This Work Contains Lead is the debut album by Altstadt Echo, a techno and ambient artist whose career began in Detroit and has lead him to Berlin. The album is scheduled for May 24th, 2019 release on Svreca’s Semantica imprint.
As a concept album, the atmospheres and melodic elements used are entirely constructed from a single 16th-century choral acapella recording. While this is sometimes explicit as in âAn Early Deathâ, other times the recording is entirely transfigured by effects and meticulous processing. The selection of this sound source reflects an ongoing theme in Altstadt Echoâs work: a tension between feelings of reverence manifested by religious art and his own gradual abandonment of spiritual belief following a religious upbringing. The albumâs title, âThis Work Contains Leadâ, is taken from a warning text at the bottom of an art museum description plaque. Itâs a reflection of Altstadt Echoâs beliefs about religion and the art that arises from itâwhile both can be powerful to observe, they can ultimately be toxic to come into contact with.
Individual tracks explore the nuances of this theme. Starting with âMiracles and Dustâ and âNothing Can Happenâ, the artist sets the pace of the album by combining driving techno percussion with lamenting atmospheres, creating tension through contrasting traditionally âbeautifulâ harmonies with dissonant elements. An interlude is then created by âAn Early Death,â a short piece that plays with how the core elements of the albumâs construction (choral recording and brief noise samples) can establish a sense of space. Temporarily leaving behind techno, âWatch a Moth Drink Tearsâ begins with with colossal broken-beat drums that are gradually usurped by a calm yet unsettling central melody. It is given geographic context by a field recording (made by the artist on Cass Avenue in Detroit) that continues in the next track, âBuried in Ashâ. This track returns to a more upbeat techno format, given weight by a somber melodic centerpoint. As a second vignette within the album, âUnbearably Radiantâ combines explosive percussion with urgent choral drones, foreshadowing the albumâs conclusion. In the next two tracks, âAnd Then I Want It To Be Overâ and âWe Feel Like Rustâ, a somewhat bleak or hopeless mood is shaped by decaying atmospheres and broken percussive patterns. The work then concludes with âConcrete Turns to Goldâ, an anthemic, high-energy techno track that builds into scintillating, cathartic choral reverberations.
The album art features photography by the artist, taken in midtown Detroit during the winter of 2014.
The release coincides with the fifth annual Detroit afterparty organized by Altstadt Echo and collaborators. Held at the Tangent Gallery (the now legendary venue that hosts both No Way Back and label events for Tresor and The Bunker), the âEdenâ afterparty series has grown from a concert-style live show experience into a multi-room, cathedral-themed kick-off for the biggest weekend in Detroit techno.
Track Listing: