Mythos – Unabsteigbar

3 reviews for Mythos – Unabsteigbar

1. 

   Morpheus – 2022-11-22

   Bright, beat driven electronica. Stephan Kaske delivers a live performance of his unique post-Berlin school synthetic groove. Programmed beats maintain mid-tempo pace for much of the album, mostly with a bright spring in the rolling patterns. The beats are accompanied by sequencer structures that carry the rhythms with almost equal prominence – arpeggios and percussives entwining and enhancing one another. Melodic content is strong; positive themes with clean tones interlock with the rhythmic underplay. At times heavily altered voices murmur among the more digitally oriented sounds, ethnic chimes and clangs punctuating the percolating sequences. There are a number of atmospheric passages, mostly during the introductions where the music is softer, more airy.

   Unabsteigbar! arrives in a DVD style case of malleable plastic. The insert folds so that artwork is visible both inside and out. The front cover has a lone figure in stark silhouette trudging across a barren landscape with flat horizon. Everything is saturated in deep red hues, the walker ringed with an incomplete pale circle. The rear cover extends the scenery leftward and has a live photograph of the artist inserted midway. Track titles are found here on the back as well as brief technical details and logo. Inside is a panel of recording information, website addresses and credits.

   Mythos shows once again that the sound of Stephan Kaske is pretty much as dynamic and complex live as it is when given the full studio treatment. This collection of five mid-length tracks was recorded live at EM-Breakfast in Bochum and totals about forty five minutes altogether. This latest release via label follows up the previous live album Gallery Concerts.
   Promotional material provides an on-tour equipment list for those interested in the sound sources: Laser-Keyboard, Flute, Electronic Bagpipes, Yamaha Tenori-On, Korg Vocoder VC-10, Quasimidi Raven Max, Quasimidi Sirius, Quasimidi Polymorph, Quasimidi 309, Korg M1EX, Mutron Bi-Phase, Korg Kaoss Pad, Yamaha Spx90-II, Yamaha mixer & monitoring system.

   2010. Morpheus

2. 

   ED – 2022-11-22

   Stephan Kaske aka Mythos sounds as a rather unknown name although Im sure he got some recognition in his homeland (Germany).This musician sounds like fascinated by the real pioneers of electronic music. It brings me to famous names like Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream or yet Klaus Schulze.

   I was surprised by the splendor and elaboration of Kaskes compositions and he only confirms his amazing talent on this new release. Unabsteigbar” is a 5-track-EP featuring new songs Mythos originally performed during a live performance.These songs will bring the listener closer to the authentic electro spirit of the aforementioned electro musicians. Its sometimes hard to say why a musician became famous while another one remained rather anonymous. Well

3. 

   Matt Howarth / Sonic Curiosity – 2022-11-22

   This release from 2010 offers 44 minutes of buoyant electronic music.
   Mythos is Stephan Kaske.In 2009, Mythos played at EM-Breakfast in Bochum, Germany, performing material from the Gallery Concerts album. Five new songs were included in the set–they constitute the material on the Unabsteigbar! release.

   A host of electronics conspire with rhythms and vocodered vocals to produce music of an energetic nature.The electronics blend shrill notes with bass tones, resulting in a lush sound that resonates with mesmerizing appeal. But it’s a lively mesmerization, with a vibrant demeanor. The keyboards are nimble and delightful, describing melodies that chug along with an astral touch. While sustained chords provide a tasty subterranean flow, auxiliary electronics generate spry lead threads that bristle with vitality.
   The e-perc is often understated, functioning from within the mix instead of propelling things from a demonstrative vantage. There are occasions where the rhythms are healthy and robust, however, contributing bouncy tempos which excellently compliment the music’s fairly jubilant character.Kaske makes liberal use of a vocoder, seasoning the tunes with droney vocal effects that actually adopt a sprightly life of their own, meshing nicely with the other electronics in an instrumental fashion.

   These compositions possess an urgent quality that tickles the audience’s attention with agile melodies while the foundational layers establish a hypnotic undercurrent. The tunes exhibit a distinctly cheerful mood that is quite infectious. Even the last track, with its extreme sense of drama, conveys a sense of mirth.

   2010. Matt Howarth / Sonic Curiosity