Staff Reviews

Stargaze - Deerhoof Chamber Variations

Review by Dustin Lowman

Those looking for something fresh and exciting will find it here»

Buy now from:

Berlin's instrumental collective Stargaze have signed to Transgressive Records, anointing their partnership with the stunning EP 'Deerhoof Chamber Variations'. 'Deerhoof Chamber Variations' is devised as a continuous piece of instrumental music, based on 9 1/2 songs which drummer and composer Greg Saunier originally wrote for his acclaimed band Deerhoof. Different from most other band and orchestra / classical collaborations Greg himself arranged and recomposed the material for a classical chamber ensemble, using exactly the same notes as in the originals while rearranging the songs structurally, in a kind of miniaturizing and abstracting way. Stargaze adapted this new composition to their particular line-up and the musicians' personal skills, as Greg Saunier produced the album in Berlin in the freezing winter days of December 2015. The intimacy is evident - favouring the dry sound of the Beatles' and George Martin's approach to recording classical ensembles, rather than a the lush approach favoured today. The 19 minute piece of music is the latest in a series of collaborations for Stargaze who have previously worked with Julia Holter, Owen Pallett, Nils Frahm and Matthew Herbert.
description from www.roughtrade.com