Poltrock - Mutes
Poltrock releases three albums in 2018!
Poltrock worked on his debut for no less than five years.
In his new Brussels studio, Poltrock gets to work with analogue and modular synthesizers. He takes his vintage electromechanical pianos out of their context and pushes samplers to the limit. A fascinating quest for the organic facets of electronic music.
Poltrock sits behind his piano and experiments with the instrument. Tape, paper, chains, bolts and other objects distort the sound in surprising and inspiring ways. Percussive sounds become beats and chords become enchanting soundscapes. Poltrock delves into this experimental technique -'prepared piano'- and combines it with electronics.
2017. Poltrock strums on that old, unruly Steinway upright piano in the living room, the piano that has accompanied him for more than three decades. He places felt sheets between the hammers and the strings, and lets himself be enchanted by the intimate sound. In just three days, he improvises 'Mutes' together: quiet and naked piano improvisations stripped of any form of virtuosity or technique. The essence.
Mutes, Moods & Machines
In 2018, this almost five-year odyssey translates into the trilogy 'Mutes, Moods & Machines'. Three records that each highlight Poltrock's love for the 88 keys of the piano in their own way and that will be released with an interval of 88 days by the Dutch label 'Excelsior Recordings' (V2 in BE).
Release dates:
29.03.18 – International Piano Day (the 88th day of the year): 'Mutes'. A collection of short and intimate piano sketches on the mechanically damped piano.
25.06.18: 'Moods'. Atmospheric and cinematographic soundscapes in which natural piano sounds go hand in hand with prepared pianos, menacing drones and dense sound carpets.
21.09.18: 'Machines'. Heavily processed and repetitive pianos with hypnotic electronics.