Tracklist:
A1. A Tribe Called Kotori / A2. Tankwa Town / B1. By My Side / B2. Spiritual but Not Religious / B3. A Star Called Akasha / C1. Planetarium / C2. They Can't Hold Me Back / D1. Chaturanga / D2. Through the Darkness / D3. The Day We Leave Earth
Info:
On his sixth album, The Arc of Tension, the Berlin based DJ, label owner and producer OLIVER KOLETZKI yet again presents his remarkable vision of contemporary electronic music, while he assumes the role of a storyteller. The Arc of Tension speaks to its listener as a singular, self contained work, which communicates by way of its natural flow and arc of suspense. The latter is mirrored not only in the multifarious narrative of the actual album, but can also be understood as evidence for its creator's long musical history.
While Koletzki focussed on a diverse range of vocal collaborations on his previous long players, he now moves on to a different form of storytelling, rooted in the quiet confidence of a veteran musician, as well as the hectic lifestyle of a globally in demand DJ. The Arc of Tension is the psychonautic journey through the various continents of Oliver's consciousness. The quiet chirps and warbles, which initially unfold on the opener 'A Tribe Called Kotori', thus act as a loose associative bridge to 'Der Mu?ckenschwarm', Oliver's big breakthrough hit of 2005. The first minutes of the album leave no room for doubt - we are immediately locked into an autobiographical world of sound that knows how to captivate from the get go. The dreamy, exotic timbres of the downbeat tracks 'By My Side', Tankwa Town' and 'Byron Bay' penetrate our minds in a subtle yet purposeful manner. But soon the tension tightens and organic sounds one by one evolve towards a sterner, electronic cadence. The bittersweet neon synths of 'Spiritual Not Religious' pave the way for the complex rhythm of 'A Star Called Akasha', an early highlight carried by melancholic cellos and contemplative piano chords. The ultimate turning point follows with 'Through the Darkness'. Here, at the album's centre, Koletzki starts continuously upping the tempo and leads the way with his very own, melodic interpretation of today's techno Zeitgeist, which he has been shaping since 2015's 'Iyéwaye'.
'Planetarium', 'They Can't Hold Me Back' and 'Chaturanga' exemplify, moreover, that a fusion of delicate musicality and sheer force leads to impressively ecstatic results. With its rough guitar chords and the acidic chitter of the TD303, 'Power to the People' rings in The Arc of Tension's ending, until we fully take off into space, weightlessly propelled by the ambient drones of 'The Day We Leave Earth'. Ultimately, what lingers is the feeling that we are being granted a deep glance into the innermost being of an outstanding artist.
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2LP + 12 track MP3 download

Vinyl:
A1. Caravana de los Elefantitos / A2. La Veleta / A3. Copal / B1. Dear Mexican Jungle / B2. Serpiente del Ritmo feat. ELIH / B3. Cryptozoology feat. Walter Scalzone / C1. Made of Cashmere / C2. Agitation w/ Niko Schwind / C3. Synesthesia feat. Felix Raphael / D1. Picture w/ Niko Schwind feat. Judith Ahrends / D2. A Starseed’s Journey

Mp3 Download:
1. Caravana de los Elefantitos / 2. La Veleta / 3. Copal / 4. Picture w/ Niko Schwind feat. Judith Ahrends / 5. Made of Cashmere / 6. Synesthesia feat. Felix Raphael / 7. Dear Mexican Jungle / 8. Serpiente del Ritmo feat. ELIH / 9. Cryptozoology feat. Walter Scalzone / 10. Agitation w/ Niko Schwind / 11. A Starseed’s Journey / 12. Turn feat. Wennink


Short info:

EN

On 'Made of Wood', his ninth full-length album since 2007, Oliver Koletzki embodies the seasoned craftsman, carving out his deeply personal sonic sculptures with a confident, learned hand, while experimenting with a broad range of thrilling ideas and fresh textures. The result is an organically flowing, yet decisively shaped work of art, that naturally concludes a trilogy of albums Koletzki embarked on releasing with 'The Arc of Tension' and followed with 'Fire in the Jungle'.

