Lifelike by Hans Joachim Irmler

"It's a highly individual, warm, glowing sound-world, and Irmler stitches it all together with a grace and organic continuity that makes you feel like you're being told a story. Or maybe even a fictional aural biography. Beautiful." (Peter Marsh, BBC Music Online).

“Whenever I talked to him over the last weeks, it seemed that wherever he was, he had a version of ‘Lifelike’ running in the background - in his house, at friends’ houses, in his car (very often), and I suspect that once he even persuaded the owner of a pub to put it on. Why he did this? Certainly not to show off, because he is by nature a shy person. My guess is that he wanted to change the record by listening to it. He has been working for a long time on his first ever solo-outing, which also is - if I’m not greatly mistaken - the first official solo album of any of the original Faust members ever to be released.

‘Lifelike’ was conceived by Irmler as 'a biography in sound'. He wanted to describe a person's life through sound, for example: at the beginning you can hear a bubbling primordial soup. Out of this, a simple, innocent theme takes a shy peek. A life is born; melody evolves out of sound. (…) Irmler cunningly disturbs simple patterns and shifts them so slightly that at first it only registers in your subconscious. Thus you are disturbed but you don't know why. This music isn't as hectic as many other productions are nowadays with their clicks and beats. This music gives the listener time and space to step inside. 'Lifelike' even resembles classical music with its recurring and interwoven themes.” (Ralf Bei der Kellen).

Founded in 1998 by DJ, musician and journalist Markus Detmer, Staubgold is an acknowledged and acclaimed brand for experimental and electronic music from around the world.

Its roster can boast internationally known names like Vivien Goldman, The Flying Lizards, Faust, To Rococo Rot, Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Ekkehard Ehlers and Rafael Toral.

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