PresentParadox - Institutions

PresentParadox

Institutions
self-released; 2013


3.8 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Hailing from Dortmund, Germany PresentParadox is the music project of the film student David Kleinekottmann. The music he makes on its recent release Institutions is warm down beat mostly electronic music that is not unlike Thom Yorke’s solo project or Four Tet. He strategically mixes glitches, bleeps, pads, string and his voice into very atmospheric music that spews out warmth. 

A couple of years ago an album called Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy came out where Thom Yorke covered “All For The Best.” If you take that song and “The Gloaming” from Amnesiac and based an album upon that sound you should have an ideas of what Institutions sounds like.

To Kleinekottmann’s credit he self-produced this album and also did all the mixing and mastering. The sound quality is crisp and well balanced. 

He opens up with “Changed,” which combines organic sounding synths and unique sounding percussion elements. The atmosphere feels so chill and relaxed as he sings and then asks the question, “who changed the light of the scene?”  “Topic” may inspire Xanax-type dance routines while “Twisted” contains an ample amount of experimental sounds and structures that feel very good going down. Kleinekottmann balances acoustic strings with warm pads on “False Friend” and closes with the percussive heavy and ominous “Restless.”

Institutions showcases Kleinekottmann’s ability to combine disparate sounds into well-written songs that often have a warm, relaxed vibe.

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