Spätzer - Dérive

Spätzer

Dérive
self-released; 2019

​4.0 out of 5

By My Nguyen

Spätzer is a new project by Seattle’s emerging multidisciplinary artist Aiken Bömers-Muller. Bömers-Muller is releasing his brand new album entitled Dérive.
 
The music came to be from a complex creative process, Bömers-Muller didn’t want to simply rely on himself nor let his musical habits or any creative road blocks inhibit him. He was influenced by the theories of Debord and Situationism when he picked up the dice and let his friends give him the numbers. The process developed through a Python script.
 
Bömers-Muller then had something he could play with and curate. Relying on this method, he could simply allow something else to make the decisions. Through the gamble of a dice, Dérive was realized. It is a culmination to a brand new method of music making.
 
Dérive opens with “Exploration A,” where ambient electronic sounds create a soaring soundscape. Robotic beeps and flare ups cycle in the tune. The bass lines are heavy and rhythmic. The electronic layers are airy and ethereal. A moving sound unfolds. Tendrils of electronic beats whispers in and out of this track. Eventually, the cadence branches off into a moody electronic sound towards the three-and-a-half-minute mark.
 
“Stromfeld” has an ethereal and a sweeping cadence. An arresting and soaring sound transpires that has an illuminating pull. Ambient synths also sweep in loosened over an electronic vibe. Next, a metal-tinged electronic layer adds in a touch of industrial-ness. Here are the first appearances of vocals on the album. A bit of vocals dosed with reverb sing in the backdrop accompanied by the acoustics of the piano that provides for a haunting riff. Intermittently, shooting flares rips apart the track.
 
“A Night In A Shop” is an eleven-minute long song and is a little on the lengthy side. The notes seem to be elongated becoming a wholly ambient soundscape. There is definitely a moody pull to the airy layers. The electronic beats pick up toward the six-and-a-half-minute mark becoming more upbeat and gathering in a sizzling air. The hypnotic layers will definitely leave listeners entranced from the ghostly sounds that arises.
 
From what I know, Bömers-Muller’s creative process is new. He structures his music to the game of chance – something I believe has never been done before. Staunch believers in traditional songwriting have long upheld that form and structure are the favored backbone to a song. With Dérive, he tosses all this onto the back burner as well as innovating a whole new thought-provoking creative process.
 
Dérive isn’t just innovative, it is unique in a way. Who could believe notes could be distilled into algorithms? Be sure you have a listen today!

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