Nah und Fern

Somehow, I have never even heard of Wolfgang Voigt and his work as "Gas", before I came across this set. As a major techno fan, I tend to buy most everything on the Kompakt label. I saw Nah und Ferm and decided it looked interesting. When I got home and put it on, I couldn't believe what I had been missing.

Although Voigt has won critical acclaim over the course of his career, he's still very much an "underground" artist - below many people's radar, even some hardcore electronic music aficionados, like myself. If you're in this group, "Nah und Fern" is an excellent way to introduce yourself to Gas (to be fair, buying the collected works of ANY artist is probably a good way to introduce yourself to them), as you get all four of his full length releases. You're on your own for his two 12"s, "Modern" and "Oktember."

Stylistically, Gas is a bit different than what one usually expects from a Kompakt CD, which should be no surprise seeing as these albums were originally released between 1996 and 2000. Beyond that, the music is not dance oriented in any manner. I suppose one could call it "drone" music, or something to that effect, but that seems too limiting. Aphex Twin's "Selected Ambient Works II" begins to give you an idea, but again, this comparison isn't that strong.

Gas creates sumptuous, undulating textures that seem to be at once stationary, and in constant flux. You can skip around the long tracks and things seem to never change, but when you're in the midst of the music, there is such a wealth of sonic information that it never becomes tiresome. One of the most interesting aspects of Voigt's music is the gentle rhythmic motion, which is incredibly similar to breathing. The music actually seems to inhale and exhale, which does two things: it lends the music a natural rhythmic structure that ties it closely to nature, and it aligns the attentive listener's breath rate with the music, thus lulling the listener into a state of deep relaxation and contemplation. It's really a remarkable effect, although it's difficult to imagine.

Occasionally, there are beats, but they're extremely minimal, repetitive, and they are far below the gaseous tonal clusters that define Gas's music. In this respect, it may not appeal to all fans of Kompakt-style techno. It's subtle music that demands your full attention. Anything less and it dissolves into the background. Some may find it difficult listening, but the majority will be enchanted by its serene beauty.

I highly recommend Gas to all fans of serious electronic music, and this collection is what you need. You get all the albums in a deluxe package, for essentially what you'd spend on two albums.

This boxed set contains over four hours of minimalist drone/techno. If you like Stars of the Lid, listen to these samples.

I have been waiting for this release and hoping that wolfgang voigt would remaster in my opinion some of the best ambient music on earth. This is Zauberberg,Konigsforst,Pop,and the self titled Gas releases in a cardboard box with sleeves for cases along with four case sized art prints of the cover with different shades of color. If you like what you hear on the samples you wont be dissapointed with the nice quality these cds give you. I listen to GAS music daily that is how good it is in my opinion. Wolfgang Voigt is trully a gifted artist and most anything on Kompakt label is good so check out their website and go to mp3s to hear samples. Take advantage of this while you can buy this now its a bargan!

Wolfgang Voigt is one of the cofounders of the German techno imprint Kompakt, and if you're familiar with its glistening electronica (a dominant and defining force this decade) you will grab this remastered boxset. Voigt's GAS project of the mid-late 90s was essentially one of the most important antecedents of ambient dubstep, and is visionary, beautiful music. Nah Und Fern is one of the boxsets of the year, and one of the greatest electronic releases of this decade.