Koletzki,Oliver - Made Of Wood (2LP+MP3) (Sealed) (LP)

On 'Made of Wood', his ninth full-length album since 2007, Oliver Koletzki embodies the seasoned craftsman, carving out his deeply personal sonic sculptures with a confident, learned hand, while experimenting with a broad range of thrilling ideas and fresh textures. The result is an organically flowing, yet decisively shaped work of art, that naturally concludes a trilogy of albums Koletzki embarked on releasing with 'The Arc of Tension' and followed with 'Fire in the Jungle'. Initially written in Tulum, Mexico, during the pre-pandemic winter of 2019, 'Made of Wood' is physically entwined with the primeval forests that continue to inspire its maker: In the subsequent year it took to complete the album in Berlin, Oliver, aided by numerous live musicians and vocalists, brought his sketches to life with a focus on wooden instruments like djembes, marimbas, santoors or duduks, sculpting a natural sound that's warm in timbre, rich in groove and literally made of wood. Thanks to the imperfection of the human hand, the album sings with a bold vibrance that stretches from the LP's slow carnivalesque opener 'Caravana De Los Elefantitos' to the blue horns and Wennink's lamenting coos on the concluding ballad 'Turn'. Intermediately, Koletzki's rhythmic explorations take the shape of mythic odes ('Dear Mexican Jungle'), boisterous tribal dances ('La Veleta'), floor-focussed shakers ('Copal'), handpan-driven epics ('Cryptozoology' feat. Walter Scalzone) or subdued oriental belters ('Serpiente Del Ritmo' feat. ELIH) – emphasising his control over light and dark tonalities, over organic and synthetic sounds alike. Most strikingly, Oliver slowly breaks away from the album's natural feel in the mid-section, in which the disorienting, abstract stunner 'Picture' (with Niko Schwind & Judith Ahrends) rubs shoulders with the synth-crescendos of the bouncy 'Made of Cashmere', while the 14-minute long meditation 'A Starseed's Journey' makes for a powerful penultimate breather later on. Next to the meticulous attention to instrumentation and his instinctive touch, these twists and turns underline that Koletzki feels entirely at ease on 'Made of Wood' – like the true artisan he is. Tracklisting: LP A1. Caravana De Los Elefantitos A2. La Veleta A3. Copal B1. Dear Mexican Jungle B2. Serpiente Del Ritmo feat. ELIH B3. Cryptozoology feat. Walter Scalzone C1. Made Of Cashmere C2. Agitation w/ Niko Schwind C3. Synesthesia feat. Felix Raphael D1. Picture w/ Niko Schwind feat. Judith Ahrends D2. A Starseed’s Journey MP3: 1. Caravana De Los Elefantitos 2. La Veleta 3. Copal 4. Picture w/ Niko Schwind feat. Judith Ahrends 5. Made Of Cashmere 6. Synesthesia feat. Felix Raphael 7. Dear Mexican Jungle 8. Serpiente Del Ritmo feat. ELIH 9. Cryptozoology feat. Walter Scalzone 10. Agitation w/ Niko Schwind 11. A Starseed's Journey 12. Turn feat. Wennink (BONUS TRACK)