- Audio CD (25 Jan 2000)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Import
- Label: Arova
- ASIN: B00009N2M0
- Other Editions: Audio CD
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 690,722 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Intricate and beautiful, slick and rough, the music of Arovane is full of contradictions. The first album from this German act evokes early Autechre or Aphex Twin works, with its funky, clicky beats and ethereal melodies. But Athol Scrap has its own agenda. In turn very dreamy, on Ambelio, Failed, R/Elet or the magnificent title track, or sophisticated, on Tascel_7, Scapen Te or Amine, it never ceases to surprise and amaze. The mind of Arovane doesn't appear to apprehend complexity in the way others do. Although sounds sometimes collide violently with each other, the melodies are pure and simple in appearance, almost liquid. They rush through headphones and speakers like wild horses, but are seemingly static and calm. Athol Scrap has a heart beating inside, is human, before all. It also suggests that the first impression is not necessarily the lasting one, that, if you care to look closer, you'll find an elaborate structure, a myriad of elements, all being themselves made of even smaller parts. Arovane synchronizes his machines with his imagination, only to produce a brilliant record, fresh and exciting, in the great tradition of the German sound explorers
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
'Sprechen sie IDM?' is a humorous tagline which Germany based electro artist Arovane likes to make use of, and as a result you have a vague idea of what's in store for you before you've even heard anything.
However generic complacency is not on the cards here and this instantly seems the case the moment Atol Scrap starts off. Listening to this album, which keeps in tradition by bearing an unorthodox and strange name, the fetters keeping me in touch with reality are whisked away as I'm quaffed into this scintillating miasma conducted by the former breakbeat producer, Uwe Zahn. It really is that brilliant. Everything here oozes an alluring benevolence which quite frankly is hard to come by in modern entertainment.
Certain parallels can be drawn with the insularly harmonious electro of early day Autechre, but the numbers on Atol Scrap are far more sophisticated, with complex textures dominating proceedings, keeping you captive more than ever. The melody on offer here is as warm and velvety as it can possibly be, with an altruistic presence haunting you as the album's pulse invariably alters its course with gratifying effect.
Some may dismiss this as a repetition of Autechre's Amber but that for me is vulgarly off track. What you have here are compositions which in comparison are more sublime and organic in nature, with the tracks blending seamlessly even though the mood alters between one and the other : tracks such as 'Thaem Nue' have that new age creaminess while 'Tascel 7' is reminiscent of something out of Chiastic Slide (Autechre). This somehow does not contrast at all with the shimmering glide of ambient concoctions such as 'Scrapen Te' and 'Amine' while the stirring and addictive 'Revart Amx' blends both aesthetics into one.
All in all it falls short of an epic masterpiece, but definitely up there with the best releases of the genre.
However generic complacency is not on the cards here and this instantly seems the case the moment Atol Scrap starts off. Listening to this album, which keeps in tradition by bearing an unorthodox and strange name, the fetters keeping me in touch with reality are whisked away as I'm quaffed into this scintillating miasma conducted by the former breakbeat producer, Uwe Zahn. It really is that brilliant. Everything here oozes an alluring benevolence which quite frankly is hard to come by in modern entertainment.
Certain parallels can be drawn with the insularly harmonious electro of early day Autechre, but the numbers on Atol Scrap are far more sophisticated, with complex textures dominating proceedings, keeping you captive more than ever. The melody on offer here is as warm and velvety as it can possibly be, with an altruistic presence haunting you as the album's pulse invariably alters its course with gratifying effect.
Some may dismiss this as a repetition of Autechre's Amber but that for me is vulgarly off track. What you have here are compositions which in comparison are more sublime and organic in nature, with the tracks blending seamlessly even though the mood alters between one and the other : tracks such as 'Thaem Nue' have that new age creaminess while 'Tascel 7' is reminiscent of something out of Chiastic Slide (Autechre). This somehow does not contrast at all with the shimmering glide of ambient concoctions such as 'Scrapen Te' and 'Amine' while the stirring and addictive 'Revart Amx' blends both aesthetics into one.
All in all it falls short of an epic masterpiece, but definitely up there with the best releases of the genre.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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11 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
somber, thoughtful IDM
14 Mar 2001
Format:Audio CD
I'm a bit surprised at the negative (or less positive) reviews here. I am a big fan of autechre's earlier work (Amber through TR) and found this to be quite enjoyable. It is definitely more accessible than autechre. The music focuses on lonesome melodies and tasteful rhythms. I really get an indescribable feeling when I listen to this album...lonliness combined almost with wonder. It's kind of like a walk on a clear cold winter night during a full moon. Anyway, although this may not exhibit the complexity or abstraction of autechre's work, I still think it has a lot of value. I think it is a really smooth, consistent album. I usually like comparisons when I'm looking for new bands, so my closest comparison is "amber" (autechre). It's the closest album to this that I own, and therefore my best basis for comparison, so don't pick on me. Despite its obvious similarities to autechre, though, it really has a life and sound of its own. For anyone exploring the depths of IDM, I highly recommend this excellent album.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
ghosts and ice cold beauty
1 Jan 2002
Format:Audio CD
another reason to worship at the temple of berlin... arovane programs haunting tracks from (one presumes) his dark bedroom studio. i love both albums i've heard-- atol scrap is to autechre as tides is to boards of canada. atol scrap = more mechanistic, more jittery contorted beats but also unearthly bells clinging (ambelio-- sounds like not much else out there) & wistful melodies that evoke imaginary long-gone landscapes. 'thaem nue' is my favorite track. it makes me think of temples, solemn worship of the infinite, sadness but also wonder (as someone below said). for those with a taste for melancholy melodies & glitchy rhythms, this cannot be missed. so many days i would step outside my apartment when clouds where in the sky, smoke one cigarette and lose myself in glistening circuit paths & sounds of code, wonder & regret
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Highly melodic and excellent first full-length from Arovane
1 Jun 2000
Format:Audio CD
Arovane is one of the most promising new-ish artists on the IDM block. After several obscure EPs on various labels, Arovane's full-length debut is most welcome. "Atol Scrap" is a gorgeous album on the ambient side of IDM. If I had to pick a logical precursor it would be Aphex Twin's "Selected Ambient Works Volume 1". On "Atol Scrap" the tempos are a bit more down-tempo, but the bright melodies are present along with simple rhythm structures. I also hear a lot of Brian Eno's ambient works here. Particularly, along the lines of his collaberation with Harold Budd, "The Pearl." Arovane's has a knack for counter-melody and harmony, resulting in highly listenable and engaging tracks. The percussion is a little bit on the simple side with the beats seeming serve only as pulse. This can be an advantageous if you're growing weary of the rhythm heavy workings of Autechre, Funkstorung, et all, these days.
With his sense of melody and pioneering spirit I think there's a good chance Arovane could become one of the heavy-weights in contemporary IDM. He's already released another album, "Tides", which is even better. Its a micro-release but readily available at places like Forced Exposure.
For now start with "Atol Scrap" and be regaled with hypnotic melody.
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