Yogascum

For over two decades now, Martin Maischein has dedicated himself to all things adventurous on labels such as Editions Mego, Force Inc., or Position Chrome. In 2017, Maischein released Yogascum as a small-run cassette release on Hospital Productions under his Goner moniker. This re-release marks Yogascum's first time on vinyl. Having received a grant by the Musicboard Berlin, he developed an audio-visual show around the three tracks at the core of Yogascum, all of which feature instruments and sounds previously unheard in his work. Cellist Unter Lala weaves her signature screeches into the pulsating drones of "YS- 1" and "YS-3", zK member Mark Godwin on "YS-2" injects the subtle influence of a band whose records he has been working on as a mastering engineer, Coil. While the title of Yogascum is a tongue-in-cheek riff on one of Maischein's favorite pastimes, it can indeed be taken at face value: The newest of the three core pieces, "YS-1", is in fact meant to support a slow and focused breathing rhythm. Built around Unter Lala's evocative sustained notes, it harkens back to the cultural origins of drone music. While "YS-2" is based on an elegiac industrial rhythm, "YS-3" sees Unter Lala and Maischein opting for a more abrasive approach. "Endtitle", the credit music for the audio-visual show built around the three compositions, comes as a wake-up call. It also serves as a firm reminder that Maischein hasn't forgotten about his own roots in IDM-tinged electronica. 180 gram vinyl.