tracklist

01 oui rouge. bonjour
(written by david delsart & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

02 me & mrs bee. day on a tree.
(written by laura braun & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

03 tshaka. apricot juices (me raabenstein rmx)
(written by tshaka campbell)

04 kreng. einde (me raabenstein rmx)
(written by pepijn cauldron)

05 andreas koslik. devine (me raabenstein remix)
(written by andreas koslik)

06 david minor. aristophanes. (me raabenstein rmx)
(written by david minor)

07 sieg der liebe featuring mark gisbourne. weekend squeeze
(written by andreas koslik & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

08 slowcream. the plan imposes
(written, produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

09 bartholomäus & raabenstein. chance aqcuaintance        
(written by ju bartholomäus & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by ju bartholomäus)

10 the she hero. noname #02
(written by helmut neugebauer & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

11 kanajan raabenstein. 01 02
(written by chatschatur kanajan & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

12 me raabenstein. quai des orfèvres
(written, produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

13 trevor goodchilde. arrogant (me raabenstein remix)
(written by fiona mahon & trevor goodchilde)

14 slikkz aka drew. conhoo’3d (me raabenstein remix)
(written by drew m)

15 the ebertbrothers vs. me raabenstein. lukewarm grim
(written by the ebertbrothers & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

16 pepper and bones. frat
(written by ju bartholomäus & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by ju bartholomäus)

17 o’wu. fog
(written by kaiyu xian & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

18 nailsea. fen fire
(written by simon weinert & me raabenstein. produced and mixed by me raabenstein)

compiled by me raabenstein.

mastered by ju bartholomäus, berlin

artwork by simonraabenstein.com

distributed by nonine recordings

insanity. doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
albert einstein

after a couple of highly recommended albums in 2012 nonine recordings comes back to you with a line-up of new projects, insights in upcoming releases and remixes of nonine head me raabenstein. as well the artists contained on ‘swimmin’ with friends again’ come from france, belgium, austria, uk, usa, russia, china and germany, the music on this compilation spans a wide amplitude of styles. nevertheless, you’ll find accustomed sonic raabenstein atmosphere here… this is nonine, you’re safe. 

enjoy the melody !!!

feedback

founder of the label nonine recordings (whose musical direction is stylistically linked to modern kinetic abstract ambient music, with an impressive catalogue which stresses a pluralistic view on electronic music) the german me raabenstein is back with a series of new compositions.

the sound identity of ’swimmin’ with friends again‘ favors a peculiar dynamic / articulation between mnemonic collage-like structures (taken from various acoustic instruments, possibly sample textures), usual sculptured electronic motifs, dubstepping almost funkadelic grooves, phonetic poetry’s in french and vaporous spacey atmospheres. a dense and highly diversified musical orchestration, adventurous and deliberately post-modern experiments. this collection of tracks largely consists of remixes released by me raabenstein, initially based on the work of a friendly musician community (with david minor, andreas koslik, chatschatur kanajan, helmut neugebauer, pepijn cauldron, david delsart and lara braun). the conceptual background seems to invite the listener to evocate memories taken from his personal lived experience or related to particular historical contexts, utopian and mysteriously hidden human realities. music is used as an emotional language whose intention is to communicate the perception of time, loss and memory on a dreamlike-powerfully evocative level. in this last opus the music of me raabenstein approaches in a very meaningful way the musical quality of remembrance. computerized rhetoric between elaborated electronic micro-scenes. an intriguing and hypnotically musical syncretism.
philippe blache, igloo magazine, usa 04/13

martin raabenstein is a busy man—as the head of nonine, a radio dj, and an artist. and he has a passion for innovative music. a few years ago, he compiled xvi reflections on classical music, bringing together artists like gas, greg haines, and max richter in an attempt to connect innovation with classical music. while neoclassical might be trending, raabenstein believes that too many musicians today remain tied to their instruments without questioning the rules—something he thinks artists like nils frahm or greg haines dare to do. rules are meant to be broken on swimmin’ with friends again, the follow-up to his first eclectic compilation from 2002. once again, raabenstein has gathered many friends—most of them discovered during the golden age of myspace—and cuts across various genre boundaries.

