Michael Pogo Kreiner - 'E-Magic Flute' (2006)

Anyone familiar with this album? Absolute madness--truly end-of-history type stuff, for better or worse. Easy to want to say a 'Switched-On Bach' duly updated--but to my ears there's a lot more going on.

In moments, one wants to dismiss it as a gimmick for tackling simply. . . everything, at least everything potentially outre-cool, all over the top of (sort of) 'The Magic Flute,' combined with whatever library sound records that were already mixing up every bit of funk and psych and BBC Radiophonic and Moroder-derived Italo and any number of dub permutations and Vannier type stuff--and why not, while I was just typing, a bit of bagpipe and hurdy gurdy. . . But eventually, the sheer effort apparent in this work makes it clear it can't be chalked up to simple pastiche.

Or maybe it is, maybe it's dead-end hipster cool, and I'm just being suckered. It doesn't feel frantic, "mash-up" forced--it's calm, assured, daring but sure-footed. I'm a generalist in my listening--I've heard at least a little of almost everything, but I'm not an expert in much if anything. Some of you more fully immersed in the cultures from which this is drawing will probably have more insight.

To that end, grab it here:

http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2008/07/michael-pogo-kreiner-vienna-sound.html

I know some of you would dig this. . .

Give it a try?

trouc said:

I ended up downloading this, per your recommendation, and decided... it's a bit weird. It's fairly well balanced, not too many strings, the beats aren't overwhelming, obviously some very talented individuals... doesn't get into my guts though, which is why I don't love classical music I imagine.

May have to be filed in the music I just don't understand category.

Click to expand...

It's definitely a bit weird, but what surprised me was how accessible they were making it--none of it felt like showing off, it all flows seamlessly. . .