It is safe to say that any electronic music enthusiast will have come across Berlin artist Sascha Ring at some point. Whether it be via the releases of his first three albums under Apparat, through the music of electronic supergroup Moderat, through his collaborations with other music greats such as Ellen Allien, or at one of his epic live club or festival performances, Sascha’s restless presence within the field of electronic music is unavoidable and elementary to the evolution of the genre.
The past year has seen Sacha’s creative focus return once again to Apparat. For the album, which was conceived during a trip to Mexico in early 2010, Sascha enlisted the talents of Joshua Eustis (of Telefon Tel Aviv) and Fredo Noguerira to help him write the music in a makeshift studio in the small town of Sayulita. After experiencing a lull in creative productivity induced by his return to Europe, it was upon meeting Patrick “Nackt” Christensen (formerly of electro-goth outfit Warren Suicide,) that Sacha became re-inspired. With the Nackt on board as a co-producer they re-worked the Mexican material taking it in a new and more esoteric direction, arriving at the majestic finished product that is The Devil’s Walk.
As an early track to be taken from the album, Black Water is a striking composition, compelling not only in its emotional content and aural beauty, but also in its capacity to represent Apparat’s eclecticmake-upand theiraptitude for breaking down electronic boundaries. As the mastermind behind Apparat’s evolution, Sascha approaches many of the mechanics of techno music; richly textured layers, sombre melodies and entrancing dynamics and revises them to produce an orchestral work, driven by fervent emotion rather than mechanical rhythm. His melancholic vocal supplements guitars, keyboards and drums. Together they are suggestive of the progression from studio computer production to stage performance with a live band.
Within The Devil’s Walk, Saschahas evidently transcended both his love for techno and his expert programming skills to investigate an unknown musical realm. Apparat prove they have the faculty to captivate listeners everywhere.
