REVIEW: Joachim Spieth - Ousia [Affin]

In the darker regions of techno, Joachim Spieth is a familiar name with an unmistakably familiar signature sound: extra deep melancholic pads set to a relentlessly driving beat, creating a stark contrast that is "oh so Spieth". But 2020 finds maestro unplugging his drum machine and playing more with his reverberated pads.

'Ousia' is the third album in Joachim's trilogy of 2020 and the second to be completely ambient and beatless. In lesser hands, removing the beat could easily lead to a one-dimensional formulaic rolling blob of ambient sounds, lacking definition and purpose So what happens when the beat goes silent for Joachim? It should come as no surprise to his fans, but the complete opposite! His tracks feel almost liberated from the techno formula; they acquire even more depth and are allowed to breathe, grow, and reveal every subtle nuance at its deliberately slow pace. Not a single sound is allowed to repeat; each track is like a wave, enveloping a rock on a shore: it ebbs and flows but always different and always moving.

The album is so effective that it sucks you in, stopping time and freezing you in your tracks (pun intended!). A few minutes pass and you invariably become that rock on the shore, with Joachim releasing his magic waves to wash over you.

‘Ousia’ features an enchanting collaboration between Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth, who joined forces in ‘Mutuus’. Guentner and Spieth musically shaped Wolfgang Voigt's first release of the compilation series "Pop Ambient" more than 20 years ago.

The album will be available as a double 12”, a limited vinyl version including a printed booklet and digital formats. It’s scheduled for release on January 11th via Spieth’s imprint, Affin.