non024. kaisen. the opportune moment (digital artist album)

artist: kaisen
title: the opportune moment
cat.no: non024
format: digital artist album
release date: april 26, 2010
distributed by nonine recordings

tracklist
01 the opportune momen - movement I
02 the opportune moment - movement II
03 the opportune moment - movement III
04 the opportune moment - movement VI
05 the opportune moment - movement V
06 the opportune moment - movement VI
07 the opportune moment - movement VII
08 the opportune moment - movement VIII
09 the opportune moment - movement IX
10 the opportune moment - movement X
11 the opportune moment - movement XI

all tracks written and produced by dov waterman and me raabenstein.
dov waterman - piano and programming, me raabenstein - programming.

additional horns on movement II by john hoare,
additional cello on  movement III & VII by peter gregson.

mixed by dov waterman at forksound, london. mastered by shapemod, berlin.
artwork by simonraabenstein.com. dov waterman is represented by eaton music

‘the opportune moment’ is an awesome close-up displaying the collaboration of london-based artist and producer dov waterman and nonine recordings’ mastermind me raabenstein. together, they harvest the fields of sound ranging from classical, eastern european and ambient-clone-classical, finely squeezing out the rich and opulent juices - generating into a cinematic and smilingly strong articulated example of work.

waterman and raabenstein’s contrasting sound retains a certain ageless, vignette quality. dov’s piano exertion is both intuitive and ambrosial to the senses as it rests among raabenstein’s exquisite ambient tweaks. ancient saloons merge with avant-garde and broken doors open to riveting untrodden musical microcosms. however, while both well designed and elaborated in its composition, there are moments when the album brilliantly loses control - like a pickup truck
trying to avoid a body of entrepreneurs sprinting across the waldorf astoria.
 
enjoy raabenstein’s murcof-esque atmospheres, both silky and captivating, fusing with dov’s elaborated and distinguished tunes, a dizzy and brainwashed silent movie actor making berserk love to a moldovan pianola master. ‘the opportune moment’ is an exciting album. it opens our minds, nourishing us with advanced and unfamiliar musical adjectives - a dancing novel, where two waltzing characters subsume each others luscious reflections. kaisen is a future classic musical dictionary of unique mellifluous pronouncements - you knew it first. 
 

feedback

dov waterman and me raabenstein are the two musical cohorts behind kaisen. both musicians are accomplished experts in their chosen musical fields, and this collaboration brings out the best in both. me is the brains behind the nonine record label, as well as an ambient composer, and dov is a skilled and multifaceted musical jack of all trades specializing in the piano. the collaboration of these two musically disparate individuals is as unlikely as it is obvious. the pairing of such diverging musical minds has the potential to cause schizophrenic and unbalanced music; however, communication of the mind and soul transpired, allowing dov and me to work together with such harmony, thus creating an album that neither of them could have produced single-handedly.

the elements that make up the opportune moment are piano, synth ambience, and found sound. these are basically the only tools used to create an album that is rich with sound, timbre, and emotion. the opening track is a great exposition of the type of music to follow. the piano melody is very lyrical in its pointed lead line while an alternating and loping accompaniment drives a sense of melancholic repetition. thin noise fills in the atmosphere and various sound bytes seek the holes left in the air. one very subtle sound byte is taken from a cartoon and is in juxtaposition to the pacing and almost worrying piano line. all of this comes together to create a mood of confusion, somber happiness, and eventual relief. subsequent tracks utilize trumpet, bass, and acoustic guitar to portray many moods and ideas with many allusions to eastern european musical styles.

ambient material leading the musical content vs. melodic, traditionally instrumented lines taking the lead is a phenomenal success for the opportune moment, and it is used to create wonderful tension. “movement ix” is a particularly poignant, compressed, and stunning example of the success of these two collaborators. stark ambience subtly washes over the environment and gets lost in itself. there is no direction and no joy, just space with some flat noise - that is until the piano sneaks its way in to save the mind from despair. amid the darkness of the ambience, the melody explores the far corners of the musical plane in search of something to grasp onto. as the ambience fades away, melodic musical phrases push through the darkness until, without warning, found sound and glitchy electronics cut through the piano, leaving it powerless to continue on its journey. mayhem prevails and the piano is left quiet.

it is interesting that many modern classical composers maintain a firm grasp on a few defining elements that make up classical music as a genre. kaisen, for instance, uses the “movement” naming scheme as a way to signify the various tracks on the album. each song is unique, and in fact the lyrical connections are minimal and subtle. as such, naming each track “movement xxx” seems to be an affectation meant to say, “see, we are classical, but we are breaking the rules.” it is possible that the “movement” names could be reinforcing an idea of music without textual interpretations, or it could just be homage to the music of the past, but that is unlikely considering the overall tone of musical and cognitive dissonance. regardless, it seems too simple and a cop-out in comparison to the richly textured and complex compositions being performed. some sort of naming convention that is an abstraction of the movement idea would have really been something to solidify the modern classical ideal of looking beyond classical music while enjoying its influences. the names don’t hurt the album one bit, but an opportunity for a full and deep exploration of an idea was missed.

