Kpt.Michi.Gan - Player, Player
(Aesthetics)
Kpt.michi.gan is the computer-based electronic music project of Michael Beckett of Germany. Everything about this music is closely tied to the computer, from the repetition, to the mixing in of new elements, to the distortion of tones. There are few moments on the album where you can hear where man interacts with machine; instead it sounds as if Beckett creates a beat and a riff, adds in a couple transitional elements, and then winds up the tinker toy and lets it run.
Beckett is successful at creating interesting, nonimposing electronic sounds. The textures are well crafted, and tones he uses are warm and never too abrasive. Player, Player is very easy to listen to, which is something not often said about pure electronic music. However, while Beckett does his best with his directory of tricks, the scope of his music is not wide enough. He concentrates too much on repetition of a single measure, making the grooves much too short. Even two minute long songs sound drawn out when the main groove is the same four beat dalliance. Also, while the sounds cover a wide spectrum of tones and hues, they all sound as if they come from an electronic synthesizer. The label claims organic sounds were included, but if they are here, they are so altered they sound just as inorganic as the pure sine waves Beckett has incorporated.
The album ends, interestingly, with Beckett singing while playing an acoustic guitar as the simplest waveform keeps a 4/4 beat. It's a really frustrating ending because it leaves the listener wishing Beckett had done more to integrate these great organic tones with the hard, metallic ones of the rest of the album. While I respect Beckett's dedication to making purely electronic music (if that is really his intent), the simplicity of his arrangements makes that music only interesting to a certain point. While it is pleasant and at times groovy, it is never really awestriking. However, if somehow he can merge the more patient song structure of his acoustic guitar songs with the depth of tone and sonic detail of his synthesizer apps, then he would have something great.
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