Hidden Shoal Recordings » Sankt Otten Reviews

Sankt Otten ‘Morgen Wieder Lustig’ – Aquarius Records

Jamie — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:05:49 +0000

Excerpt: “After a way too long break, Hidden Shoal return to Aquarius… we were excited to hear how these guys might have changed over the last couple years, and in fact, their sound has shifted quite a bit. SA continue to defy the German Portishead pigeonhole, by cranking up the tempo, veering into a sort of krautrock by way of Four Tet one minute, whirling pop ambience the next, synthy sprawling blissed out prismatic new age the next, over the course of the record slipping back and forth between these various sounds, sometimes melding several at once, a gorgeous, moody sonic journey, from haunting atmospheric darkness, to sun dappled rhythmic mesmer, to spaced out psychedelic synth, to eighties sounding new wave to hushed dreamlike ambience, to creepy slowcore crawl. Awesome stuff.”

Aquarius Records

Sankt Otten ‘Morgen wieder Lustig’ – Shallgrenzen

Jamie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:59:21 +0000

Excerpt [translated from the German]: “Music for films that have yet to be filmed… With keyboards, samples and guitar, Sankt Otten have created impressive new sonic territory. Between elegiac electro-pop, playful and cuddly electric-jazz and ambient slumber songs, this album inhabits the post-rock universe but with classic song structures… You will not be rocked – more relaxed couch surfing with closed eyes.”

Shallgrenzen

Sankt Otten “Morgan Weider Lustig” – Textura

Thea Porter — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:15:39 +0000

Excerpt: “The wide-ranging album features everything from beatless reveries (e.g., the blinding supernova “Das bezahlte Lob”) to motorik workouts, with the duo demonstrating a deft command of their material throughout the recording’s forty-nine minutes. Following a heavenly overture of synthetic string-drenched scene-painting and simmering guitar strokes (“Ein Himmel voller Galgen”), “Mutter, Jazz und der Heilige Geist” digs into a slow-motion krautrock vibe, with martial snares calling forth the troops while a gurgling bass line pulsates, electric guitars blaze, and vibraphones chime… A solid follow-up to the group’s Hidden Shoal debut Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben (Let’s Remain Friends), Morgen Wieder Lustig (Morning Again Amusingly?) bridges decades in its sleek blend of Klaus Schulze-styled synth textures and prog-epic guitar lines. Perhaps the thing that stands out most is how assured the recording is, and the clarity of vision the duo brings to the album’s material.”

Textura

Sankt Otten “Morgan Weider Lustig” – titel magazin

Thea Porter — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:38:16 +0000

Excerpt: "As is permitted in these times, not every band gets a huge contract, and we want to take this opportunity once again to sing the praises of netlabels who offer us things worth listening to. Sankt Otten’s Australian label Hidden Shoal Recordings is one of these labels. In Morgan Weider Lustig, Sankt Otten demonstrate an above average feel for the right combination of brute force and elegance."

titel magazin

Sankt Otten “Morgan Weider Lustig” – Elektrolurch

Thea Porter — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:11:04 +0000

Excerpt: “With “Morgan Weider Lustig,” Sankt Otten are on their fourth album. Stephan Otten, namesake and head of Sankt Otten, creates an impressive combination of rhythm and the celestial sounds of sublime soundscapes. Even more than in previous releases, it dissolves from classic song structures. With Stephan Otten and Oliver Klemm (guitar), the listener explores dark and bizarre soundscapes that range from delicate lightness to epic grandeur… Sankt Otten take us into their almost cinematic-sounding songs in a variety of scenarios that reveal they are not always the same at first glance. With this album we dive more deeply into the world of Sankt Otten, and lose ourselves in it …!”

Elektrolurch

Sankt Otten “Morgan Weider Lustig” – Ondarock

Thea Porter — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:41:56 +0000

Excerpt: “Sankt Otten represent the most markedly electronic label. In their fourth record, Morgen Wieder Lustig, Stephan Otten and Oliver Klemm still reference Kraftwerk, Klaus Schulze and the Berlin School, but do not conform to the latest fashions.”

