I was looking for Pop, Königsforst and Zauberberg by Gas aka Wolfgang Voigt for quite some time until today, I finally managed to find and acquire all three masterpieces. Now I only need an extra-soft velvet pillow for them to rest on.
Somebody wrote about Pop:
[...]very subtle and fragile ambient, sparkling nature, endlessly looping and gently shifting, making it very quietening, even to the point it would trance you into total detachment. This last quality is amazing: if you offer the album your attention, your thinking kind of gets fuzzy and you’ll get sucked into this slow motion modus.[...]
Another:
This is one of the most haunting pieces of music I’ve heard. I’m not sure what my exact feelings are, but the previous reviewer is quite right—it puts you into sort of a dreamlike state. [...]
Somebody else wrote about Zauberberg:
[...]This CD is a drug. No, really, it is.[...] the droning beat, the ominous dark pads, the deep atmospheres all create a haunting, isolated environment that is addictive and demented.[...]
I completely agree with all these comments and there is not much I could add really. These albums place you into a strange, yet familiar organic environment composed of layers of foggy beats, ambient sound, distortions and roughness. Although the environment you enter feels complex and natural, I would describe the music itself as simplistic and minimal in comparison to other soundscapes. It’s hard to describe, but this music has a mesmerizing effect on me, and I could listen to these albums for hours in an infinite loop. Fantastic—I’m really happy I own them now.
