System - B

System - B

1. All

2. Drk

3. Alpha

4. Stars

5. Well Blank

6. Stanley

7. Wouldn't

8. WB

9. Meadow and Stuff

  Quote

System are Denmark’s longest surviving electronic “super group”. With a membership consisting of Thomas Knak (aka Opiate)

Anders Remmer (aka Dub Tractor) and Jesper Skaaning (aka Acustic), their collective presence in Scandinavian electronica is all but impossible to ignore.

 

Formed in 1994 under the name Future 3 the group found instant recognition, not only in Denmark but also among international DJs such

as Kruder & Dorfmeister, who listed Future 3's debut album among their top five albums of all time.

 

In 2002, after three Future 3 albums, the trio changed their name and signed to ultra-hip German label Scape, allowing the label’s then very clear minimalist profile to spill over into their sound.

Now, with their latest album, "B", the group have returned to the practices of their Future 3 days – when they were a major driving force behind the benchmark

Copenhagen label, April Records – by working entirely alone in their choice of tracks.

 

On the record you can sense that their pioneering spirit has returned. Dark ambient moods mix with sublime melodies, dubstep rhythms and a

timeless production that refers to both Phil Spector's "wall of sound" and King Tubby's dub experiments along with Brian Eno's soundscapes.

But in spite of these references "B" still comes across as a sound distinctly their own, borne out of a mature

melancholy and a knack for getting electronic beats to swing organically.

 

System, being an electronic trio, are something rare and according to the group there is something very special about the interplay

between three members which is lost if one is left out. "We complement each other in a good way. Duos are often very intense and

intimate, where a third member provides some extra space. This gives a more relaxed atmosphere, while it is still clear, who's doing

what” they tell. While the roles on ”B” are as they always have been – with Skaaning on synths and keyboards, Remmer at the computer,

and Knak as the aesthetician: listening, conducting and directing – there are innovations to be found too, with the album displaying a far

more robust sound universe and a darker keynote. There’s also a nod toward England, with the two-step and dubstep influences that

were first displayed on System’s 2007 Tempo EP finding their place again in ”B” (the tracks Well Blank and Alpha, have been playlisted

by dubstep-producers 2562 and Geiom). These harder elements often live together with a melodic side that hasn’t been heard in the

trio since the Future 3 days. This is particularly evident on tracks like All, Drk, Would and Meadow And Stuff, which draw threads back

to the '90s ambient music that Future 3 were at the forefront of in Denmark.

 

The three members of System have numerous solo albums behind them. Many of Anders Remmer's Dub Tractor releases (on City Centre Offices),

Skaaning's Acustic output (most recently on Rump in 2005 with "Welcome") and Thomas Knak's Opiate releases (on April, Morr Music and Raster

Noton [with Alva Noto as Opto]) have achieved classic status within the Scandinavian electronic music scene. Thomas Knak has also produced

for Björk, Oh Land, and remixed for Efterklang, Ryuichi Sakamoto among others.

 

Over the last few years, the three System members and Ghost Society-singer Sara Savery have released music as People Press Play

(their debut album was released on Morr Music in 2008), leaning towards the poppier end of the electronic spectrum. These traces

can also be heard on ”B”, with the melodies given much more space than before in this context.

rump recordings

system

I'm really looking forward to this release because their debut System album still holds up and I HOPE that it's SoundCloud's weird compression technique that makes the samples from the new albium sound so muffled.

  On 9/11/2010 at 3:54 PM, Squee said:

I'm really looking forward to this release because their debut System album still holds up and I HOPE that it's SoundCloud's weird compression technique that makes the samples from the new albium sound so muffled.

Great stuff.

I'm sure the sound will be top-notch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Zxy3GfGTc

The album has been getting smashing reviews.

  On 10/1/2010 at 5:27 PM, Squee said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Zxy3GfGTc

 

The album has been getting smashing reviews.

Thx!

I'll be seeing them live on Oct 30. Can't wait!

  On 10/2/2010 at 2:08 AM, Squee said:

I'll be seeing them live on Oct 30. Can't wait!

I'd love to see them too. Wonderful.

I am really fascinated by the keyboard sound in this video.

  On 10/2/2010 at 2:08 AM, Squee said:

I'll be seeing them live on Oct 30. Can't wait!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_F6qzFLISc&feature=player_embedded

  On 10/2/2010 at 1:05 PM, troon said:

  On 10/2/2010 at 2:08 AM, Squee said:

I'll be seeing them live on Oct 30. Can't wait!

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_F6qzFLISc&feature=player_embedded

Cheers

Aaaaand it's out

http://boomkat.com/downloads/328832-system-b

1. Drk (Live Version)

2. Drk (ISAN Remix)

3. Drk (Boxcutter Remix)

4. Alpha (Rumpistol Remix)

5. Alpha (Aslope Remix)

6. Stanley & Stuff (Copia Doble Systema Cumbia Remix)

7. Stanley (Maffi Remix)

rump recordings

boomkat

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