Ondarock

Sankt Otten “Morgan Weider Lustig” – Leonard’s Lair

Thea Porter — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:33:09 +0000

Excerpt: “‘Fromme Lügen’ and ‘Mein Freund Aus Köln’ experiment with jazz but are careful to add warm textures to make them compelling. Though it may seem obvious to point out they emulate their Teutonic forefathers, ‘X für U’ and ‘Wenn Die Rechnung Nicht Aufgeht’ even capture the emotional longing and simple but genius tune making of Kraftwerk; the latter track being particularly gorgeous… It’s a welcome shot in the arm for German electronic music, which I haven’t heard too much of in recent years.”

Leonard’s Lair

Sankt Otten “Morgan Weider Lustig” – Adequacy.net

Thea Porter — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:17:27 +0000

Excerpt: “The songs here are well-developed compositions cultivated from kraut-rock electronic experimentalists Cluster, Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze. They don’t veer too far into the nebulous stratosphere, but instead stay grounded with rich melodies and evolve into hauntingly beautiful atmospheric pieces. Harmonically rich and layered guitar tones, reminiscent of Robert Fripp’s “Frippertronics”, glide over slithery rhythm patterns as experimental sound effects, shaped and formed through electronic processes, lurk in the background.”

Adequacy.net

Sankt Otten “Morgan Weider Lustig” – Music Musings & Miscellany

Thea Porter — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:50:25 +0000

Excerpt: “Morgen Wieder Lustig is eleven tracks of widescreen, lush instrumental electronic pop… Some of the tracks, such as the opener ‘Ein Himmel voller Galgen’ are beatless blends of soaring synthesiser and guitar. Others, like the single ‘Lustig, lustig, demain encore lustig’ are sparkling little electro-pop nuggets… this isn’t just all shine and no substance. It’s actually a terrific listen.”

Music Musings & Miscellany

Sankt Otten ‘Lustig, lustig demain encore lustig’ – Losing Today

tim — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:10:06 +0000

Excerpt: “a noir tweaked cruise controlled cosmic hyper drive, the wide screen panoramic aspects, the motorik purr of crystalline electronic pulses and the precision honed glacially sculptured detailing endow it with a minimalist mesmeric mastery that locates the finite apron strings that exist between the early career work of pioneers Tangerine Dream and Vangelis with the likes of Manual and Ellis Island Sound”

Losing Today

Sankt Otten ‘Lustig, lustig demain encore lustig’ – Luna Kafe

tim — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:06:16 +0000

Excerpt: “Every new Sankt Otten release I usually rave over of the qualities of the German’s songs… This time both Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze are clearly among the influences… I’m awaiting the new album eagerly.”

Luna Kafe

Sankt Otten “Eine Kleine Traurigkeit” – PopMatters

tim — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:18:22 +0000

Excerpt: “while Portishead mk. 1 cut up old James Bond/funk samples and the like in a hip-hop fashion, much of Sankt Otten’s 1999 debut sounds as if they’re sampling the same sort of stuff Pulp was channelling on This Is Hardcore, and more power to them for it… at their best (‘Tiefgang’, ‘Meter (Heute Anders)’, the Eno-esque ‘Ende Gut’) the band breaks through into a nocturnal wonderland all their own… Otten’s post-trip-hop, sample heavy atmospherics aren’t quite like anyone else out there, and whatever he and Sankt Otten would go on to do, Eine Kleine Traurigkeit (which means ‘A Small Sadness’) marked a solid, promising beginning.”

