phon°noir - No More Sad Dreams
[Lona Records]

This 3” disc is an intriguing proposition, pairing Berlin’s electronic-pop maestro phon°noir (aka Matthias Grübel) with Hong Kong’s experimental Lona Records, which has previously housed releases from the likes of Alog, Fm3 and The Painful Leg Injuries.

Grübel’s recently released “The Objects Don’t Need Us” (review link) opus sparkled with its levels of invention, blending everyday sounds into an off-beat style of melancholic electronic pop. The way Grübel built his arrangements reminded of an ingeniously constructed piece of machinery or electronic equipment.

That being the case, “No More Sad Dreams” finds him at the experimental stage of his developments, where all of his ‘objects’ are strewn across his work table as he finely tunes his plans. It offers a fascinating insight into the way Grübel’s tracks come together. The four compositions here feel less rigid than his tightly woven album work, as he places different sounds through alternating sequences and experiments with different rhythms.

Featuring previously unreleased material, “Embryo” is a remix from his alternative Phonofix project that almost veers into avant-jazz territories. The alluring “Airplanes in the Sky”, recorded in one late night session, meanwhile, finds the perfect balance between this experimental edge and the melodic side of things, merging glacial piano interplay with his inventive revolving beatwork.

Withdrawing his haunting whispers that colour his full releases, the work on “No More Sad Dreams” aligns itself closely to what’s being going on over at the Anticon label. Grübel certainly retains the fragility of his previous releases, but now he has added an abstract edge. It is simply yet another string to his bow, another facet of his ever-evolving creations.

Track Listing:
Embryo
From Time To Time We Change Our Minds
Airplane In The Sky
No More Sad Dreams