Thomas Brinkmann - 'Anna / Beate' (Ernst)

I've always been the type to say that I hate techno music, which is mostly true. However, I came across the chance to scoop up a cache of Brinkmann 12"s for a really good price - this was in or about 1999 -- so I leapt at it. And I really love these records, or at least I say that even though I haven't listened to any of them in a decade. When I was going on some rant about shitty house music techno Detroit ravers not too long ago, I remember that I had these and said "Wait, I like techno!" I then proceeded to throw on one of these records and my company said "This isn't techno, it's clicks-and-cuts." Well, forgive me for not knowing all of the subgenres of this particular subculture. So maybe it's just clicks and cuts that I like. It's certainly true that the majority of the rhythmic bursts on these 10 records would fall into a "click" or a "cut". The 'Anna' side in particular has a more resonant tone that comes in, like a pipe or bell, but with all of the reverb truncated. It's going to become incredibly difficult for me to describe these records so I'll just turn to the abstract: 'Anna' is a bit like trying to vacuum underneath a sofa, but not being quite able to get there. 'Beate' is two tracks that ramp up the momentum, doubling up on themselves to make me feel pretty nervous. The second one brings in an acoustic bass lick and for a moment the beats stop, and it's just an utterly stupid, cartoonish moment that kinda makes me laugh. Yes, humour abounds in the dryest form of minimal Euro electronica. I could fill this post with my explanation of why I like this and my feelings and interest in "minimalism" but I gotta save something for the next nine.