title:

statskcartsa - untie e.p.

label:

boltfish recordings

format:

cdr / mp3

release date:

21.04.06

cat. no.:

bolt027

tracks:

eisenbahn (cheju remix)

reviews:

"boltfish continue their run of superb releases with this delightful 6-track ep from statskcartsa. taking influences from the electronic and organic side of the scene you get a beautiful series of melodic, drifting, yet very rhythmic tracks that bowled me over, to be honest. layers of warmth and depth collide with the more upbeat versions from mint and cheju to make an engaging release that'll appeal as much to fans of ambient as to those who like a spot of electronica. lovely stuff." - smallfish, 05.06

"when confronted with innocuous music, i'm reminded of kafka's infamous line about great literature being an axe for the frozen sea within us. admittedly, it wouldn't be realistic to expect every work to engender an epiphany but, even so, creative work should at least try to reach beyond matters of craft. such thoughts come to mind as i listen to a new ep by statskcartsa (greg haines) featuring originals plus remixes by cheju (wil bolton) and mint (murray fisher) plus statskcartsa's remix of cheju's 'pachinko.' some of the material evidences the syndrome alluded to: an inarguably well-assembled construction of crackling textures, strings, and acoustic guitars, the paradisiacal 'april 21st' shimmers beatifically but lacks drama, a malady that likewise afflicts the song's reprise at disc's end. elsewhere, the background whirr of a projection device nicely frames mint's 'cinefilm remix' of 'at long last' yet it too settles into a kind of vaporous prettiness during its buoyantly skipping middle. tellingly, the ep impresses most when it's less polite. a heavy rhythm forcefully imposes itself upon the intricate patterns of 'firstly, summer', giving the tune some needed heft, and cheju gives the steely flutter of 'eisenbahn' a harder edge with the addition of hip-hop beats." - textura, 05.06

"another new signing for boltfish that goes by the name: statskcartsa. the untie ep is a six track remix ep featuring 'april 21st' an original track by statskcartsa and five remixes. it would seem like boltfish in likeness with many others have opted for a slightly different musical path this time around. 'april 21st' dwells in an analogue setting complete with gently handled guitar and live sounding percussion. the 'eisenbahn' remix courtesy cheju bears similarities to his recent static caravan release 'a rainy mile', solid beats and manipulated sounds originally emitted by a stringed instrument. 'firstly, summer (new mix)' features chime and piano for base, a steady beat fused with pop-influenced melody and vocals. 'at long last (mint’s cinefilm remix)' got lovely undampend piano serving as introduction to mint’s remix efforts and it’s very much a mint affair. with strong melody, laid-back beats, the lushest of strings, layered and building towards the obvious musical conclusion - all assembled by an experts hand. 'cheju – pachinko (statskcartsa remix)' originally included on cheju’s 'taito-ku ep' bolt018 gets the remix treatment by statskcartsa. in the remix the chords that are trademarked cheju are kept intact and statskcartsa stays true to the original but nevertheless makes a new version that is messier with added glitch and less guitar than the original. ending the 'untie ep' is the ambient beatless remix 'april 21st (greg haines' reprise remix)' and greg haines would be identical to a musician that uses the alias statskcartsa. it’s bolt027 and you know you should investigate." - electronic desert, 05.06

"new signing on boltfish, statskcartsa is the alias of the englishman greg haines (also active under the pseudonym pirouette). on this debut release are two original tracks, a remix carried out by the artist himself, two other remixes by the boltfish owners (mint and cheju) and a remix by statskcartsa of a cheju track. obviously, as each time on this label, it's the dreamlike melodies of electronica and a carefree spirit that is conveyed to us: rounded notes coming from pizzicati, digitalized acoustic guitar, moving piano, enveloping landscapes. speaking rhythmically it's a discrete arrangement in the opening track, april 21st, with pulsations only intervening during 2 of the 7.5 minutes. therefore, you concentrate on the instrumentation and the construction of the piece, which is dazzling enough and should well be recognised. the remix by greg haines himself continues to be based on the sampled chords and small notes, whilst leaving the rhythmic side completely. whilst operating in the same universe (notes of a ringing glockenspiel, ethereal environment), firstly, summer on the other hand presents a rhythmic whirling, underlined by evanescent singing and piano chords which almost take the release towards shoegazing territory. remixing eisenbahn, cheju preserves the piano in the background but stresses the synthetic melodies while, reworking at long last, mint, keeps the melancholic keyboard, whilst adding his traditionally elegant beaches of rhythmic and lush synths. lastly, remixing pachinko by cheju, it is the turn of statskcartsa to add piano puncuated with the rhythmic electronica of wil bolton for a particularly successful result, fitting the ep's cover image of a soaring flight that brings you to discover a new artist you'll happily follow in the future." - etherreal, 05.06