Grinser - Swallow - Alphahouse
A1 Swallow (8:01)
B1 My (7:15)
B2 Pant (7:29)
Format: 12"
Release Date: February 2007
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Michelle Grinser - DJ, producer and the beat mastermind of tough'n'nasty disco-punk rockers Dakar and Grinser steps out on a shadowy wave of Electro-dub blip frenzy with his stunning, beautiful and all the way classy solo debut on Southern States' minimal techno fortress - St. Louis based Alphahouse Limited. Although D&G still have a knack for writing simplistic Electronic arrangements and cherry.picking throbbing baseline and synth constantly evolving a brave new sound to bridge the gap between Industrial music, Synthpop and Disco, Grinser's "Swallow my pant" is a lovely minimal Electronic record which rather states a less rockin' approach to what is used to be called "Berlin beat". Well, it's hard to imagine the rhythm guy behind D&G moniker rocking a pipe and slippers (more like a double vodka, MPC and a big grin), but he undoubtedly has grown up. He hangs out with swiss artiest cross-culture combo "Junction SM", collaborates with Sun Electric's Max Loderbauer on film scores and remixes and seriously thinks of attending the next Ars-Electronica... and there's no wonder that his link to Alphahouse might be considered as tendecy if not a statement.
Michelle Grinser has actually never looked back since being seduced into working as a DJ. Back in 1996 he swiftly moved to Munich, where he was made official resident of nowadays certainly legendary "Ultraschall" and was fully responsible for groundbreaking "Green Room" evenings among other. The next turn came four years later after relocating to the German capital, where he became a driving power behind "103" definitely oozing class, color and unseen elegance in rather monochrome Berlin landscape of hurried rhythms, rapid-fire beats and handclaps, with muffled vocal samples belching thick plumes of black smoke in the background... After decline of "103", his black pinstripe "if it ain't stiff it ain't worth a fck" suit and pumpin', electro-funk flavoured sound, quickly became a quality seal for usually spoiled and choosy Ostgut/Panoramabar audience, further establishing him as new state-of-the-art Berlin DJ and performer. Today it's certainly clear that Grinser's talent for handpicking colorful funky cuts has not deserted him and any of his sets still teach numerous inferior imitators a thing or two, serving up a magnetic hybrid of styles, amalgamating dubby rhythms and acerbic, tongue-in-cheek mixing.
Respectively "Swallow my pant" is one of those Grinser's outputs which truly deserve words like groovy, atmospheric, beautiful and classy. Imagine a cross between Basic channel and The Modernist, with a dash of early Beefheart trown in it. The overal feel is psychedelic, though in a lightweight, elegant, rococo style rather an K-fuelled, mind bending, over the top kind of way, - intriguing music for downtime exposing a lyricism of it's own - a throwback to an era when "modernism" was something beautiful and strange. For those who love the classic minimal sound there is plenty here to love - delicate minor-key lines contrasted against atmospheric synth sweeps, appropriately melancholy bit of synth-infused techno that leads off with an understated vibe and, after all there's something else here as well, an increase sense of melodic possibility which remains largely unarticulated in a very nice, polite way, an ably demonstration that with a few chosen sounds simple tunes will do and your imagination will carry the rest.
