Console
Reset The Preset

THE REVIEW

Console, a not so original moniker behind which hides one of the most prolific and creative minds of the German electronic scene. Martin Gretschmann (Lali Puna, Notwist, Ms. John Soda), here is the brilliant figure leading this very interesting musical project.

Do not make the mistake of assimilating Console to what constitutes the main focus of Martin's career (the Notwist, indeed). The affinities between the two groups exist, certainly, but it is the distinguishing features of this Reset The Preset that make it truly a wonderful surprise.

The voice guiding us in this musically pop-tinged journey (in the noblest sense of the term) is female this time. Delicate, incredibly melodic, and never out of place, the singer's performance certainly stands out.

As far as the sound system is concerned, the presence of classical instruments is scarce, in favor of sampled bases that know how to traverse and evoke the most diverse emotional spheres, never trivial or repetitive.
If Notwist manage to insert great emotion into a relatively sparse electronic context, never abandoning the classic song form, Console do not disdain wide 'instrumental' digressions and, if you will, appear perhaps more experimental than their more esteemed cousins in terms of sound and compositional research.

The abandonment of a certain formal rigidity that conditions, not necessarily negatively, a production like "Neon Golden" turns out to be certainly the most significant key to interpreting this product, in any case highly enjoyable even for an audience accustomed to more canonical melody and electro-pop.

Ultimately an excellent work for the inexhaustible Gretschmann, perhaps the least easy of his numerous projects but, precisely for this reason, a sincere expression of a truly original concept of music, fascinating and technically flawless. Another little, unmissable gem.