Initially written in Tulum, Mexico, during the pre-pandemic winter of 2019, 'Made of Wood' is physically entwined with the primeval forests that continue to inspire its maker: In the subsequent year it took to complete the album in Berlin, Oliver, aided by numerous live musicians and vocalists, brought his sketches to life with a focus on wooden instruments like djembes, marimbas, santoors or duduks, sculpting a natural sound that's warm in timbre, rich in groove and literally made of wood.

Thanks to the imperfection of the human hand, the album sings with a bold vibrance that stretches from the LP's slow carnivalesque opener 'Caravana De Los Elefantitos' to the blue horns and Wennink's lamenting coos on the concluding ballad 'Turn'. Intermediately, Koletzki's rhythmic explorations take the shape of mythic odes ('Dear Mexican Jungle'), boisterous tribal dances ('La Veleta'), floor-focussed shakers ('Copal'), handpan-driven epics ('Cryptozoology' feat. Walter Scalzone) or subdued oriental belters ('Serpiente Del Ritmo' feat. ELIH) – emphasising his control over light and dark tonalities, over organic and synthetic sounds alike. Most strikingly, Oliver slowly breaks away from the album's natural feel in the mid-section, in which the disorienting, abstract stunner 'Picture' (with Niko Schwind & Judith Ahrends) rubs shoulders with the synth-crescendos of the bouncy 'Made of Cashmere', while the 14-minute long meditation 'A Starseed's Journey' makes for a powerful penultimate breather later on.

Next to the meticulous attention to instrumentation and his instinctive touch, these twists and turns underline that Koletzki feels entirely at ease on 'Made of Wood' – like the true artisan he is.



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[Trifold 3x12” LP] incl. 18 Tracks for download

GENRE/S: House / Techno

TRACKLIST:

Vinyl:

A1 My Last Attempt
A2 Oliver's Silly Jam (feat. Oliver Klostermann)
A3 Get on the Bus

B1 Stay Until the Light (with Niko Schwind feat. Talmirage)
B2 Heart on Hold (feat. Fritz Kalkbrenner)
B3 Mind Games (with Natascha Polkè)

C1 Space Papi
C2 Candyflip
C3 Pleasure of the Very First Time

D1 Elevation (with Hidden Empire)
D2 Mantra for Bora
D3 Chasing Holes

E1 Branka (with Andhim)
E2 Hasenheide
E3 Is it Real (feat. Malou)

F1 Sonne geht auf (feat. LOLY)
F2 Midnight Reggae
F3 Don't Ever Wake Me Up (feat. Marlena Dae)



Download:

1. Oliver Koletzki, Oliver Klostermann - Oliver's Silly Jam
2. Oliver Koletzki - Get on the Bus
3. Oliver Koletzki, Niko Schwind feat. Talmirage - Stay Until the Light
4. Oliver Koletzki, Andhim - Branka
5. Oliver Koletzki, Fritz Kalkbrenner - Heart on hold
6. Oliver Koletzki feat. Natascha Polké - Mind Games
7. Oliver Koletzki - My Last Attempt
8. Oliver Koletzki feat. LOLY - Sonne geht auf
9. Oliver Koletzki - Midnight Reggae
10. Oliver Koletzki feat. Malou - Is It Real
11. Oliver Koletzki - Pleasure of the Very First Time
12. Oliver Koletzki - Candyflip
13. Oliver Koletzki - Space Papi
14. Oliver Koletzki, Hidden Empire - Elevation
15. Oliver Koletzki - Mantra for Bora
16. Oliver Koletzki - Chasing Holes
17. Oliver Koletzki - Hasenheide
18. Oliver Koletzki feat. Marlena Dae - Don't Ever Wake Me Up

Release Info:

With 'Trip to Sanity,' Berlin-based producer, DJ, live performer, and Stil vor Talent label head Oliver Koletzki presents a milestone in his 36-year long musical career and his 18-year tenure at the top of global electronic nightlife – his 10th studio album.

