Different Forces by Phantom Horse

“Different Forces” is the second album by Hamburg-based duo Phantom Horse, following their self-titled album debut on Dekorder. These polyrhythmic vehicles are driven under the influence of Cluster and Harmonia, that venerable school of out-there German explorers; the tuneful ghost of Moondog can also be seen on the rear-view mirror, while the landscape rushes by with the hypnotic pulse of 1960’s Minimalism.

Packed in their distinct homelike, warm sound, Phantom Horse effortlessly follow their path to find a melancholic playfulness in the heart of ancient machines. Conjuring the picture of transmogrified humanoid characters, modular and analogue synthesizers, antique drum machines, e-pianos, guitar, tape effects and various percussion devices create a comforting condition that involves the listener in some analogue computer game for a lost jazz world. Their approach on widespread compositions shows an elaborated vigor, an earnest love for slowly evolving melodies. Phantom Horse yet never fail to step on bridges that link the different subspecies of non-academic minimal music – from kraut to Mr. Eno and retour on detour. With “Different Forces”, Ulf Schütte and Niklas Dommaschk, whose names might be familiar to those in the know, provide their fast motion picture soundtrack for the genesis of a desert or whatever – if you listen carefully, different worlds will come into being.