Oculus EP by Leib & Seele / Oculus

Erotic Review (London) 117 says:

C.J. Lazaretti
Teutonic Techno for Lounge Lovers
Music
Berlin may be the central hub of Teutonic nightlife, but the
German dance floor tradition is well represented throughout the
Bundesrepublik. Hamburg-based label FormResonance is one of
the latest additions to the prolific electronic scene that lies beyond
the Brandenburg Gate. Its third release, 7-track EP Oculus/Leib &
Seele, features minimalistic tunes set to club-driven beats to keep you up all
night, courtesy of the two projects sharing the bill.
Leib & Seele (‘Body and Soul’), the new effort by veteran producers Florian
Schirmacher and Andreas Barth, sets the pace for the EP with the dreamy
‘Beizeiten’. Unlike Schirmacher’s previous collaboration, the experimental
multi-tempo ambient Federleicht, the new track is a
strong dance number, grounding an escalating
texture of transcendental echoes on a
steady beat. When Schirmacher’s languid,
breathy vocals kick in, the mood is set
for a very careless evening, so watch
out. The track’s Herrhorst & Meissner
remix, included in the EP, is even sexier,
breaking the riff into a quaver pattern
that accentuates the beat – itself more
pronounced and danceable due to the
addition of more typical electro snares
and cymbals. The distorted robotic effect
on the vocals, however, does not particularly
add to its virtues, downplaying one of the
original track’s most successful elements.
The EP proceeds to more straightforward techno territory with five new
tracks by Oculus, the Icelandic DJ working his way through Europe in the
sets of mavens like Laurent Garnier and Alexi Delano, as well as with his own
performances. A distinctive feature of Oculus lies in his gracious beats and
loops, adorned by syncopated cymbals, cowbells and accents that border
on Latin percussion. Filled with pauses and
crescendos, ‘Leds’ and ‘Ancient’ reach an almost
80s degree of exuberance, while ‘Echo’ delivers
a more sparse, minimal rhythm with naïf synth
keyboards, Kraftwerk-style. ‘Pre-Thought Fury’ is
all laid-back trance reverb, ideal for a lounging
break in a foot-stomping set. The release aptly
finds its coda in the ominous ‘Beez’, a sinister,
atmospheric collage of variations on a theme

that sounds like a Clint Mansell
score for a Dario Argento slasher
– with a contagious house beat.
Oculus/Leib & Seele’s sustained
trancey textures evolving over
minimal beats is the kind of
techno best suited for tireless
nights raving until dawn. Rather
than burning the dance floor
right away like pumped-up drum
and bass, it boils slowly, sizzling
at strategic moments. Definitely
a treat for dedicated clubbers,
instead of more mainstream
mirror-ball audiences. But then again, electronic music as a whole is a rarefied
genre, not meant for everyone. According to the label, the EP’s tracks have
tested very well with BDSM crowds like the Catonium club in Hamburg. Which
only signals clubbers’ and fetishists’ shared penchant for elaborate indulgence,
as opposed to a quick fix.
Oculus/Leib & Seele EP. FormResonance; Available at iTunes and
JunoDownload.com from £4.49 for all seven tracks or £0.99 per track.
Vinyl/CD copies available from WorldAndSound.Net


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PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT:


After two very well received initial releases by Federleicht, it is time to create a path for other enlightening artists and projects: for our third release we proudly present Oculus, one of Icelands most promising producers, and Leib & Seele.

Leib & Seele (“body & soul”)
Within this project producers Florian Schirmacher and Andreas Barth have gotten in touch with the deeper shades of House, especially concerning variations in harmonies and lyrics. As the vocals have already been compared with Rio Reiser (former singer of „Ton Steine Scherben”) „Beizeiten“ („At times“) may cause associations towards a sun-dazed yet ‘living-on-razor’s-edge’-state of mind; it's reinterpretatin by Heerhorst & Meissner proves that the harmonies of the original version are made to cause enormous amounts of endorphine.

Oculus
Fridfinnur Sigurdsson, the man behind the pseudonym Oculus, is definitely on the rise to conquer Europe. His works are supported by quite a few international DJ gigolos like Laurent Garnier, Hell and GusGus's President Bongo. Fridfinnur contributed four absolutely danceable yet different tracks: „Ancient“ and „Echoes“ on vinyl alongside „Pre Thought Fury“, „Leds“ and „Beez“ as digital exclusive.
„Ancient“ not only consists of a satisfying interaction between an energetic, powerful groove and a propulsive bassline: its spellbinding soundscape will surely hypnotize listeners with surreal and cruel sharpness. „Echo“ benefits the space for a thrilling quest into while riding all time on a rhythm-monster.

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GERMAN VERSION.


Nachdem wir mit Federleicht zwei sehr positiv bewertete Veröffentlichungen herausgebracht haben, ist die Zeit gekommen, einen Weg für andere, bereichernde Künstler und Projekte zu eröffnen: für unser drittes Release begrüßen wir herzlich einen der derzeit vielversprechendsten Produzent aus Island, Oculus, und das Projekt Leib & Seele.

Leib & Seele
Im Rahmen des Projekts „Leib & Seele“ gehen die Produzenten Florian Schirmacher und Andreas Barth auf Tuchfühlung mit einer ungeahnt tiefen Seite von House Musik, besonders in Bezug auf Variation in Harmonie und Text. Basierend auf einen geäußerten Vergleich zu Rio Reiser’s Stimme erscheinen in „Beizeiten“ Assoziationen zu einem lässig-sonnigen andererseits auf „Messer’s Schneide“ - Gemüt nicht fern. Der Heerhorst & Meissner Remix beweist hingegen, dass jene Harmonien des Originals gezielt Endorphine freisetzen können.

Oculus
Fridfinnur Sigurdsson aka Oculus wird von internationalen DJ Gigolos wie Laurent Garnier, Hell und GusGus's President Bongo gespielt. Für die FR 03 hat er zwei absolut tanzbare, gleichzeitig sehr differente Tracks „Ancient“ und „Echoes“, so wie als digital exclusive „Pre Thought Fury“, „Leds“ und „Beez“. Während in „Ancient“ eine auf das Wesentliche reduzierte Beziehung zwischen einem druckvollen Groove und einer Bassline wiedergegeben wird, hypnotisiert eine Soundlandschaft mit surrealer und grausamer Schärfe. „Echoes“ nutzt den Raum für eine spannende Suche, ohne merken zu lassen, dass man die ganze Zeit auf dem Rhythmusmonster reitet.

Best wishes,
Beste Grüße,

Florian Schirmacher


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FormResonance represents audio visual culture. It is a creative family for the upcoming.

Giving performative arts the same valence all elements here are related to music. This connection will be developed constantly

Founded by Florian Haik Schirmacher, Livio Pinna and Andre Hoffmann.

We hope to keep you excited. Feel free to send us your demo, drafts or ideas for further projects!