The album’s title, "Trip to Sanity’" – a reference to the classic German children’s story of the little dragon 'Tabaluga' – reflects Oliver's own path as a DJ within the world of club culture. But it also represents the appeal to an unbroken childlike curiosity as a producer, driven by the utopias of this parallel society. Naturally, Koletzki found his creative spark while performing on the stages of renowned festivals like Burning Man, Coachella, Garbicz, and Fusion, as well as in moments of peace and relaxation on meditative hikes and long beach walks in his second home of Cape Town.

In South Africa, Oliver wrote most of "Trip to Sanity" in the winter, then flashed out and finalised the tracks in his studio at Kreuzberg's Holzmarkt. Within the last 18 months a collection of complex and varied songs formed, which, typical for Oliver's collaborative approach, were often created in cooperation with musicians like techno-pop legend Fritz Kalkbrenner, Burning Man chance encounter Talmirage, scene friends Andhim, Hidden Empire, Oliver Klostermann and Niko Schwind, or the exceptional voices Natascha Polké, Malou, LOLY and Marlena Dae. The result is a rollercoaster ride through a diverse spectrum of dance music, effortlessly held together by Koletzki's unmistakable sound signature and his intrinsic sense for the exact tension between hedonistic dancefloor focus and poppy earworm impact. At the centre of it all shines a joie de vivre that runs like a thread through "Trip to Sanity": Playful, cheeky, imaginative, euphoric, a rainbow of genres and influences flow into each other, balanced by moments of reflection, melancholy or harshness.

The journey of discovery begins with the funky piano licks of "Oliver's Silly Jam," seamlessly followed by the disco groover "Get on the Bus." The radio single "Stay Until the Light" (feat. Niko Schwind & Talmirage) then combines pop vocals with deep emotions before Koletzki, alongside his superfriends Andhim, kicks it up a notch on the Afro-house masterclass "Branka." Next up, Fritz Kalkbrenner lends his unmistakable voice to the atmospheric anthem "Heart on Hold," paving the way for "Mind Games." Here, Natascha Polké's ethereal vocals glide over an almost haunting instrumental, heading towards the night.

At the album’s midpoint Koletzki breaks away from the expectations of the typical "techno blueprint" in a formal sense. Starting with the prophetically titled "My Last Attempt," a deep and muscular downtempo workout, Oliver creates a (further) homage to incredibly long nights with "Sonne Geht Auf" (feat. LOLY) and shows a completely different side of himself on the neon-infused dub track "Midnight Reggae." This segment of strong contrasts and a desire for reinvention is rounded off by the dreamy indie-dance atmosphere of "Is It Real" (feat. Malou), slowly leading us back to the club.

Because "The Pleasure of the Very First Time," "Candyflip," "Space Papi," "Elevation" (feat. Hidden Empire), and "Mantra for Bora" are clearly designed for the peak time, which is where Oliver predominantly finds himself during his sets. This part of the album is powerful, driving, and ecstatic – it captures the sweat of the dancefloor and the pulsation of the strobe light, making it tangible while listening.

Then, another shift is presented with "Chasing Holes" and "Hasenheide," two particularly rhythmic tracks characterised by hand drums and Balearic accents. Ultimately, Oliver concludes with the bittersweet closer "Don't Ever Wake Me Up" (feat. Marlena Dae). The title of this finale couldn't be more fitting, as it encapsulates what makes Oliver Koletzki's music so special at its core – it speaks to the subconscious, the senses, hits the heart, and leads it into the here and now.

For those who want to experience said state of mind even more intensely, there’s the opportunity this winter as part of the "Trip to Sanity" live concert tour in Germany. A long term dream of Oliver’s, who will present tracks from the new album paired with highlights from his extensive catalogue – naturally performed on an array of instruments in a proper live setup and as an audio-visual gesamtkunstwerk. For Oliver Koletzki, one milestone follows the other this year.








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