How about some chilled electronic ambience for this fine Thursday afternoon? I decided to skip yesterday, due to a lack of inspiration. I’d like to say it was due to New Years’ burnout. But I think it’s much more cumulative than that … like full-on 2018 burnout. I’m gonna approach 2019 as a blank slate. To hell with all the baggage from last year. I know some of it’s going to follow me. But I’m going to do my best to kick it back to where it belongs. So with that mindset, I thought it best to start on a softer note. You know, ease my way into new beginnings.
This track is titled “A Tribe Called Kotori” from German DJ/Producer Oliver Koletzki. It’s a curious track, mysterious and hypnotic, creepin’ and crawlin’ with a metronomic pulse, evolving in a meditative tapestry of progressive tribal ambience. It’s a downtempo number, for sure. But it’s also a spiritual journey, rhythmically transcendental and kaleidoscopic in scope. It resides in the realm of psychedelia, but it feels more primal, minimal, and focused.
In all honesty, I don’t know a great deal about Koletzki or his work. That’s the case with many artists on this blog. It’s also the main reason I cover them. Don’t get me wrong. I love the familiar. But the undiscovered and unknown … that’s a trip well worth taking. Given that mindset, I’ve taken the time to skim some of his back catalogue. He’s primarily a house musician. His earlier material, which dates back to 2005, skews towards minimalism, slightly jazzy and a little loungey. He’s since thrown vocals into the mix, as well as kicked up the synths for a splash of sonic euphoria. In other words, he’s evolved with the times.
“A Tribe Called Kotori” signifies a different path yet again. It’s the lead track from the 2017 album “The Arc of Tension,” which is inherently focused on conceptual origins, woven together by thematic spirituality and inner exploration. Of course, there’s definitely pulse-pounding rhythms to be found. But getting there is a progressive process. It takes time, like the aforementioned opener, and eases one towards the trance-induced beats, while still remaining singularly metaphysical. Keeping things ambient for the album’s first half deliberately establishes a meditative mindset. So when the beats kick in, the house feels furnished with feng shui.
Although I enjoy those latter up-tempo bits, Koletzki’s “A Tribe Called Kotori” is still my preference – at least for today. It’s a pace that works for beginnings. It’s simple enough to latch onto, sophisticated enough to stay engaged, and dialed to just the right level of ambience to balance the mind. Try it out.
“A Tribe Called Kotori” from the 2017 album “The Arc of Tension.”
