Heathen Harvest [USA]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Artridge, finally, has returned after a four year silence with Butterfly Wing Theory – Part I (Think Tank), an album not far removed from their initial effort in “Finished Soundtracks for Unshot Films”, yet not as completely cinematic sounding as some may think. Truth be told, with their new release, Artridge sound more akin to their brothers and sisters in the Shoegaze and Trip Hop worlds than the closely related Post-industrial and chamber ambient progressions they seemingly represent. True, the textures are there, and there is certainly too much experimenting and too many electronics to simply call this another genre of rock or the typical rhythmic side of electronica, but Artridge bring themselves out of simply categorization with an effort of immense skill and class, routinely forming a very thoughtful and intelligent work that is honestly rarely seen these days in experimental music.

Of course, with influences that range from free jazz to progressive rock, the band obviously stands outside the closed walls of 99% of the artists who are currently held within the Post-industrial music movement. Their blend of progressive, nearly jam-esque rock combined with the ambient elements and the sparing industrial overtones really make for a unique, fresh sound that can be refreshing for any fan of the realm. A quick glance at the 'sounds like' list included with the press sheet will tell the whole story, with artists side by side: “Aphex Twin, Pink Floyd, Front Line Assembly”. The psychedelic tendencies are certainly toned down to make room for complex music writing, as can be expected from any progressive project, but even with the consideration of older projects like King Crimson and Ministry, fans of the new progressive movement will love this album. Butterfly Wing Theory Pt. I can be compared to projects like Grayceon and instrumental projects like La Fin du Monde who are limited by their ignorance in the field of electronics. When the electronic element is added into the realm of acoustic instruments, the possibility of creation becomes, quite literally, endless.

Artridge understand this. Making complex, well-written compositions can often become limited through a musicians' own tools. A guitar can only be manipulated and played so well until it bottoms out, but when plugging it into the world of samples and adding additional percussive loops and noise, ambient, or drone textures, it creates something completely unique and hard to copy. You won't find bands like Artridge on a tablature site, for example, simply because it surpasses the means of traditional instrumentation. People like myself, who are long-time fans of progressive rock and either somewhat new or intermediately experienced with the post-industrial world may find themselves overwhelmed, needing a couple listens just to begin to fully take in the various compositions found throughout.

But the music isn't simply monochromatic, which is the case for most instrumental projects. These chords, melodies, and rhythmic layers all have definitive meaning lyrically, even in the absence of a vocalist. Artridge had an idea with Butterfly Wing Theory – Part I (Think Tank), and there's a reason the album was 5 years in the making. With the exception of the lineup changes for the band, much time went into directly tying the compositions to political contemplations and their personal thoughts and philosophies. These songs have character and are not simply performed notes – every track on Butterfly Wing Theory Pt. I holds a key set in time, its own story and reality, and as with the Butterfly Wing Theory well-known throughout the philosophic and scientific worlds, it marks the ever-increasing downfall of the world over the past decade.

There's so much to say about this album that is simply not capable of being put into words. Artridge have something compelling here, something new and something real. It transgresses typical music in a way that will raise an eyebrow from anyone, regardless of how minimal or progressive a background you come from. This is an album that could, if taken in the right light from the right people, create an entire new subgenre in itself. This record is groundbreaking.

(Sage L. Weatherford / Editor)

http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20090324193739407

TOKAFI Magazine

CD Feature/ Artridge: "Butterfly Wing Theory Part 1"
Traces of Krautrock Part 3: The same kind of hypnotic humanoid pulse 70s-rhythm-sections were famous for.

Albums like "Butterfly Wing Theory" are bound to become scarce. In a world increasingly serving information as easily digestable micro-snacks, building sustained and demanding tension archs certainly seems out of place, out of touch and beyond most listener's attention spans. Britney Spear's dictum that you need to win over audiences in the first three seconds of a song has proved to be a new paradigm and the advent of the ringtone 'musical constructs without beginning, development and end 'has meant that instant satisfaction is increasingly gaining ground over the joys of meticulously and actively decoding an artistic code over time. And yet, Robin Pleil and Christoph Mainz of Artridge are neither nostalgic reactionaries nor cerebral rebels.

If one disregards the conceptual angle of their latest full-length, after all, one could even argue that their eclectically informed, border-defying, genre-ignoring and multilayered approach is a perfect mirror image of this century's pluripole tendencies. Even though "Butterfly Wing Theory" sounds more cohesive and focussed than its wilfully colourful predecessor "Finished Soundtracks for Unshot Films", it is still marked by a plethora of carefully aligned influences and distinct stylistic references: Electronica, Industrial, Ambient and even dark slardes of Punk are integrated into ambitious Post-Rock textures. Melody and harmony empathically embrace groove, texture and the Avantgarde. Songs are transcended into intuitive flows and improvisatory structures condensed into concentrated compositions.

