Schneider TM – Construction Sounds

An experimental musician who performs with former members of Neubauten and Can, Schneider TM is probably best known for his beguiling electro cover of The Smiths’ There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. Living in the midst of industrialised Berlin during an intense period of construction, he was brought to the point of nervous breakdown by the sounds of hammering and drilling, until he decided to start composing electronic soundscapes to engage in dialogue with the sounds coming from outside.

The result is a claustrophobic series of improvisations, from the static, atonal thirteen minutes of the title track to the scraping, nauseous creaks of Container; the bubbling bass din and scratched vinyl hiss of Grinder In The Sky to the shimmering synth-wash and feedback of Bimanual Complexity. If you’re not burdened by a need for structure, or an aversion to nails-down-a-blackboard sonic discord, this is a rewarding, if deeply pretentious, listen. [Bram E Gieben]