www.manikin.de The music of Broekhuis, Keller and Schonwalder took a second breath with the addition of Raughi Ebert on guitars and Thomas Kagermann on violins and voices, during the very first Repelen in 2006. This way the minimalism approach of the Berlin trio grew rich of several other musical layers, adding a harmonious depth to music already inspiring and very hypnotic. Recorded in Detlef Keller studios, Repelen III is the first studio album from the German quintet, which they played all of it on concert in Dorfkirche Repelen on February 7th, 2010. An album which is truly at the sonorous image of Broekhuis, Keller and Schonwalder; minimalism Berlin School music style with soft progressive harmonies. Fine chords evolve stealthily at Storm Chaser's opening. A soft opening with slightly hopping sequences, imprisoned by a discreet mellotron, which cross other sequences as limpid as nervous. A light violin calms the awakening of the intertwined sequential movement, which grows on a steadier pace, where notes of acoustic guitars and piano perfume the melody of a foggy tenderness. Languishing and magnificent, Sunset Café is the cornerstone of Repelen III and one of the beautiful musical pieces of modern Berlin School style to charm my ears these last years. Pure Broekhuis, Keller and Schonwalder! A sweet minimalism progression which hypnotizes and mesmerizes with a delicate tempo tinted by a little bit melodramatic approach that begins with a foggy mellotron. Slowly it gets free of its sea spray, releasing a fine line of bass and a bass-drum pulsation and introducing a hypnotic pace beneath hesitating strata of a charmingly dreamy synth. This harmonious procession gets dress of beautiful keys of a solitary piano, keys of an unexpected xylophone and arpeggios of a romantic guitar which drag here and there in this foggy course which is Sunset Café. These minimalism jolts, which shape this hypnotic cadence, continue on Sunrise. A track teeming of a more livened up rhythmic activity and which deploys beneath strikes of bow, stretching its tones under choruses of a misled mellotron and a good line of a pulsating bass. Another beautiful Berlin School which finds his foundations on cawed percussions, a violin with erodes laments and hybrid sequences. Madrigal is a beautiful lullaby that the Berlin trio uses to presents us from time to time. A romantic piano, a mellotron synth; filled by flute breathes from an imaginary country which crosses an angelic choir, sober percussions, charming violin and a guitar with pleasant solos lull our sleep up to the edge of our dreams. More cadenced, Old Kids one the Stick is agitating on a nervous pace with a synth to strange spectral tones adding a ghostly touch to a structure which waddles on sequential jolts and warm line of bass. Opening on jazzy percussions, on floating keyboards keys and a guitar in the heart-rending lamentations, Babylon Road plunges us into a universe of minimalism Berlin School on a sober rhythm which increases subtly its pace, releasing soft passages of mellotron mist, but prioritizing an exchange between a chiseled violin and a guitar to brief caustic solos. Skinner’s Run concludes with a very rock approach; something new Keller and Schonwalder who amazes by this steady rhythm where Bras Boethius hammers the pace accompanied by a guitar with smoking solos and a synth to twisted and ghostly solos which hide the light mist of an ethereal mellotron. Electronic dynamite compressed in 8 minutes. We can’t have the best of both worlds; this said, Repelen III is a solid EM album of Berlin School style. Certainly different c because realized in studio, thus without any improvisations. And this is the big paradox in Repelen III. With a more structured music and by prioritizing the plays of Kangermann as well as Ebert, Detlev Keller and Mario Schonwalder forget theirs synths approaches filled of twisted solos and morphic strata, but they always remain concentrated on their so mesmerizing rhythmic visions and their minimalisms sequential movements. Broekhuis? Well, he is still so delicious on percussions. And as for Kangermann and Ebert, they bring an inestimable depth to the minimalism Berlin School of the German trio, adding harmonious touches to more and more delicious rhythmic thanks to Keller and Schonwalder audacious sequencing vision. ' Sylvain Lupari, gutsofdarkness.com & planetorigo.com