Up next on Umor Rex is Eleven Pieces for Synthesizer, a collection of synth instrumentals by German composer Carl Oesterhelt. 

Oesterhelt has been recording a mixture of kosmische and classical traditions for years, overdubbing stacks of analogue gear to create a compelling body of work that includes tenures with Neue Deutsche Welle legends FSK, intellectual disco outfit Merricks, and German legends The Notwist. His solo work has travelled even wider, taking in contemporary classical and chamber music, music for exhibitions and radio plays, plus notable collaborations with saxophonist Johannes Enders and founding member of Faust, Hans Joachim Irmler.

On this album, Oesterhelt augments his own analogue arsenal with synthesizers borrowed from musician friends, resulting in almost 15 different synthesizers, some in fruitful states of disrepair. 

We’re told that the sound touches upon similar ground to the likes of Musik von Harmonia in its pulsations, Klaus Schulze’s sonically adventurous Cyborg, and Tangerine Dream at their earliest and most primitive.  The hypnotic ritualism of early African field recordings and the spiritual regality of European organ music are also key references. 

“Oesterhelt’s compositions here have taken the musically primitive and the emotionally raw, and woven them into a rich synthetic soundworld all of his own,” the Mexican label explains. “Tensions build and emotions stir throughout each piece with a proficiency perfected through his work for the stage.”

Eleven Pieces for Synthesizer is available on blue vinyl LP, digital formats, and streaming services on September 6. Ahead of the release, the label has shared “Venedig” and “Simple Theme,” described as a “good example of the spectre of this album.”

Tracklisting

01.  La chapelle de Francis Lai

02.  Petrolio

03.  Simple Theme

04.  Makonde Pattern

05.  Herbstspaziergang

06.  Venedig

07.  Trinidad Pattern

08.  Poro Secret Society

09.  Überlagerung

10.  Verblassende Erinnerung 

11.  Synchronisation