Werkbund – Stahlhof

This record came to my attention when I read a favourable review in the Zinnober magazine last year. I don’t know any background info about this mysterious artist or the label, and the record isn’t very informative either. Apart from the titles of the track and the catalogue numer AB 06 there isn’t much to read, even the labels of the record itself are blank. The sleeve is made of thick carton in a steelgray color and it has sort of a watermark showing a ship. On the back of the sleeve you find another drawing of a ship, that looks very tiny in a large sea. It fits in well with one of the track titles, ‘Am Horizont’.
I don’t really know with which other artist to compare Werkbund, so I think that’s a compliment. I also find it hard to describe the music. Don’t expect any harsh industrial or heavy beats on this record. “Stahlhof” contains minimal soundscapes that evolve in a subtle manner. Most tracks are soft electronic pieces, sometimes with a little noise in the background. The first track, ‘Karpfanger’, starts with some harsh noise, but the storm is quickly over. The title track is dominated by ritual percussion, but in a tranquil manner. Although the music on this LP is rather minimal, it is never boring. “Stahlhof” is a nice aural journey, which makes me curious about other music from Werkbund…

artist: Werkbund
label: Abraum
details: 5 tracks, limited to 500 copies