tracklist

01 athenas pirch (lost version)

02 care act

03 double rule of three

04 rabbit on the run

05 canny roddent

06 iron pants

07 agony

08 stewn

09 missive

all tracks written and produced by david minor and me raabenstein,
mixed by me raabenstein.
additional piano and cello on ‚athenas pirch‘ (lost version)‘ by nils pot.

mastered by ju bartholomäus, berlin.

artwork by simonraabenstein.com

distributed by nonine recordings

rael returns with their fourth release ’unrest’. it is a charismatic and unique combination of me raabenstein’s compositions and david minor’s own vocal scenarios. all three previous ep’s were instrumentals. their experiment results in what is a pioneering sound.

the dancer, turned composer and singer, david minor, delivers a uniquely attractive vocal performance with a certain inimitable ambiance. his styles range from 30’s jazz to grungy smoke classical. me raabenstein – producer, composer and artist – invents a playground of diverse melodic arrangements and tantalizing sounds, which tickle and please. raabenstein boasts his diverse musical virtues, while also embellishing david minor’s signature writing style.

rael’s debutalbum is somewhere along the borders of music technology’s current capabilities and heart wrenching musical visions – a polyphony of sultry cocooning. ‘unrest’ reveals a new cohesion between raabenstein’s disarming and intoxicating audial constructions and minor’s discreet, fluttering.

enjoy the melody !!!

feedback

the first true album by the duo rael, after three eps, is once again a new experience based on experiments, minimalism, samples, and some organic instrumentation. however, the biggest novelty is that david minor appears as a vocalist in this formation for the first time. his voice is distinctive—until his last solo ep farce (2012), he remained reserved, never fully stepping into the spotlight on his first two solo albums. his tone has the charm of old, gritty, and rough ’smoking‘ jazz singers from the 1930s, with a velvety intonation somewhere between anthony hegarty and david sylvian.

of course, that is not the only strength of this full-length debut. the album tells strange noir stories from 21st-century urban life, interpreted by minor from the perspective of a spy-observer, or rather as a narrator of his own diary filled with frustrations, latent paranoia, and unease. at times, he also portrays deeply personal emotions or paints his neighbors as vampires sucking the blood of the people around them. after three peculiar, mostly drone-based opening tracks—athenas pirch (lost version), care act, and double rule of three—his pseudo-sexual preoccupations take center stage. this shift happens around the middle of the album with the melancholic piano glitch ballad rabbit on the run, the erotically charged canny rodent, and the comical glitch piece iron pants, which features intriguing sampled associations. the only danceable rhythms appear in agony, the shortest track, which blends electro and acid-funk with organic keyboard instrumentation. to some extent, strewn, the penultimate track, also hints at the project’s potential for live performance beyond strictly laptop-based programming and sampling. worth noting is that in the opening track, athenas pirch (lost version), the piano and cello were played by nils pot.

the work continues, in a way, the narrative of rael’s first three eps—frame 1-3 (2010), frame 4-6 (2012), and frame 7-9 (2013)—with a similar storytelling approach. this time, however, the focus shifts to personal monologues and observations about what happens when one takes on the role of a silent observer, similar to a paparazzo-voyeur or, as humorously described in the final composition missive, a ‚quiet devil‘. musically, the album remains minimalistic, flowing in slow-down/chill-out intervals with interesting sample additions. stylistically, it moves through tasteful adaptations of ambient textures and seemingly calm electronics, which in rare cases invite light dancing—something minor figuratively shapes into his vision of contemporary underground ballet.

as for a potential pop hit, there is absolutely none here. rael, like all the works of producer-musician me raabenstein, does not aim for commercial appeal. considering everything this duo has done so far, the only fitting category remains indietronica—crafted in a uniquely atmospheric way.
horvi tehac, terapija.net, croatia 07/14

fascinating sounds – as always on nonine !!!
richard e, further out, usa 07/11

love the production…
cian o ciobhain, an taobh tuathail radio show, ireland 06/14

some nice production twists, favourite tune „double rule of three“ which i shall sllp into the show…
james barrie, audio texture radio show, spain 06/14

what a great new encounter with nonine productions. this one is wonderful.
hypnotizing, swing, with some deep vibes and tornado circling vocals.
captured from the HART dumped into the HART.
hessel veldman, concertzender, holland 06/14

i’m extra excited to hear this new release from my favorite rael. going to give it the attention it deserves in regards to airplay, that I don’t even need to think twice about…
kerem gokmen, dubmission radio show, usa 06/14

das album ist wunderbar…
harry lachner, nachtsession, bayrischer rundfunk, germany 06/14

great new sounds !!!
nuno loureiro, cision, portugal 06/14

i like the sound design…
sheldon drake, liquid lounge, germany 06/14

brillant…
cay taylan, couch records, austria 06/14

inspiring ‚deep in the woods‘ sounds… perfect !!!
eric tchaikovsky, low light soundsystem, ukraine 06/14