Where would we be without Wolfgang? Well, for one, the need for surprisingly buff animated 5th graders would’ve been left unfulfilled, and we wouldn’t be one step closer to realizing that really really cool wolf/human hybrid only fantasized about in the movies. Names are the precursor to physical transformation, I’ve decided, so just as the name “Wolfgang” will ultimately lead to a new, super-intelligent, albeit vicious and overly hairy, species, the name “Michael” will precede a particular evolution into angels, who aren’t bound by altruism, but by kicking ass and flying and shit. I don’t make the rules. Sorry, Berthas.
Here’s another benefit of Wolfgangs: the founding and continued existence of one of minimal techno’s most influential labels, and a damn near classic collection of 4/4-driven serenity. Wolfgang Voigt is co-founder and co-owner of Kompakt, runs his own label Profan, and has released music under at least a dozen monikers, though his elemental form is his undoubtedly his most well-known. On September 3, Wolfgang Voigt will release (under his own name) Zukunft Ohne Menschen, a deluxe book/CD stemming from a likewise-named sound installation project featured at the entrance to this year’s Art Cologne.
Google Translate-me, please: “Zukunft ohne menschen” means “future without people” in English, and according to Voigt, it’s also a future of arpeggiated minimalism. According to a press release, the 10 compositions sound randomly generated, but were, in fact, manually composed and improvised by Voigt, possibly behind a glowing curtain à la The Wizard of Oz. Accompanying each composition were abstract images of people-removed urban photographs, as an elongated cursor “bored” its way through.
It might be best if you just wait for the 24-page booklet, if you can get your hands on one of the 500 copies.
Zukunft Ohne Menschen tracklisting:
01. Z.O.M. 1.1
02. Z.O.M. 1.2
03. Z.O.M. 1.3
04. Z.O.M. 1.4
05. Z.O.M. 1.5
06. Z.O.M. 1.6
07. Z.O.M. 1.7
08. Z.O.M. 1.8
09. Z.O.M. 1.9
10. Z.O.M. 1.10
• Wolfgang Voigt: http://www.wolfgang-voigt.com
• Kompakt: http://www.kompakt.fm
More about: Wolfgang Voigt
