The thing i loved most about german electronic wizards Kraftwerk, was their uncanny ability to write brilliant and mesmerizing music to accompany such mundane everyday objects and concepts such as motorway's, computer's or bicycles..
I used to anticipate their next album being about a radiator or a greenhouse...
Alas, those albums never came in to being..
Today, we bearly find a 'concept' album of such ilk in the music shops or in the 'music' chart. (Its not even a chart anymore but more of a 'menu' for kids.)
However, who should step up to the mark to fulfill our cravings of a concept album but good old Jon Brooks.
Yes it is he of 'The Advisory Cirle' and 'Cafe Kaput' fame who has 'kraftily' put together this polished little 'werk' of art, giving us all a new everyday concept and object to marvel about!
The humble alarm clock.
Not just any alarm clock though... Its the Braun AB-30 alarm clock to be precise and this little album is dedicated to it and it's creator Deiter Rams.
Born in 1932 in Hesse, Germany Deiter Rams started out his working life as an architect and carpenter.
In the 1950's He joined electronic manafacturers Braun to become their head designer.
In his time there he helped create cutting edge Slide projectors, Record Players and shelving systems but more notably he was the brain behind the Braun AB-30 alarm clock.
Jon Brooks recieved this clock for his 15th birthday, no doubt spending every waking hour of his young life hitting the snooze button and probably, as we all do, taking the clock for granted.. Until later on in life where he hit upon the idea to take this beloved clock and 'break it down' as it were.
Sampling every click, drone, beep and tick, Brooks has deftly put together and organized these 'filtered' samples turning them in to charming pieces of electronic and very 'germanic' sounding music..
One can immediately reference the usual references like i have at the start of this piece, but listen carefully to how he exercises these samples and you will start to hear shade's of 'The Art of Noise'!
I am, and no doubt forever will be a fan of Mr. Brooks's music.
I gush like a school girl at every release he and fellow Ghostboxer (Rev.) Jim Jupp have made and i find both of their respective works inspiring to say the least.
Both have somehow, singlehandedly created the soundtrack to my childhood.. Or perhaps it was 'a' childhood that never was..
Whatever it was, it wasnt Bucks Fizz or Bay City Rollers i kept hearing being played on the wireless in the background..
No!it was Brooks and Jupp!
To download Jon Brooks 'Music for Deiter Rams' Here's a link
Download it now!.. :)