PopMatters

Sankt Otten “Tiefgang” EP – Luna Kafe

tim — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:04:32 +0000

Excerpt: “Another EP by some of my favourite Germans… ‘Tiefgang’ was one of my favourites on the album, so this can’t possibly go wrong… Carsten Sandkaemper’s dead cool vocal is as efficient as always on the slow ‘Morgen Ist’…’Eine Neue Welt’ closes the EP perfectly… I believe the words from Hidden Shoal: Sankt Otten are not able to pen a bad song.”Luna Kafe

Sankt Otten “Eine Kleine Traurigkeit” – Treetop View

tim — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:59:16 +0000

Excerpt: “right from the second listen, Eine Kleine Traurigkeit blew me away…. these guys are poets. They can effortlessly place a jigsaw into the right place. They can make us see that things make sense. They always win with their heart instead of a dictionary. Their heart is a dictionary! What they’re doing here looks like cartography to me, as their songs have a rare way of precisely expressing things, feelings that seem somehow more real than the reality. Because, each time you play this album, you can feel the night surrounding you, and that’s the best and most precise thing I can say about Eine Kleine Traurigkeit. It’s a journey to the center of the night, a disturbing and exciting trip to Miss Terria’s Darkness Factory… I only want to say this: try this album (by the way, you can try and hear the full songs on sites like Last.fm so why not?), buy this album, eat this album, drink this album… it deserves your attention and you might actually find it rewarding.”

Treetop View

Sankt Otten “Eine Kleine Traurigkeit” – Rave

tim — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:53:10 +0000

Excerpt: “Germany’s noir veterans Sankt Otten have built a considerable following in continental Europe during the past 7 years with their dark trip-hop aesthetic… brooding cinematic grooves, setting a murky, uneasy atmosphere akin to Teutonic male-voiced Portishead… Musically, Sankt Otten’s mix of menacing string and horn samples, minimal yet melodic guitars and downtempo beats has resonated in the now-defunct US doom-hoppers Vincent & Mr Green’s moody recordings, as well as casting an obvious influence on Never, Never Land-era U.N.K.L.E. To be played in near-total darkness with a glass of red.”

Rave

Sankt Otten ‘Tiefgang’ – Losing Today

tim — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:16:59 +0000

Excerpt: “a brooding epically atmospheric beauty that bleeds into similar trajectories explored by the mighty Grails. This doom-struck sinister shanty is sumptuously equipped with a dream-woven looping collage that tensely freewheels between the ’60s TV / film espionage / thriller noir soundtracks composed by the likes of Edwin Astley and Henri Mancini and the dust bowled side winding motifs sculptured by GYBE, while all the time finding itself finitely cut with a uniquely sophisticated aura – best served and experience by dimmed lights during the witching hour. Classy in a word.”

Losing Today

Sankt Otten ‘Fernfarher’ – Treetop View

tim — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:15:07 +0000

Excerpt: “Sankt Otten music was never merely a soundtrack; above all, the song is a soundscape. Like in dreams where every ‘pixel’ is filled with emotion, every element of this soundscape has substance. Even the vocals, in lyrics you might not understand… You could likely start gazing at the stars when the vocals reach their emotional apex – one of sweet oblivion… here’s my short and simple piece of advice: get it now. After the long-awaited reissue, you will really have no excuse to listen to this single or another; you must listen to the whole album from the first to the last track…”

Treetop View

Sankt Otten “Eine Kleine Traurigkeit” – Leonard’s Lair

tim — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:44:12 +0000

Excerpt: “Blessed with a welcome sense of space and noirish atmosphere, it’s aged very well indeed… Although the thickly enunciated German language doesn’t lend itself to romantic notions, here the precise and cool delivery of Carsten Sandkaemper has just the right amount of gravitas; the singer only really baring his soul for the angst-ridden title track. As with most trip-hop, the controlled percussion is a key element as are some choice brass and string samples… Eine Kleine Traurigkeit is a proper album, whose moody, chilling demeanour runs consistently from beginning to end; where even instrumental interludes like ‘Das Juengste Geruecht’ are crucial in maintaining the atmosphere.”

