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'I Don't Either' is the debut album by Cologne's ultrafunk proteg Oliver Braun. Composed of compulsive, playful electronica and skeletal house music - and influenced as much by P-Funk and the clipped R&B of Timbaland as it is by the fractured Cologne sound - this is the real future funk. Where much recent electronica relies on swathes of effects to bedazzle the listener, Beige's power lies in the way he strips the music down to a radically funky minimum. Initially alien to the ear, Beige takes the over-familiar elements of house music - the basslines, the vocal snatches - and puts them back together in a way you've never heard before. The album doesn't give up its charms right away, but as you filter through the dense layers of ideas, a strange sense of melancholy becomes apparent: it's fun (sometimes funny), but with emotional intent. The unassuming Braun was first brought to the label's attention by Stefan Betke (aka Pole), which was a pretty strong recommendation in itself. A couple of early tracks appeared on Caipirinha's superb 'Deutsche Funk' collection (curated by Bernd Friedmann), and the two tracks on last years 'Osmosis' compilation created a real stir. The artwork for 'I Don't Either' has been selected for inclusion Intro's book of radical sleeve design, 'Sampler 2'. The album was awarded Album Of The Month by respected German techno paper de:bug. |
