Thomas Köner Zyklop

[Mille Plateaux; 2003]

Rating: 3.5/5

Styles: ambient; drone; avant-garde electronic; dark minimalist atmospherics
Others: Biosphere; Keith Fullerton Whitman; Aarktica; Daniel Menche


Minimalist electronic composer Thomas Köner’s newest Mille Plateaux release, Zyklop, is another in a series of monumental works of ambient atmospherics; this time, in the form of a lengthy two-CD set. Zyklop’s first track, “Une Topographie Sonore: Col de Vence,” in fact, spans the entire first disc. Köner has frequently been described as a “sound artist,” and Zyklop clearly demonstrates his virtuosity in composition using manipulations of electronic drones and found sounds.

Clearly moving away from the style he pioneered on earlier albums like Teimo, Permafrost, and Nunatak Gongamur, Köner utilizes more incidental found sounds, ambient, environmental noise and field recordings than on previous releases, which were often minimalist almost to a fault. As a result, Zyklop is a considerably less cold, detached, and otherworldly-sounding release. The format of the album’s second disc, which contains four tracks, naturally allows Köner more creative latitude, and subsequently brings more diversity to the record. Disc 2’s first track, “Des Rives,” makes use of what appears to be subway sounds, not unlike Keith Fullerton Whitman’s recent Dartmouth Street Underpass. Unlike Whitman’s album, however, Köner’s subway tunnel field recordings provide a sense of rhythm and melody, aside from just being mere ambient noise. Although the word “rhythmic” might be hyperbolical in the context of this record, many of the textures to be heard on Zyklop have an almost percussive sound to them, giving the album a primordial, minimalist rhythmic cadence.

Like Köner’s previous releases, however, Zyklop is an aural exploration of sound and space. Whereas Köner’s early catalogue conjures images of cavernous spaces, glacial landscapes, and dark, underwater bodies, Zyklop conjures images of man-made, industrial, subterranean spaces. Repeated listens to Zyklop allow one to hear something a little different each time. Listening to Zyklop is akin to exploring a huge series of underground passages with a flashlight: each pass brings something entirely different into view; maybe it’s something disturbing to look at, and maybe it’s something beautiful. There are many beautiful sounds to be discovered in Zyklop, and an occasional listen to the record will produce a new experience for the listener each time.  

1. Une Topographie Sonore: Col De Vence
2. Des Rives
3. Zyklop 1
4. Tu, Sempre
5. Zyklop 2

1. Une Topographie Sonore: Col De Vence
2. Des Rives
3. Zyklop 1
4. Tu, Sempre
5. Zyklop 2

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