MOEBIUS & NEUMEIER & ENGLER – ANOTHER OTHER PLACES (LP+CD)

“17 years after Other Places, a sophomore album from these innovative musicians. Dieter Moebius (Kluster, Cluster, Harmonia), Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru) and Jürgen Engler (Male, Die Krupps) got back together to carry on exactly where they left off in the 1990s. The long break has done no harm to their latest music, on the contrary — as is clearly audible — it has taken them to another level. The way they react to each other as they improvise, the powerful, subtle rhythms and the use of digital sources, all the way to completely abstract sound collages, amount to a quantum leap as seldom heard in electronic pop music. Another Other Places does not reheat old recipes of success. Moebius, Neumeier and Engler create something new without straying from their distinct styles, nor do they pander to the zeitgeist. This album simply brings to fruition something which has been ripening in their musician personalities for a long while. And again, the result does not sound artificial nor too cerebral. Like its predecessor, Another Other Places is characterized by an effortless lightness without once sounding banal. No sign of dull routine, either, a potential pitfall for experienced musicians. Instead, the listener can delight in musical and sonic surprises minute by minute. There is no space in the eccentric triumvirate’s cosmos for hand-me-down patterns or musical stencils. So, the album is an adventure, of course, which might be a little confusing at first, but if you are open to the journey, you will find yourself able to share the musicians’ joy of discovery. Perhaps Moebius, Neumeier and Engler will record a third, even more adventurous album one day. Let’s hope so.” –Asmus Tietchens. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Includes a CD copy of the album.