Theodore and Hamblin - "The Scientific Contrast"

Theodore and Hamblin - Pewn (Moteer 2007)

Theodore and Hamblin – The Scientific Contrast / Moteer

Damn the rain. The most revitalizing period of my week is the hour-long bike ride through the side streets and momentary neighborhoods of Chicago I get to enjoy every Monday while heading to my office on the North side. The sporadic rain showers outside my window are trying to prevent my coveted mental and physical sigh of relief this week, and taking the bus-to-often-delayed-train route is just not that appealing. But even though it is causing a little annoyance and procrastination, I cannot completely hate on the rain. It in itself is a periodic revitalization for both the Earth and my mind. There is just something immensely soothing about the slightly melodic patter of rain that helps wash away any lingering stress; so much so that my windows typically go up when the clouds start bellowing down. No, I do not want it to rain more than it sunshines, but goddamn do I love that periodic refreshment when it comes in small doses. Conveniently, these are very similar feelings I have for IDM, and more specifically the melodic minimum electronica that ran rampant in the late 90s. It is a genre that he somewhat fell out of style, so when an album’s worth of quality material drops in my lap, I pay attention… and listen… and feel refreshed.

As we heard with the recently discussed Fisk Industries compilation here on Audiversity, the IDM label is still far from being completely archaic. Subtlety, patience and pattering are just not the “in” sounds these days. That does not mean they are completely defunct though, you just have to dig a little deeper to find the crews still purveying that sound. Well look no further than the UK’s Moteer label where curators Craig Tattersall and Andrew Johnson are finding a comfortable stride with their blossoming imprint. They are already finding acclaim with warming electronica releases from artists like Clickits, Minimum Chips, Aus and my personal favorite, The Boats. For an overarching label listen, head straight for the Moteer::Sampler, but for now, we are going to concentrate on their latest release by Theodore and Hamblin, The Scientific Contrast.

A German duo very much indebted to early Morr Music releases (especially by Isan), Kibbee Theodore and Bernd Hamblin are much more about crafting a humble sound than worrying about any sort of style or outward appearance. In fact, they choose to remain as nondescript as possible and refuse to even be photographed or reveal much personal information. Their MySpace profile pretty much sums up their mindset with fragmented personal descriptions like: “We are private people, who live rather mundane lives.” / “We live in Germany, in apartments which are rather similar. In a small town near Bonn.” / “We like science and typography” / “We record by pressing the red button” / “We find it difficult to talk about ourselves.” With the melancholic, unassuming music involved on their debut release, I cannot say such biographical nuggets are surprising, and in fact, like their music, I find it somewhat refreshing.

Two of the brief descriptions I left off were that the pair met at a university while studying furniture design and that they have a wide array of electronic toys. There is no doubt both interests collide on The Scientific Contrast, and the architectural blueprints of these twelve songs stem from their profession of choice. Utilizing mostly nostalgic and innocent melodies and strategically subtle electronic noises, Theodore and Hamblin craft something plaintively beautiful. The music rarely reaches over a hum and the rhythms scarcely register on the audible charts, but when paired together, they form something truly engaging and peaceful. “Balmpe” and “Pewn” are the highlights of this combination. Each track begins very softly with just delicate, rhythmic electronic swells undercut by slightly skittering clicks. But as each song reaches the top of their easy-going climaxes, lush analog melodies form out of a multitude of untraceable electronic gadgets; every sound purrs and chimes and patters with care. It is not all sighs and hums though, songs like “Pelume” build off nearly abrasive high frequencies and “Hernd” rocks a four-on-the-floor dance rhythm however subdued it may be. There are a good variety of approaches to Theodore and Hamblin’s sound, but the album remains wholly cohesive.

I really could do some hefty name-dropping for comparisons, but really they would just be your typical IDM references anyways, so I will refrain from doing so. And anyways, Theodore and Hamblin’s approach is more to strip away all the typical defining aspects of the genre and utilize just the undertones to craft their music. If you listen to The Scientific Contrast all the way through, there is no doubt that you will come out the other side relaxed and refreshed (that’s like the fourth time I’ve used the verb "refresh" so take note). It is not necessarily music to fall asleep to, but more to calm your nerves and patiently contemplate a sticky situation. It is introspective, fragile and thanks to the artists’ taste for privacy, innately mysterious. Oh! And the rain stopped. I am not saying that Theodore and Hamblin necessarily had anything to do with it, but it certainly makes for a nice metaphor as their album comes to a close.