Our ‘Track By Track’ guide sheds light on the stories behind some of our favourite artists’ music.
We love pulling back the curtain on the stories and inspirations behind intriguing new releases. It’s always fascinating to hear the personal anecdotes, creative processes, and little-known tales that shaped each track, giving us all a deeper appreciation for the artistry that goes into crafting these musical gems.
Berlin-based duo TRAINING, teamed up with beloved bassist Ruth Goller for their new album threads to knot. Across seven tracks, they mingle frenetic free-jazz next to post-rock riffs and looming microtonal atmospheres. The record was written in a truly collaborative effort, adapting the concept of cadavre exquis, the popular drawing game: One person would start writing a few notes before passing it on to the next, revealing only the very last note, with which the composition continues.
Goller comments on the collaboration:
“Exploring our musical connection with Training is a fresh and unique approach between improvised music and composition. It has the right amount of both for me. All doors are always open to let our emotions flow, and this might be different every time. With the writing in the background we have developed a strong backbone as a band and a unique sound between our voices which reaches across genres and countries.”
TRAINING, made up of Max Andrzejewski (drums, synth, guitar, electronics, voice) and Johannes Schleiermacher(sax, flute, synth), has generously crafted an exclusive guide to shed light on all seven tracks on their new LP.
Stream threads to knot below, and read on for TRAINING’s track-by-track guide.
threadfin starts with a long synth sweep and then one of the most excessive outbursts of the album. A free jazz ear cleaning – for what is coming next: A beautiful, soft, driving loop appears. The mood is set.
finback was the original starting point for our Cadavre Exquis game. It is a multiple choice composition from which a number of possible chords arise, which are arranged in arpeggios through the rhythmic distribution. We found this approach interesting because it sets a firm framework and yet allows for countless possibilities for interaction in this cosmos. These types of games draw attention to details. You can look at the structures like with a magnifying glass and immerse yourself in smaller units. It was precisely in this context that we were able to get to know each other as a trio for the first time. and the interlocking singing is very fun and satisfying.
backlog is a mysterious, slowly marching piece. Holding back for a while and then unfolding more and more. The composition is purely additive. An element is added in every round, and every round makes a bit more sense somehow. It also gets more a bit beautiful over the time, as if a tension, a problem is solving all by itself
logline is the album´s hymn. A joyful and slightly melancholic melody that grows and grows. A choir of Ruths and Maxs joins. But then, after some time everything turns out to be not as joyous one thinks. An energetic free improv part follows as a setup for the album´s “party tune”:
lineage is a bit like a wedding of Steve Reich and Aphex Twin. With a Krautrock attitude. Interlocking phrases of sax and bass on a synth arpeggio. We don´t have a clear feeling where the one of each bar is (is there even bars??) but we love this kind of floating. There are a few more saxophone and flute tracks on the recording than are possible live – creating a kind of swarm. This is exactly what happens in the rhythmic elements as well. At some point in the recording session we spread out around the room and all drummed polyrhythmically on different objects.
agelong is a fully improvised solo piece of Ruth – dark and light – which leads into an endlessly flowing flute loop.
longingly used to have the working title “Max Epic” – you can guess why. Quite heavy freejazz rock. But in the end, we have soft, loving hearts as you already know by now. we morph back to the beginning of the album – the same loop as in the first piece reappears.
