Biography
Method: electro-acousticAim: narrative
"It is ironic to say the least that Mirko Uhlig's intentions seem to have been more readily understood when he was still releasing under his eccentric Aalfang mit Pferdekopf moniker (2004-2006). Back then, the joyful juxtaposition of divergent elements resulted in a kaleidoscopic collagerie which paid obvious tribute to the krauty side of Nurse with Wound and the monolithic coolness of Organum - and while it was magic to some, it didn't even qualify as music to others.
Since 2006 he has retreated to his nom de port, Uhlig has exchanged the naive bewilderment of experimental bricolage with the pursuit of pure beauty and there is suddenly confusion as to his motives: Are these silent outbursts of refined romanticism intended as some sort of clever commentary on the Drone genre, as a neo-conservative return to proven values or part of something different altogether?
Looking back, Uhlig's first two solo albums under his civilian name are to blame for this calamity. And yet, they also paved the way for what surely now looks like an exciting and sustainable artistic career. If „VIVMMI“ (May 2006 on Ex Ovo) promised a bright new world, which solipsistically combined the aleatory techniques of early AmP oeuvres like „Ich habe nur noch 12 Seepferdchen in meinem Tempel“ (January 2005 on Einzeleinheit); with the serene flow of later works like „Fragment 36“ (7“ on Drone Records), then it was spontaneously blown to pieces by the brutal boulder dash of „Storm: Outside Calm Tamed“ (February 2007, now as free via this page), a stupendous sonic self-laceration which redefined like noise and repetitivity. The impact of this ruthless tour de fource can still be sensed in reviews of his work today, which seem puzzled as to which direction Uhlig is headed for.
But it also meant that his oeuvre contained a fertile inbuilt tension as a seed of infinite possibilities. Uhlig brings out the potential of his material by constantly fine-tuning dynamics, filter settings, timbres and textural density and carefully shuffling his elements to arrive at a solemnly breathing piece of great calm. If this inherent freedom is mistaken for a shallow variation of the Ambient concept, then so be it.
But at the true heart of this music lies an important realisation, which ardently defies its use as background muzak: Making a musical statement of lasting value amidst the confusing blabber of 21st century life requires less, not more notes."
By Tobias Fischer for Tokafi, Summer 2008.
Touching Extremes: „Uhlig is one of the few ones able to cut the oneiric bliss of his creations right in the moment of maximum ecstasy.“
Vital Weekly: „Uhlig plays a form of drone music that is highly refreshing. He creates something that is beyond the ordinary! For me Mirko Uhlig is one of the better and unfortunately lesser known drone masters of .“
Tokafi: „Somehwere between an impressionist’s field of flowers painting and a dadaist’s love song.“