Leonard’s Lair

Sankt Otten “Eine Kleine Traurigkeit” – Luna Kafe

tim — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:48:02 +0000

Excerpt: “This is German expressionism clashing with film noir… It’s quite claustrophobic, almost disturbing in parts. Yet, as always with Sankt Otten, this is fascinating and spellbinding stuff. Highly suggestive and very addictive… glimpses of more magic to come. Guided by the elegant single ‘Fernfahrer’, the album has plenty of glittering moments, like shiny stars in the dark… The majestic drum work and cool samples by Stephan Otten, the clever and accurate guitar by Oliver Klemm, along with Carsten Sandkaemper’s sand washed, perfectly life-weary vocals make a delicious blend. Sadness is golden.”

Luna Kafe

Sankt Otten “Eine Kleine Traurigkeit” – Blogcritics

tim — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:45:35 +0000

Excerpt: “a darker, slightly disturbing and unsettling atmosphere. ‘Elektronik Nein’ has your mind wondering down dark forbidden corridors. The hypnotic ‘Eukalyptus’ continues the vibe with both containing hauntingly dramatic German voices. This is majestically dark, brooding material that creates a distinctly uncomfortable yet compulsive and bewitching sonic journey.”

Blogcritics

Sankt Otten “Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder” – Blogcritics

tim — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:43:19 +0000

Excerpt: “an album of truly epic proportions, hugely cinematic and musically addictive. There is a powerful dream, trance quality to the superbly crafted arrangements that range from minimalistic to the intense, moving effortlessly between both ends of the spectrum. Ambient, moody melancholia, through to orchestrated anthemic sections… The epic scope of ‘Der Groove Des Guten Gewissens’ meshes into a whole that is seamless, timeless, and smoothly effortless. The hauntingly minimalistic ‘Depressive Elite’ captures the mind, taking it on a journey of soul-searching isolation. Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder draws to a close with ‘Stille Wasser’, a wonderful chill down that washes away the grime of the city.”

Blogcritics

Sankt Otten ‘Fernfahrer’ – Luna Kafe

tim — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:27:14 +0000

Excerpt: “Sankt Otten master head Stephan Otten got me as a fan when I exposed myself to Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder, a truly delightful album. ‘Fernfahrer’ is older stuff, but it still sounds brand new. Not that the turn of the millennium was ages ago, but Sankt Otten is somewhat the sound of Y2K angst. Or, rather angst-seeking by curiosity. All done with ice kool elegance, as it seems only Germans can do. ‘Fernfahrer’ follows a hypnotic beat, a minimalist melody line and shows frost-rimmed übercool. It’s a pleasure, the good heart of noir-ness, and Sankt Otten challenge The Notwist, Lali Puna and Ms. John Soda for who’s my favourite German band.”

Luna Kafe

Sankt Otten “Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder” – Muzik Zirkus

tim — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:15:30 +0000

Excerpt (translated from German): “Sankt Otten is a very interesting duo, whose music is beyond my usual listening habits but who are perfect at putting sounds together… I’m not sure exactly what brings the charm to their music, because the melodies and harmonies are simple, but maybe it’s exactly this simplicity that fascinates me and creates a special atmosphere.”

Muzik Zirkus

Sankt Otten “Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder” – Headphone Commute

tim — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:48:07 +0000

Excerpt: “Hidden Shoal continues to impress… Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder is the duo’s third LP, in which they shed the Bristol trip-hop influence, and move towards a cinematic territory… The instrumental ambience of the album is lavishing, gorgeous, and inexplicably German… And the melodies… Ah, the melodies. The track ‘Der Groove Des Guten Gewissens’, with its dramatic strings and high octave piano notes, is a true cinematic experience – turn that up and walk around the city in the rain, and let me know if your eyes don’t swell up with tears.”