the opportune moment leaves very little room for negative critique. however, on occasion the electronic elements can be too disparate for their own good and actually interfere with the piano. while, for the most part the electronics are used with great success, they can seem almost as musical non sequitors. this is particularly noticeable on "movement vii." but this is a minor critique and this does not hinder the overall success of the album. the opportune moment is a delightful composition that takes on the modern classical realm and shows what can be done with clear and careful collaboration.
greg norte, the silent ballet, usa 04/10

‚the opportune moment’ é mais um disco em que é evidenciado o talento de me raabestein, um músico, produtor e editor alemão que distribui a sua capacidade criativa por inúmeros projectos de diversas filiações musicais e que, nos kaisen, se associa ao israelita dov waterman, radicado em londres, para gerar uma requintada guloseima, que parte da canção de ornamentação clássica para se estender por outros territórios de modernidade. [++]
pedro figueiredo portela, o dominio dos deuses, portugal, 04/10

zugegeben: an diesem album ist verhältnismäßig wenig elektrisch, und es ist durchaus eine ausnahme, dass wir uns dem sehr leisen werk von kaisen dennoch mit einer besprechung widmen. wir waren nämlich beim durchhören der platte recht bezaubert und hätten sie am liebsten am stück in die nachtrotation gestellt. zwar mussten wir uns dann doch für einzelne tracks entscheiden, doch ergibt das werk natürlich am ehesten auf seiner gesamten länge sinn – und das wollten wir unserem publikum nicht vorenthalten.

unter dem namen kaisen haben der londoner produzent dov waterman und der berliner me raabenstein einen zyklus von klangcollagen – auf dem album 'movements' genannt – erschaffen, der ganz ohne pathos melancholisch und auf das wesentliche reduziert ist. das dominante piano watermans rückt die tristesten ecken der berliner stadtarchitektur unter die silbriggrauen regenwolken londons, ohne dass sich der hörer in diesem panorama allein fühlen müsste. vor raabensteins elektronischen ambient-folien und zurückhaltenden beats spielen sich szenen aus, in der tat, lieber pressezettel, verlassenen salons oder düsteren stummfilmen ab. irgendwer ist immer noch da, und sei es nur die komische alte, die seit stunden hinten in der ecke sitzt.

gespenstisch wirkt das und sehr nächtlich, aber eben auch entrückt schön und irgendwie berührend. die kompositionen sind gekonnt in szene gesetzt – hier wird nichts verschenkt. wäre auch schade drum. 'the opportune moment' ist ein sehr gelungener stadtsoundtrack, der vielleicht nur zur falschen jahreszeit erscheint, denn nach frühling klingt es nicht unbedingt. eher schon nach herbst. regnen sollte es auf jeden fall, und ein kühler wind weht auch. blätter wirbeln auf, im elften stock brennt noch licht. wir flüchten uns in die nächste bar, auch wenn wir vorher noch nie dort waren. einen whiskey, bitte. hier bleib’ ich einen moment.
bln.fm, germany 04/10

we have been playing tracks from 'the opportune moment' for some time now on channel 1 and can’t express enough just how good this release is. it is now finally available through nonine recordings and is well worth investigating… the album is an awesome close-up displaying the collaboration of london_based artist and producer dov waterman and nonine recordings mastermind me raabenstein. together they harvest the fields of sound ranging from classical, eastern european and ambient-clone-classical, finely squeezing out the rich and oppulent juices - generating into a cinematic and smilingly strong articulated example of work.
dan crossley, fluid radio, uk 04/10

lovely stuff, this week's basic soul kicks off with movement I...
simon harrison, the basic soul show, uk

big thank you for this brillant music !!! eternal stuff. album of the month.
eric tchaikovsky, night light radio, ukraine

kaisen ist sehr exquisit... ich steh total auf die stimmung, superschöne ambiences, feiner sound, bravo alter fuchs !!!
helmut neugebauer, lop:nor, austria

funking amazing... the whole album is a gem
nikki lucas, global warming radio show, uk

gefällt mir gut - werde das ganze in meiner nächsten sendung anspielen
ephraim wegner, radio dreyeckland, germany

piano led abstraction, moving the listener through a gentle walk of moods and textures.
robin rimbaud, scanner, uk

das ist wunderbar, klingt hier ganz gross. von der vision her kommt das aus der ecke, wo die entwicklung von musik hin muss - abstrakte sounds tanzen ringelreihn mit akustischen Instrumenten. ich ziehe meinen hut.
diethelm kröhl, babsie's diktatur, germany

this is such a nice and complete production. you keep surprising, i'm since a long time into jazz/classic stuff and very pleased with this new sounds.
bareld koedoot, netherlands

großartig, ist schön geworden!  die atmosphäre und die komposition ist sehr geschlossen und catchy. gefällt mir sehr. passt auch hervorragend in den post-classical  zug. ein bisschen max richter mit raabensteinscher irritationsgrundierung...
andreas bick, germany