The highly prolific Dutch duo of Don and Roel Funcken drop another album of all new material via their Quench moniker. Their 5th Quench album and second for n5MD entitled Caipruss starts where 2002s Dyn (u-cover) left off and hotwires the Quench blueprint for further digital mutation. Those already acclimated to their many projects (Funckarma, Quench, Shadowhuntaz, Cane…et al) will see a sonic shift from their past Quench ethos. All but a ghost of the long stretched out percussion is present swapped out for more alien double-time broken “funck” reminiscent of the Funckarma mother-ship’s previous output. Not to re-draw the blueprint altogether, still present are the long emotional pads which hold together the Funcken’s dense cybernetic beats and elastic bass-work. Caipruss may be the perfect intersection of all of the Funcken’s projects mangled together into one album. A true treat for fans of any, and or all of their projects, plus a perfect jumping off point for newcomers to this highly original duo’s body of work.


learn more about Quench

igloomag

One of the many pseudonyms of Don and Roel Funcken, Quench has historically been their more "ambient" project, filled with delicately evolving pads and synth rhythms that have been freed from the chaotic churn of break-beat work. Caipruss, their fifth Quench record and second for n5md, finds them being pulled in. The beats break into the tracks, injecting jagged bands of funk and glittering shards of digital rhythm.

"Reap" uncurls like smoke, undulating to a slow internalized rhythm. Cymbals and percussion pads ring and tap in ever-complicating patterns while the slow evolution of the tones becomes a descending whistle of space noise that buries itself in a cone of beats. And never without any fuss or complication (this is Quench legacy, really: never any fuss). The rhythms in "Octane" are tighter, like the scattered patter of fussy atoms or boiling water, and they play out beneath the languid curtain of slow-shift tones. "Caipruss" is heavily mechanized, filled with steamboxes and electrical conduits. Strangely melancholic in its muttering, "Caipruss" flirts with dark passions and caustic wiretapping, but ultimately seems to be a song for dreamers than for heavy action. "Tive" lurches and stops, a cut-up marionette drummer who can't quite control his own hands. A gurgling melody dances around the kit, trailing diaphonous silks like a sugar-stoned butterfly.

"Mmen" finds a slightly menacing tone and an echo box with which to threaten us. While these never terrify (separately or together), they make a half-hearted effort: the tone swells like the hood of a cobra and the shuffling vibrations of the beats match to an accelerated rhythm of your heart. "Matics" uncovers a concentration of the Funck brothers' squiggly funk; dropped into the track, "Matics" becomes a wiggly, scratchy dance track -- somewhere in the realm where the double-jointed and caustic can happily latch onto the groove. Steam-driven, "Mangle" resonates with the digitally corrupted bawl of a barnyard animal. Percolating perambulations dance around the braying sound like mice prancing about the feet of prize heifer with dangling udders.

While some of Funckarma's work can get abstractly busy (the "must squeeze as much chaos and beat chicanery out of my available processor power as possible" style), Quench never raises its voice above a delicate whisper. The tracks of Caipruss are quietly deft, forcing you to submerge yourself in them. Even as they dart away from you. sideline

"Caipruss" is prolific Dutch brothers Don and Roel Funcken's fifth album of new material under the Quench moniker and their second album as Quench for n5MD. Recording under the project names of Cane, Shadow-Huntaz and, probably most notably, as the critically acclaimed Funckarma. Moving on from 2002's "Dyn" on U-Cover, "Caipruss" draws from some of their other projects to expand on the Quench sound and take it in a new direction. Combining serene atmospheric backdrops with agitated digital abstraction, the Funcken brothers take two stylistically opposed genres and fuse them together so that neither detracts from the other but in fact compliment each other wonderfully. On one side is a spacious fluid ambience and on the other busy chattering beats, bass and fragmented digital effects. Put the two side by side in the right way, as the Funcken brothers have, and you have a heady concoction loaded with moody emotion and hi tech electronic brilliance. The best examples of this at work are "Reap", "Dapted", "Ace", "Bundrit and "Kodnippah". Elsewhere the brothers venture into breaks territory on "Matics" and "Thaenailz" but focus more on the experimental side with "Mangle", "Caipruss" and "Tive". Recommended. textura

I'll confess I wasn't overly impressed with the Funcken brothers' recent remix collection Refurbished One but Caipruss, their fifth release under the Quench moniker, is another story altogether: the ridiculously prolific Dutch pair, who also issue music under the names Cane, Automotive, and Shadowhuntaz (with Non Genetic), delivers 13 samplings of polished electronic funk that stands head and shoulders above that remix outing.

