Autopilot – Autopilot

Overall a great one for sticking on on a lazy or hungover afternoon; and you should give it time.

Overall a great one for sticking on on a lazy or hungover afternoon; and you should give it time.

 

Sometimes compilations can feel awkward and stifled, and sound as if they’ve been cobbled together on a whim. This one suffers no such indecision. Autopilot is a mix of forward thinking stuff collated from other (German) labels and unreleased stuff from German based alt/urban-electro worthies like Guido Moebius, Nils Frahm, F.S.Blumm and Miwon. The name of this particular LP is a great one, as it really captures the laconic mood of the contents. The Opener, Air Cushion Finish’s Single Black Hole sounds like it’s doped up to the eyeballs and Mesak and Guido Möbius’s Babel in Port to Mesak just take up the beat and add yet more whimy and wobbly electro.
 
This fact can work against the album as a “listening experience” especially if you’re not in the mood for introspection; and outside of the odd track (where the plod becomes a stately trot – as on Lars Paukstat’s It Was Not Me) there is very little variation to the steady, mid tempo or the quiet, sometimes beatless passages that set the tone throughout. At times the tracks float about in a fog of their own making. Just check out Sprinintgut’s Northface Springs, Black To Comm’s Oocyte Oil, and Mini Pops Junior’s Lifted 2nd Take; which are very woozy efforts. Whilst these tracks are very pretty indeed, well constructed and full of intriguing subtleties, there’s only so much gentle abstraction you can take at any one time. You may get numbed by this, and overlook some pieces that deserve more of your attention. Because there are many great moments here: F.S. Blumm ‘s Vor Buschsen is a meditative jewel and Guido Möbius’s mix of The Marble Man’s Festung is equally great. The best thing here is Miwon’s Shutter, a magisterial smooch which is worth the LP price alone.

Overall a great one for sticking on on a lazy or hungover afternoon; and you should give it time.