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Tarfumes.com - Nah und Fern
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List Price: $36.98
Our Price: $36.98
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Kompakt Germany
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0880319035326
Format: Box set
Label: Kompakt Germany
Manufacturer: Kompakt Germany
Number Of Discs: 4
Publisher: Kompakt Germany
Release Date: 2008-06-10
Studio: Kompakt Germany
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Editorial Reviews:
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The Kompakt label presents the work of Wolfgang Voigt's Gas -- a remastered deluxe package that includes all four of his Mille Plateaux albums: Gas (1996), Zauberberg (1997), K"nigsforst (1998) and Pop (2000). Wolfgang Voigt, in the past known under a great many pseudonyms such as Mike Ink, Studio 1 or Grungerman, is the driving force behind the rise of Cologne minimal techno and also Kompakt's co-founder and co-owner. In the 1980s, Voigt began working under a concept he named BLEI -- extracting elements from classical, polka, brass music, electronic pop and German schlager sounds to form a distinguished and unique pop music style that would fit in with the subculture at that time. In the early 1990s, influenced by techno, Voigt began to experiment with a timbal marching through strongly alienated, free-floating string loops. These elegiac tracks, their lack of beginning and end, their intoxicating, smooth and partly amorphous structure sounded to him like evaporating gas and thus -- Gas was born. Gas is the vision of a sonic body between Sch"nberg and Kraftwerk, between French horn and bass drum. Gas is Wagner goes glam rock, and Hansel and Gretel on acid. Gas takes you on a seemingly endless march through the woods into the discotheque. Reducing the material to its basic aesthetic structure by using different zoom, loop and alienation techniques, he releases it from its original meaning and context, creating a kind of aesthetic essence, a cave to get lost inside. There are one or two new tracks and versions, but both Voigt and J"rg Burger decided to keep remastering light, maintaining Gas' purity and authenticity. This 4CD box comes in a special and stylish collector's format, including 4 small artwork prints. The double vinyl comes in a fold cover with a bonus artwork print and is strictly limited. The vinyl features one extended-edit track from each of the albums per side.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Essential listening for fans of experimental electronic music
Comment: Somehow, I have never even heard of Wolfgang Voigt and his work as "Gas", before I came across this set. As a major techno fan, I tend to buy most everything on the Kompakt label. I saw Nah und Ferm and decided it looked interesting. When I got home and put it on, I couldn't believe what I had been missing.
Although Voigt has won critical acclaim over the course of his career, he's still very much an "underground" artist - below many people's radar, even some hardcore electronic music aficionados, like myself. If you're in this group, "Nah und Fern" is an excellent way to introduce yourself to Gas (to be fair, buying the collected works of ANY artist is probably a good way to introduce yourself to them), as you get all four of his full length releases. You're on your own for his two 12"s, "Modern" and "Oktember."
Stylistically, Gas is a bit different than what one usually expects from a Kompakt CD, which should be no surprise seeing as these albums were originally released between 1996 and 2000. Beyond that, the music is not dance oriented in any manner. I suppose one could call it "drone" music, or something to that effect, but that seems too limiting. Aphex Twin's "Selected Ambient Works II" begins to give you an idea, but again, this comparison isn't that strong.
Gas creates sumptuous, undulating textures that seem to be at once stationary, and in constant flux. You can skip around the long tracks and things seem to never change, but when you're in the midst of the music, there is such a wealth of sonic information that it never becomes tiresome. One of the most interesting aspects of Voigt's music is the gentle rhythmic motion, which is incredibly similar to breathing. The music actually seems to inhale and exhale, which does two things: it lends the music a natural rhythmic structure that ties it closely to nature, and it aligns the attentive listener's breath rate with the music, thus lulling the listener into a state of deep relaxation and contemplation. It's really a remarkable effect, although it's difficult to imagine.
Occasionally, there are beats, but they're extremely minimal, repetitive, and they are far below the gaseous tonal clusters that define Gas's music. In this respect, it may not appeal to all fans of Kompakt-style techno. It's subtle music that demands your full attention. Anything less and it dissolves into the background. Some may find it difficult listening, but the majority will be enchanted by its serene beauty.
I highly recommend Gas to all fans of serious electronic music, and this collection is what you need. You get all the albums in a deluxe package, for essentially what you'd spend on two albums.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: No place like drone
Comment: This boxed set contains over four hours of minimalist drone/techno. If you like Stars of the Lid, listen to these samples.
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you have any sense buy this now!
Comment: I have been waiting for this release and hoping that wolfgang voigt would remaster in my opinion some of the best ambient music on earth. This is Zauberberg,Konigsforst,Pop,and the self titled Gas releases in a cardboard box with sleeves for cases along with four case sized art prints of the cover with different shades of color. If you like what you hear on the samples you wont be dissapointed with the nice quality these cds give you. I listen to GAS music daily that is how good it is in my opinion. Wolfgang Voigt is trully a gifted artist and most anything on Kompakt label is good so check out their website and go to mp3s to hear samples. Take advantage of this while you can buy this now its a bargan!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Visionary Ambient Dub Techno
Comment: Wolfgang Voigt is one of the cofounders of the German techno imprint Kompakt, and if you're familiar with its glistening electronica (a dominant and defining force this decade) you will grab this remastered boxset. Voigt's GAS project of the mid-late 90s was essentially one of the most important antecedents of ambient dubstep, and is visionary, beautiful music. Nah Und Fern is one of the boxsets of the year, and one of the greatest electronic releases of this decade.
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