The Moritz Von Oswald Trio has shapeshifted again, this time to include pioneering avant-garde electronic artist Laurel Halo and renowned jazz drummer Heinrich Köbberling. Dissent is the first physical product of their work together, arriving via BMG’s experimental-focused venture Modern Recordings.
Following the Trio’s last outing in 2015 with Tony Allen and Max Loderbauer then forming the other two-thirds of the group, Dissent is the product of a series of jams throughout November and December of 2020 in Berlin. It’s split into ten single track chapters, and book-ended with a preface and an epilogue. Sonically the influence of each member is balanced and clear - the atmospheric dub treatment of Von Oswald, the free jazz syncopation of Köbberling and the open-ended electronic expressionism of Laurel Halo all combine to deadly effect. For fans of Moritz Von Oswald’s many celebrated dub techno works like those of the mighty Rhythm & Sound, Chapters 3, 5 and 8 in particular promise to enchant.
Much of the collection is slanted towards darker and experimental climes, with dazzling percussive patterns and pensive chord progressions. The musicianship and production technique on display stays staggeringly high for the duration of the album, packed full of expertly textured mosaics and unexpected moments of musical flair.
A masterful collaboration, linking digital and acoustic sound design like none other.