but not without humor, as shown in the opener oui rouge. bonjour, with its wobbling bass and a wink to luke vibert. day on a tree is more intimate, featuring folk-pop vocals by laura braun, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of luomo. tshaka campbell delivers a soulful break, while kreng embraces avant-garde and improvised jazz. this marks the first step toward bold classical and jazz influences, which, after an abstract radio play by andrea koslik, take full shape with contributions from chatschatur kanajan (a member of berlin’s ensemble mosaik) and david minor, who freely incorporates compositions by his friend, composer and conductor geoffrey pope.

the bizarre the plan imposes, with its suggestive piano embedded in experimental, rustling electronics, deserves special mention, as does quai des orfèvres, a bridge between waltz and grime crafted by raabenstein himself. uk bass gets shredded by slikkz aka drew, followed by tracks blending industrial, brooding ambient, and even r&b (with trevor goodchilde). ju bartholomäus and raabenstein provide a definition of melancholy, before the album closes with kaiyu xian’s playful minimalism and nailsea’s restrained piano. at this point, it’s clear: swimmin’ with friends again is a chameleon-like project from a free-thinking musician with an open mind and many creative friends. in the meantime, a tentative video project exploring urban photography is also in the works—with yours truly involved.
mario de block, gonzo (circus) magazine, belgium 04/13

nonine recordings heißt das label des in berlin lebenden elektronikers raabenstein, der unter verschiedenen alias-namen veröffentlicht. es ist schon verblüffend, mit welcher raffinesse er in seinen eigenen stücken oder als remixer subtile klangräume gestaltet. was aber so leicht und unverzwungen daherkommt, ist mit einer unbändig phantasievollen sorgfalt inszeniert. wundersame harmonische überlagerungen und reibungen, zitathaft eingesetzte elektronik-beats. das prinzip der collage, den unvermittelten wechsel der stile beherrscht er ebenso wie das spiel mit subtilen andeutungen. bei diesen, teilweise unveröffentlichten, stücken der anthologie handelt es nicht um reinen zitat-pop, der die archive plündert und das vorhersehbare einfach nur mit ein paar klangfetzen aus filmmusik, klassik oder anderen genres anreichert. die beispiele, die raabenstein ausgewählt hat, zeigen ein anderes strukturelles denken: keine reflektion im sinne einfacher widerspiegelung, sondern reflexion im sinne einer intellektuellen auseinandersetzung.
harry lachner, nachtsession, bayern2, germany 04/13

some outstanding tracks on there, many that inhabit that wonderful grey area where the enchanting meets the eldritch.
cian ó ciobháin, an taobh tuathail radio show, ireland 03/13

compilations and remixes suffer from the same issue as collective exhibitions: in the end, the real star isn’t the guest artists but the curator who organizes the whole event. in this case, the host of the party is nonine recordings. it’s difficult to find a diverse showcase that doesn’t lose itself in the variety of its participants. this particular one features 18 tracks, with a strange binding element that ties everything together seamlessly. a surprising stylistic uniformity hovers over a wide range of genres, from jazzy influences and sleek minimalism to hollywood-style cinematic sounds and ambient. this berlin-based label comes with a clear mission: playful and hedonistic elegance is the ultimate reward for its followers. they don’t neglect the experimental side of electronic music, but nothing here is designed to cause harm—quite the opposite. swimmin’ with friends again is an exquisite and sophisticated pleasure that melts in your mouth. no effort required. like all the good things in life, indulgence comes easily.
gonzalo cervelló, transistora, spain 03/13

this is an extraordinary interesting album, i haven’t heard something this eclectic and this good for a while...
peter van cooten, ambientblog.net 03/13

fine stuff right there…
arno peeters, ntr, holland 03/13

excellent…
eric tschaikovsky, night light sound system, ukraine 03/13

really enjoyed this release, classic soundscapes i’ve come to expect from nonine, always impressed with what you put out there. my favorites are ‚day on a tree‘, the remixes of ‚einde‘, ‚conhoo’3d‘ and ‚chance aqcuaintance’… will start featuring ’swimmin‘ with friends again‘ this weekend and play different tracks each show for the next several episodes…
kerem gokmen, dubmission radio show, usa 03/13

wow…. i’m pleasantly surprised by this compilation. there are tracks that I really, really dig. ‚lukewarm grim‘ for example, deep but still funky as hell… that’s how I like it !!!
ralph echter, fruit for ears, greece 03/13

great. fine stuff…
guido halfmann, jazz thing, germany 02/13