Headphone Commute

Sankt Otten “Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder” – The Silent Ballet

tim — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 04:52:33 +0000

Excerpt: “there are certain times when the simplest sounds and the most seemingly innocently crafted rhythms comprise something so rich and so vibrant that we can’t help but take notice of the inherently beautiful proximity. With Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder, the second album by Germany’s Sankt Otten, audiences have a record that captures a moment in time – an orchestrated landscape that is entirely one with nature and transcends the limits of monotonous ambience… With this release, Sankt Otten has surely made a statement… fusing together complex musical genres and making the product sound so simple, and yet so beautiful.”

The Silent Ballet

Sankt Otten “Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder” – Westzeit

tim — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:55:42 +0000

Excerpt: “That’s what you call globalisation: two Germans on an Australian label! … in an amazing fashion they manage to conjure up tender ambient electronics and delicate jewels from their machines. They also admit gentle guitars and even a doublebass into the magic. So there is something to be said for that globalisation after all, isn’t there?”

Westzeit

Sankt Otten “Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder” – Sonic Frontiers

tim — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:50:02 +0000

Excerpt: “Instruments are intelligently chosen, allowing individual textures to melt together and interact effortlessly. The combination of acoustic and electronic percussion works a treat, forming rigid rhythms for the listener to cling onto whilst the instrumental, free-flowing ambience creates an array of delicate harmonies over the top... Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder is powerful emotional engrossment, consistently conveying an intense, melancholic honesty throughout its playing time.”

Sonic Frontiers

Sankt Otten “Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder” – Luna Kafe

tim — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:49:57 +0000

Excerpt: “Sankt Otten might be Germany’s finest act with their blissful electronic soundscapes… Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder is an amazingly graceful piece of work. The title track and single ‘Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder’ is a top ace, along with ‘Der Groove Des Guten Gewissens’ and ‘Analoge Bohème’ to name a few. The closing ‘Stille Wasser’ is as beautiful, peaceful and soothing as quiet waters can be.”

Luna Kafe

Sankt Otten “Wunder gibt es immer wieder” single – Angry Ape

tim — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:51:35 +0000

Excerpt: “on “Wunden…” we find Sankt Otten are in an uplifting mood. It gets straight to the point and is introduced by flourishing waves of cinematic strings and robust, mechanical percussion. But, just like their peers, Sankt Otten are dab hands at this sort of business and know exactly when to pile on the drama. As the synth backdrop intensifies, it is vaguely reminiscent of a titanic foghorn, while guitarist Oliver Klemm ensures his precise playing is never dominated by the luxuriant strings. It all ends on a gorgeous note as the band layer Disney-esque harpsichord ripples across the mix.”

Angry Ape

Sankt Otten “Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben” – Aquarius Records

tim — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 04:02:45 +0000

“Before we get into the story behind this disc, let us just start by saying, that not only is this one of our new favorite records, a gorgeous slithery, smokey cross between Bohren And Der Club Of Gore and Portishead, but that it took a whole lot of work to get it into the store and available for sale… This disc is the latest from German combo Sankt Otten, often considered to be the Portishead of Germany, and sonically, that’s not all that far off the mark. Although when we first heard it, we heard a lot of Bohren as well, late period Talk Talk, and maybe a little Tricky and Massive Attack. It all adds up exactly how you might imagine. Slow burning instrumentals, humid and sultry, Morricone-ish guitars drifting in a sea of rumble and shimmer, the bass a slithery serpent of sound, smooth and sexy sometimes, distorted and fuzz drenched at others. But as with music like this, it’s all about two things, the drums, and the atmosphere. And the drums here are perfect. And heck, so is the ambience. The rhythms almost always begin a jazzy skitter, the cymbals sizzling, the snare brushed, occasionally lurching into a more propulsive funk flecked rhythm. A dark lugubrious pulse, dangerous and dimly lit. The drums demarcate a darkened path through back alleys and smoky clubs, everything cloaked in a thick, ominous ambience. Dense sonic swells wrapped around sparse arrangements and moody minor key melodies… Some tracks sound so much like Portishead, they could be lost B-sides or instrumental outtakes, but Sankt Otten manage to imbue even those tracks too with their own stamp, be it an unlikely melody, some Western twang, some strange distorted bass line, spidery atonal synth or an unexpected abstract breakdown… It’s all just so intensely moody and melancholy, jazzy and dramatic, and so so gorgeous.”

