PERSIST by Das Ende der Liebe x su dance110

Whether the four members of the band ‘Das Ende der Liebe’ really think that love is colder than death is not clear - although based on their oracle-like band name, it could almost be safely assumed.

We won’t let speculation hold us back, however, as there is bigger news here: Das Ende der Liebe, simply and affectionately abbreviated to DEDL, is releasing a new LP. For the freaks and misfits, dropouts and resisters, and hedonists and cynics that were seduced by the glittery cover of their last album ‘SCHNE*E’, this is a dream come true, because many days, if not years have passed since the DEDL vision first appeared.

Andreas Völk (Live Sampling, Barth Audios, Voice, Organs, Fender Rhodes, Percussion), Laurenz Gemmer (Yamaha CP70 (plain, prepared, sampled), Melodica, Ableton Live), Kenn Hartwig (Electric Bass, Sitar, Nintendo GameBoy, Spherical Sound Society Glitch Storm MK2) und Thomas Sauerborn (Acoustic Drum Set + FX Pedals, Drum Pads, Doepfer Midi Ribbon to Eurorack Modules) have ventured out like communal farmers into the fields, cultivating hallucinogenic crops, by which I mean: they were and are really tripping here. For their latest musical adventure they have brought the Berlin-based, non-binary transdisciplinary artist ‘su dance110’ on board, who, armed with their voice and effects, reveals a completely new facet of the DEDL musical vision.

How did this cooperation come to pass? DEDL-human Andreas Völk met su dance110 at a residency in the Dominican Republic, where the two immediately clicked. Since then they have recorded and released a Cassingle (‘MINT/Violetta’), as well as various remixes. What was missing was an album-length release, which they have now made up for with ‘Persist’.

One mustn’t wait long: the opening track ‘Mount Q’ is a frenzied journey; a stuttering four- cylinder, dragged into a whirlpool by divine vocal cords. It quickly becomes clear that the various sources of sound can only be distinguished sporadically, because it is all about the mix. A saxophone reveals itself to be a voice, a percussion line emerges from the synthesis,
the choir isn’t really human - everything is so wild and untamed that you have to keep pinching yourself: it’s not just great, it’s awesome.

And there is so much more to explore, like the the jagged sexual dub of ’S Low’, the swirling title track ‘Persist’ and the cosmic soundtrack ‘Feuer Orgel’, just to name a few of the eleven tracks on the album. One’s thoughts oscillate between Mancusian Studios of the sound researchers of Demdike Stare, the Knitting Factory in New York in the mid-nineties or the contemporary avant-garde scene in Tokyo - at least these are the associations that appear for the author of these lines.

If you would like to delve deeper into the material, I recommend a visit to the DEDL ‘Megaworld’, a digital archive featuring albums, live sets and uncut studio material for ardent adventurers. In addition to older material, one can discover treasures from three days of sessions that took place in Ingo Krauss’ Candy Bomber Studio in October 2023. You can feel the power of improvisation and the ability to let go in the Giallo-Soundtrack-like ‘Mount R/ Da. Sende in the Language of Light’, whilst the power of ‘Persist’ comes from its directness: you will look in vain for overdubs here.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder, writer of the above-mentioned film ‘Liebe ist kälter als der Tod’ (Love is colder than death) is said to have declared that he would rather make films than drop bombs. DEDL and su dance110 see things differently; neurobombing songs onto your synapses and enjoying the rollercoaster rides of ‘Persist’ and the DEDL Megaworld.

- Lars Fleischmann (taz.die tageszeitung, kaput mag)

Spacetime is the truth of being. Nothing is impossible. We exist as frequencies.

DEDL are vibrational sound alchemists who crafted a new universe, ever-expanding, built from electronics, acoustics, psychedelics and groove since the year of the portal, 2014.

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