Robert, at home in the studio.
It’s festival season, a time for pre-packaged artists, album-perfect live sets, pristine digital worlds that sometimes literally come from the folks at Google. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But maybe now is a good time to look to the other avenue – to keeping things rough and loud, flawed, live in the sense that has mistakes.
Robert Lippok, the always-busy, long-working Berlin-based artist, can celebrate both that messiness and obsessive control. As a soloist, he’s been a staple on Raster Noton; he’s also known for being one third of To Rococo Rot. 2014 is bringing new things from both of those projects. (Oh yeah, that’s also Robert’s home studio you see in all the recent Ableton/Push advertising.)
On the eve of his debut at Montreal’s MUTEK, Robert sat down for a dense and delightful interview with FACT Magazine. He talks in the film about a range of issues, from keeping his rig portable and his performances imperfect to giving insight on a series of records.
Record-check: that’s —
Redsuperstructure / r-n134cd (Raster-Noton) from 2011:
and a remix for Ludovico Einaudi “In a Time Lapse” – The Remixes. This is, of course, not messy at all – it’s ethereal but calculated, a finely-tuned state of calm:
(In love with that track, and it’s happily a free download, too.)
But there’s something new coming with Olaf Bender, and it’s nice to hear Olaf champion working live, as a fan of what Robert does in his live performances, and with so many producers echoing similar sentiments. Somewhere in that live impulse may be the chance to connect with a personality.
To Rococo Rot, the trio. Courtesy Domino Records.
Robert also switches between the solo work and the aforementioned band project, To Rococo Rot bringing its own live dimension to his work. Monkeytown Records put out a teaser on that work last week, for Modeselektion Vol. 03 – 05 / To Rococo Rot’s “Miles An Hour.”
After a five-year hiatus, we’re getting new To Rococo Rot, and it’s full of intensely quirky, nervous energy. The first cut was exclusive to FACT back in April, Pro Model. It’s a track that sounds like it’s ready to crawl up the walls and climb out a window, then make a quick exit to another moon.
PREMIERE: HEAR TO ROCOCO ROT’S FIRST NEW TRACK IN FIVE YEARS
For something more laidback, “Many descriptions” takes that same forward momentum and makes it somehow dreamy and introspective, with milky-sweet vocals added by composer Arto Lindsay.
More on that from The Quietus:
LISTEN: To Rococo Rot – Many Descriptions
“Cars,” in a remix by Daniel Miller (the Mute Records founder) and Gareth Jones (an equally-legendary UK producer, behind Depeche Mode, Erasure, etc.) is a grooving reverie of fanciful synths. Not embeddable here, but terrific:
o rococo rot – cars (sunroof remix by daniel miller & gareth jones)
To Rococo Rot’s upcoming record is on preorder now, and their back catalog is there for you, as well, from Frock Steady – shop of City Slang:
http://www.frocksteady.com/shop/bands/to-rococo-rot.html
Lots to listen to already – lots more to come.
If you’re in London in July, you can go catch the To Rococo Rot album launch at Dalston’s inimitable Cafe Oto – and in that event description, they’ve posted an extensive text on the record:
MON 21ST, JULY | TO ROCOCO ROT