Aquarius Records

Sankt Otten “Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben“ – Ambient Music Guide

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 17:26:23 +0000

Excerpt – “Hailing from Germany, Sankt Otten does a slightly grungy brand of jazzy, electronic soundtrack music that wouldn’t be out of place in the worlds of , Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone. String sounds are effective although understated, and the electric guitar lines have a suitably cinematic twang that evoke a wide range of images: sleazy motels, baking desert vistas, doomed French love affairs. These twelve instrumentals are retro of sorts but Otten is cleverer than someone merely quoting the past. His brittle and sometimes thundering drum loops are very much of the digital age, as are the subtle bleeps and lo-fi synthetics. There’s also a bristling tension just below the surface that seems ready to explode but never quite does. Wir Koennen Ja Freunde Bleiben is imaginary movie music for the mind, an often striking if uneasy listen.”

Ambient Music Guide

Sankt Otten “Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben” – Luna Kafe

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 17:07:34 +0000

Excerpt – “Sankt Otten fit rather nicely here, simply because they deserve to be heard and loved by loads of people, and seeing as this is paragraph four already, I suppose I’d better start writing about this album specifically. Ah, but you see that’s the key with enjoying this kind of music – it evokes so many other things, draws on so many other genres, stirs in a whole heap of sounds and feelings. Do they do it well? Damn right they do…..In short, Sankt Otten make the kind of music that sends film reels spinning in my head, and is ideal for driving around cities to, especially if you’re wearing a trenchcoat, smoking a cigar, and are just about to meet up with a ballet dancer called Helga who needs rescuing from cornflake-eating robots from outer space…”

Luna Kafe

Sankt Otten “Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben“ – Boring Machines Disturb Sleep

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 17:02:39 +0000

Excerpt – “Germany is really an under-rated nation, in terms of what it has contributed to the music world. Consider Tangerine Dream who, way back, in the early 70’s laid out the blueprints for, what is now, contemporary electronica. Then Kraftwerk unleashed their “Man Machine” on an unsuspecting world, changing it forever. Even this side of the millenium, The Notwist proved, with “Neon Golden“, German creativity is at an all time high. Sankt Otten’s “Wir Koennen ja Freunde Bleiben” deserves to be held in the same esteem as those aforementioned albums…….”Wir Koennen…” is a melting pot of influences and sounds. A grandiose statement that touches the cornerstones of noir film soundtrack, atmospheric rock, jazz and Trip-hop. At times it matches the brilliance of Portishead’s “Dummy” or Massive Attack’s “Mezzanine” and should certainly be considered by fans of those albums. The differing sounds will guarentee that this will be an alluring listen every single time you hit the play button.”

Boring Machines Disturb Sleep

Sankt Otten “Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben“ – Textura

Hidden Shoal Recordings — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 17:21:16 +0000

Excerpt – “Throughout its twelve pieces, Wir koennen ja Freunde bleiben (Let’s Remain Friends) exudes a ‘high plains drifter’-styled ambiance, with Oliver Klemm’s twanging guitars stretching their tremolo sound across the panoramic desert of band leader Stephan Otten’s simpatico drumming. In operation in various forms since 1999, Sankt Otten (bassist Volker Schumacher and keyboardist Fredy Engel in addition to Otten and Klemm) creates brooding, cinematic moodscapes from a core of guitars, bass, and drums augmented by atmospheric strings and keyboards; the group’s soundtracks for imaginary films may drink from Labradford’s evocative and desolate well but add considerably more heft along the way.”

Textura