The Steam Age vinyl

Solyst is the solo project of Thomas Klein, drummer in German post rock outfit Kreidler who has released two albums previous to this one, both on esteemed German label Bureau B. The album covers a broad sonic spectrum that seems to take influence from many style not limited to IDM and ambient through to dub techno. According to Bureau B, Klein utilised an abandoned piano as the main source of sound by amplifying various treatments to the wooden body and steel strings which created source material he then fed into his sampler. Klein even designed his own custom drum kit for the album, comprised for metallic and wooden found materials. There are some brilliantly inspired tracks on here equally of use to dancefloors as they are for home listening on headphones. We really enjoyed the faint EBM inflections of "Eulenflug" or "Nostalghia", the exotic industrialism of the title track or "Catching Leafs" or the just plain dark electronic experiments of "Steamfield" and Atomium" which in particular showcased the textural sound abrasions that Klein executed on the album just perfectly. Highly recommended.

Malka Tuti