After releasing his expansive productions exclusively on the Korbach imprint SynGate and its experimental sub-label Luna, TM Solver is now being released on the equally eccentric R.i.O. label for the first time. Those who know how to dress up established musical traditions in contemporary garb – an absolute speciality of Thomas Meier, TM Solver’s real name – will always find a place there.
What he creates connects to the herbaceous and cosmic, possesses a childlike curiosity and sounds sublime at the same time. The epic length of some of the tracks is not least responsible for this, detractors will object: »Echo Line« and »Amound« are two tracks on »Subtraktiv Additiv« that go well beyond the ten-minute mark. While the first one indulges in a nimble dub rhythm à la Driftmachine, the second can be unashamedly dubbed a trip, without immediately imagining being in a stereotype hippie camp. Melodies swell to bursting, relax again and waft along beneath monstrous choirs.
You can tell from Meier’s music that the idea of the one-man band, which drove many musicians into the lap of machines decades ago, still appeals to him today. Incidentally, the record features five new arrangements of the four original tracks. Highlights include the acid breaks from Benedikt Frey that he applies to »Echo Line« and O-Wells’ Autechre-like, compressed-air-breathing version of the essentially straightforward »House Reflections«.
Subtraktiv Additiv
