Austrian-born Rancho Relaxo All Stars collaborator Susanne Brokesch isan electronic-based sound artist whose work has resulted in variousoutputs such as group art shows, soundtrack work and several recordingsunder her own name as well as the pseudonyms of Sil and SilElectronics. Her latest release, So Easy, Hard To Practice,is mostly a collection of various soundscapes and minimalist-typecompositions where, at times, the rhythms are implied more thanoutright stated. What I found to be interesting about this disc isBrokesch's arrangement of synthetic sound patches, which at timesconvey a somewhat organic feel. The mild pulsing of "Confidence" laysbeneath a wash of obscure drones and sci-fi movie lasergun blast soundswith the occasional squelch until sparse, linear drum machine patternsmove in to take the track out. "Bel Air Mix 1" is a nice and subtleblend of reverbed synthesizer chords and heaving electro-cello over topof quiet, swinging drum machine tom-tom and snare hits which fade inand out throughout the mix. Rounding out the disc's forty minutes isthe somewhat out of place and longest track, aptly titled "Dancing."The mid-tempo programmed rhythms and syncopated bass end thump awayagainst a backdrop of flitting, somewhat harsh treated synths and othernear-industrial type sounds. The introduction of electro percussion andhandclaps add to the dance elements which are already very prominent.Although too fractured to be considered an ambient-type disc andgenerally lacking a steady pulse for head nodding, the interesting makeup of So Easy, Hard To Practice finds a fair middle ground that had me following the shifts without it being too obvious.samples:
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