Walls

Although best-known for his ‘Orchestra Of Bubbles’ collaboration with Ellen Allien, it is clear that whenever Sascha Ring aka Apparat works alone that the magic starts. ‘Walls’, a collection of his solo tinkerings, proves this claim to be correct: containing dramatic orchestral flourishes and melancholic woodwind, ‘Walls’ is the grey, wintery antithesis of ‘Bubbles’ poppy euphoria. A neo-classical chill descends on the glitchy ‘Fractales Part 2’ and a searing guitar cuts through the melodic first part, while Ring leads vocalist Raz Ohara from an ambient opening before rushing headlong into droning guitars and flailing drums on ‘Headup’. 2007 is the year that shoegazing/drone and techno cosy up together: could ‘Walls’ be that unexpected fusion’s answer to ‘Loveless’?