofober (Cyrusgbg Remix)
I Don't Wanna Go
Kärlekspsykopat (Remixed by Sticker)