Despite the music's seeming complexity, the Caipruss formula is fairly straightforward but nevertheless effective: galaxial tones languorously arc and intricate synth patterns writhe above while slippery beats of funk and hip-hop-influenced character lurch and rumble below. The collection is solid throughout but some moments stand out more than others: powered by a bass drum's heavy gut-punch, the opening “Slick” rides a slippery shuffle of rhythms and gleaming keys, while hip-hop and funk underpin the android melancholy of “Matics.” A prototypical study in contrasts, “Octane” pairs light-speed beat and synth percolations over a bass bottom that heaves like a dying elephant. Also notable are the elastic acid boogie of “Thaenailz” and the dizzying labyrinths of “Mangle.” urban pollution

Another alias of Dutch Funcken brothers Roel and Don (a.k.a. Funckarama , Cane, and Shadow Huntaz), Quench explores IDM and ambient on its fifth album, and ten years after the heyday of ambient music, this is a tall order. <>Caipruss mostly satisfies, as Quench creates complicated textures and spaces with their sound. There’s an edge to even the mildest elements, which creates intrigue and entices the listener. Steam, industrial sounds, intricate repetition, and glitch hop are all elements explored by the group. Someone unfamiliar with this genre of music may find Caipruss a good starting point, especially if coming from a background in dance music or hip hop.

The use of bass is especially strong and funky, especially in relation to the glitchy mechanical-sounding percussion. It’s the best quality of the album. At times, however, the percussion sounds gated and the bass lacks richness. This may or may not be an intentional result of the mastering process, but it detracts from the aural delight of their sound.

This album draws the listener in slowly; on its first listen, the surfaces distracted the ear. There’s a lot of texture through noise in the foreground, with simpler electronica melodies playing beneath. It’s like ambient music with a beat, but it becomes cluttered and busy. At times, the tension between the aggressive percussion and the spaced-out tones doesn’t develop, it just fills the ear with noise. “Reap” in particular goes too far at times, though when the elements are in balance it sets a good atmosphere. “Mangle” has just the right level of complexity to draw a new listener as well as to keep familiar ears coming back.

On subsequent listenings, however, the background elements grow and flesh out their own complexity and the album draws one deeper. A somewhat corny comparison would be the scrolling screen of green characters in The Matrix: once you know what you’re looking at, you can see it quite plainly—but before then it’s just text. The reference is far less ridiculous when one realizes that Quench has deftly created the atmosphere that the Wachowski Brothers failed to do. The title track busts out with a beat cribbed from hip-hop, yet with elements deconstructed to make it seem less familiar. The listener keeps going down the dark corridor, knowing that there’s something waiting at the end… and the track concludes with the sound of a fast-beating heart. Thrilling stuff.

“Kodnippah” is a collaboration with Ard Bit, another Dutch electronica artist who is much newer on the scene but has already attracted some notable attention. His influence on the track is notable in the reduced sharpness and rapidity of the percussive elements, as well as a stronger atmospheric element to the background. It’s a direction Quench should consider pursuing more often.

In short, Caipruss would make an excellent addition to a DJ’s box for the weekly IDM night, or for setting an intense yet focused mood. Think of it as dance music’s troubled sibling, or ambient danger music. de:bug

Die beiden Funckarma-Brüder aus Holland haben in den letzten Jahren viel bewegt, vor allem mit ihren Produktionen für die Shadow Huntaz. Auf diese Weise waren plötzlich auch alle anderen Projekte der beiden im Gespräch. Es mussten einfach ein paar Jahre vergehen, bis der überall präsente Hang zur über-detaillierten Elektronika-Produktion abebbte und man die technisch sehr versierten Tracks wieder zu schätzen lernen konnte. Quench war immer eher das lockere Projekt der Funken-Brüder, neue Tracks gab es lange nicht und so ist die Freude umso größer, dass plötzlich n5MD ein neues Album releast. Und was für eins! Die beiden Holländer sind in Höchstform, schmeißen die Melodie-Maschine an, planschen in die überbordenen Flächen, lassen die Beats dazu tanzen und tupfen ein bisschen Acid auf die Bergspitze. Deepness, neu erlebt. cold room

Lorsqu’ils ne sont pas aux commandes de Funckarma, Don et Roel Funcken disposent d’une multitude de projets différents, dont Quench, celui, semble t-il, le plus "electro" de tous. Et retrouver Caïpruss chez N5MD n’est pas vraiment une surprise car les deux frangins hollandais, outre leurs précédentes sorties pour le label, ont produit ici un album cadrant parfaitement avec sa politique musicale en vigueur. "Que le groove soit ! ". Et le groove fut. Une chose est sûre, Quench aime le(s) rythme(s). C’est une constante tout au long de Caïpruss : Hormis une touche mélodique modérée, tout ce que vous percevrez sera partie intégrante d’une profonde structure très ordonnée. Ca bouge sans arrêt et dans tous les sens, syncopes algorythmées ou drum n’breaks en première ligne. Et même si le tempo reste du BPM à 3 chiffres, vous y découvrirez quelques pavés down tempo, légers comme des parpaings, et pourquoi pas une incursion abstract hip-hop, plusieurs fois réitérée, comme un clin d’œil aux autres amours du duo batave. Bon, c’est vrai, le contretemps est parfois si omniprésent qu’il sape injustement la spontanéité d’un morceau qui ne demandait qu’à exploser. Mais c’est ainsi, l’appel de la technique est souvent plus fort que celui de l’énergie communicative, qui ne s’exprime pleinement que dans la simplicité (même relative). Au delà de ça, l’album regorge de créativité, tout en évitant soigneusement la moindre répétition, ce qui est à retenir avant toute chose. Amateurs d’electronica dense et hirsute, ce disque vous est destiné.

10 comments so far (post your own)