Thomas Brinkmann - Row (CD)

All Music Guide

It was difficult to keep up with Thomas Brinkmann throughout the 2000s. Frequent fulllength projects, a steady flow of 12" releases, super limited edition mix discs tucked inside vinyl good luck. The minimal artwork never indicated much Is this the catalog number or what? Is this the name of the label or a new alias? Will this sound something like music when I lower my needle onto it? and often seemed designed to confuse. That's where discs like Row come in, though there's a catch to it as well, since it isn't a standard compilation. It ties up an hour's worth of tracks from Brinkmann's Max Ernst label, many of which appear in alternate forms that don't match up with the original vinyl releases. And it's formatted to work more like a proper listeninonesitting album, and not a compilation that merely exists to make tracks available on a more popular, easytotransport format. That means that some of his best material from this period remains available on vinyl only. However, Row is sti...ll one of the first places you should go to hear Brinkmann at his dubby, minimal best; most of his fulllengths to this point have been ultraconceptualized and have taken the focus off how singular he is as a producer. This, along with his first two Soul Center albums, should be sought out by anyone looking for an entry route into minimalminded, Germanic house music. - Andy Kellman , All Music Guide Read more Less