Daniel Brandt: Eternal Something (Erased Tapes/Southbound)

On our favourite arthouse-cum-ambient label Erased Tapes comes this instrumental debut by the percussionist/multi-instrumentalist Brandt who is also the co-founder of Germany's Brandt Brauer Frick, an electroacoustic group which brought their classical music sensibilities to their sonic landscapes.

For this project Brandt says his initial idea was an album purely on cymbals – mercifully that didn't happen – but once he started it was obvious he needed to broaden his palette, invite in others (a trombonist, cellist, hang drummer).

So from a cabin in the German woods to guitars in Joshua Tree, he moved in the direction of rhythm-driven music (Kale Me includes the sound of his washing machine on full cycle, not that you'd know that until it's pointed out) to melodies based on percussive patterns.

It may also be odd to make this reference, but despite all that has been mentioned – his classical training, the cymbals, the washing machine – this is more akin to lengthy chill-out room beats in clubland where you want to keep the energy up but can't be bothered getting off the couch.

Or an almost retro-minimalism (Eternal Something) which is a much travelled path.

So this often melodic repetition (with variants) over almost dancefloor beats, but with other elements (nods towards gamelan-lite/minimalism/electronica on Turn Over), quirkiness (Casa Fiesta which might well be Penguin Cafe Orchestra as re-imagined by the Flying Lizards) and contemporary classical ethos to shift it into more interesting territory.

That said this will exist on the margins of interest, if even there, for most.