Th.e n.d: Metaphors
Mixgalaxy Records 2010
The Space in Which Trial Becomes Attainment
?We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.?
T.S. Eliot
Th.e n.d (the name is inspired partly by the Doors’s unforgettable hymn to despair) is one guy who grew up in a small village in East Germany, just 30 miles from Berlin (early enough to witness the last days of the Berlin Wall). He learned guitar and piano on his own at an early age and also mastered the use of studio software instruments.
Hungry for creative stimulus, he was drawn to the city like a moth to a flame. ?I recognized early that Berlin is an unbelievably exciting city for arts and artists and I tried to get to Berlin as often as possible when I was a teenager,? he explains. ?In my opinion, Berlin is one of the most interesting cities for young people in Europe. The city allows you to be who you want, and you can find nearly every kind of arts and interesting people here.?
Forays into Berlin eventually led to a long-standing career as a deejay in the city’s techno scene and also fostered the development of his artistic vision.
Metaphors is truly a product of the electronic revolution, but at the same time departs from it on the level of aesthetic sophistication. There’s a mind-altering atmosphere in the album, with a lot of piano providing melodious interplay as well as some thrilling chords. And you can easily find musical allusions to, among other things, Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d?un faune, one of Th.e n.d.’s favourite pieces.
One of my demands for instrumental music is that, due to the absence of lyrical verbiage, the track titles have to be brilliant, and these are no disappointment. ?Chromatic Sins? and ?Knecht the Catcher? are my personal faves.
Once again, Th.e n.d has grown beyond his techno roots to create a work with depth and substance; these are human, affirming sound structures destined to sweeten and enrich your solitude.