A Selection Of Improvisations 1989-2017

Telesoniek Atelier is the nom d’artiste of Dutch audiovisual explorer and electronic music sorcerer Hans Kulk, who’s been steadily carving a name for himself in Dutch art circles while constantly shining a light on the electronic music pioneers that came before him. ‘A Selection of Improvisations’ brings together some of his work of the last quarter of a century, veering back and forth between avantgarde classical music (the post-Bachian opener ‘Chateauroux’, ‘Oberheim Impro’), thoughtful minimalism (‘A Prophet Oberheim Impro’), emotive ambient (the wonderfully understated ‘I Am’ and the Klaus Schulze-dedicated ‘Gruesse an KS’) and eerie retro-futuristic soundscapes (‘Improvisatie’, ‘Montage De L’Histoire’). It’s a varied bunch that’s so heartbreakingly beautiful you can’t help but wonder why none of this was ever released before
“There was never much focus on recording quality – I was interested only in capturing the momentary musical idea improvised on those great SCI, Oberheim and ARP instruments”, Kulk humbly states in the liner notes of this beautifully designed double album. While he’s obviously selling himself short here – ‘Improvisations’ sounds great from start to finish and that can’t be solely attributed to the expert mastering of Frédéric Alstadt – it’s this sense of selflessness and unpretentiousness that makes this such a thrilling ride. The music speaks for itself here and it speaks volumes