Microstoria - init ding + _snd (Remastered) [1LP Opaque Pink / 1LP Opaque Green]

Thrill Jockey

£39.60

Format: 2 x LP, 1LP Opaque Pink / 1LP Opaque Green
Catalogue No.: THRILL587LPX
Barcode: 0790377058710
Release Date: 26 Jan 2024
Genre: Balearic/Downtempo

 Few records have weathered the fast-moving, fickle trends in electronic music like those of Microstoria. The duo brings together two of the most prescient, playful minds in the German electronic underground - Jan St. Werner (Mouse on Mars) and Markus Popp (Oval). Their albums as Microstoria are considered foundational texts in ambient music while equally sounding just as cutting-edge now as on their initial release. Continually cropping up in Best Of lists from the likes of Pitchfork and FACT, while finding new fans through remixes by Jim O’Rouke and Stereolab.
 After being long out of print and coveted by collectors, the duo’s cult classic albums ‘init ding’ and ‘_snd’ now receive the expanded reissue treatment as a double LP, featuring remixed sleeve artwork based on the original designs, and a full remaster of each by engineer Rashad Becker.
 Microstoria’s creative process was as much about careful listening as composing, the duo working in a dialogue with their machines. Their first outing, ‘init ding’ (1995), captures the thrilling, anarchic energy of Germany’s experimental underground in the 90s, rendered in beautifully understated atmospheres. In those early studio sessions,
Popp and Werner would cycle through synthesizer patches and effects settings while playing, sounds glitching and taking on new shapes with each turn to create moments of genuine surprise. Throughout the album the duo wrest paradoxically organic sounds from digital instruments, with everything from bird-like calls to aqueous washes of bass or fizzing strings that crest like rolling waves of warm analogue thrum.
 The duo’s sophomore album, ‘_snd’ (1996), provided a subtle refinement of those earlier recordings, stripping back the dense layers of texture to play with space and tension, with an even greater contrast between light and dark. The album finds comfort in colder, deliberately digital soundscapes - the sound of neon lights illuminating the empty concrete of the city at night, or dial-up router glitch bathed in the warming glow of monitor screens. This is no mere wallpaper music, but living, breathing ecosystems of sound teeming with detail and tangible feeling.
 Nearly 30 years on from their original release, both ‘init ding’ and ‘_snd’ still offer thrilling new revelations with every listen. Much like the nature of their creation, these are records that reward deep listening. The expanded reissue of these two classic albums highlights their enduring influence and uncanny genius, standing essential titles from two artists still shaping the landscape of contemporary music today.
 “Music this dependant on detail demands to be played loudly, preferably through a
decent stereo or headphones” - Pitchfork
 “‘init ding’ is a rewarding release for Ambient lovers who like their music warm and powerful and who yet want to concentrate on fragile undertones and vivid melodies in cozily quilted string-laden surroundings.” - Ambient Exotica
 Available to independent retailers on coloured double vinyl. Side A / B is pressed on Opaque Pink coloured vinyl, Side C / D is pressed on Opaque Green vinyl. Also includes a digital download card.

Tracklisting
16:9
Slap Top
File Care
Ecclectrig
Fund
Zuhause
Edu
Pokus
Communerism
Dokumint
Sleepy People / Network
Down
Teil Zeit
Per Formal
Feld 1
Endless Summer NAMM
Work Place
Bpi
Quit Not Save