Most importantly, Pleil and Mainz are 'virtually and with utmost delicacy' returning to a format so-called experts have declared dead for the better part of the last two decades: The band. Even though it is audibly steeped in thoughtfully implemented technology, the album's instrumentation is not overly dissimilar from that of a rock group: Piano, Organ, Synths, Bass and Electric and Acoustic Guitars form the backbone of all but a few tracks (the politically inspired and EBM-oriented "Dallas Ditchwater" constituting a noteable exception) and a total of four Drummers has leant an unpolished, percussive metronome to the production. As a result, a record which could have turned top-heavy for the sheer weight of ideas injected into it during an extensive creational period of five years, now sounds perfectly organic and - whatever that may mean in an age of various simultaneous realities - tangible.

This, however, is not a means to its own end. Instead, "Butterfly Wing Theory" uses the slight irregularities caused by man-made imperfections to create the notion of space, fluency and infinite possibilities. If there is a Kraut-feeling to the record, then it is not just because obvious stand-out track "Charcoal" develops the same kind of hypnotic humanoid pulse 70s-rhythm-sections were famous for. It is because trying and experimenting are essential parameters of arriving at satisfying results here. This does not exclude control and regulation: Not once do Artridge allow their pieces to drift into limbo, restricting the length of their excursions to a maximum of six and a half minutes and even including a couple of barely one minute long miniatures into their caleidoscopic continuum. And yet, the relaxed and unhurried pace they're displaying, the discipline in restricting themselves to a minimum of selected themes and their preference of staying in the moment rather than aiming for a linear destination vector, lends a sense that anything might truly be possible to their music.

Another thing is essential in this context as well. Returning to the conceptual side of things, hinted at by the album title's suggestion that more volumes are to follow in the future, it is probably the implicit notion that all compositions are somehow connected here which binds the shattered pieces of the puzzle (sometimes consisting of nothing but a single, dirty Rock Riff) together. Ironically, then, neither the booklet nor the press release reveal all that much about a concrete narration 'citing "sombre reflections on everyday life, media footage and personal convulsions" as underlying themes instead. The real triumph of Pleil and Mainz lies in their ability to turn these vagueries into something deeply intimate and into decidedly more than the sum of its individual parts. Albums like "Butterfly Wing Theory" are sure to become even scarser over the years to come 'grab your copy now.

(Tobias Fischer /Editor)

http://www.tokafi.com/newsitems/cd-feature-artridge-butterfly-wing-theory-part-1

BAD ALCHEMY | [BA 60] [D - Print]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Beim Nachfolger von Finished Soundtracks for Unshot Films (BA 46) frönen Christoph Mainz & Robin Pleil nicht ganz so eklektizistisch einem Sammelsurium von Stilen. Der eine mit Keyboards, Orgel & Piano, der andere mit Gitarre & Bass, dazu diverse Drummer, geben einer postrockigen Melange jeweils den entsprechend ambienten Flow, den dynamischen Drive oder eine psychedelische, krautige Surrealität. Für diesen Akzent sorgt die starke Gitarrenarbeit von Pleil, die ein wenig an Popol Vuh und Ash Ra Tempel erinnert (aber auch krachig rockt, etwa bei ‚Man in the Middle‘). Es entsteht da eine Drift ins Erhabene, in der man sich verlieren kann. Dabei sind die Konnotationen, die durch das Artwork angestoßen werden, alles andere als esoterisch und eskapistisch. Gesäumt in militärischer Camouflage wird mehrfach auf 9/11 angespielt, hinter blutbespritzten Fenstern sieht man Manhattan, eine blutfleckige Postkarte, abgestempelt SEP 11 2001, endet mitten im Satz „Tomorrow we will...“, zwei Tambours mit Zylinderhut betrommeln die Kasperlshow von Bush & Bin Laden. Der Oud, der bei ‚Charcoal‘ an einem (Terroristen?)-Lagerfeuer gezupft wird, und die Friends Of Dean Martinez- Desert-Gitarre, die darauf anwortet, lösen dieses blutige Gekaspere in musikalisches Wohlgefallen auf. Ein schöner Widerspruch bestimmt auch ‚Milkbar‘, schwebende Klangwolken und erhabene Chorvokalisation werden unterlaufen von Chackachack-Beat und funky Slapbass. Mit jedem Hören vermehren sich die Aha-Effekte.

(Rigobert Dittmann / Editor)

http://www.badalchemy.de/

FREQ Magazine [UK]

Artridge - "Butterfly Wing Theory - Part 1 (Think Tank)"

Berlin-based Artridge, self-proclaimed purveyors of post-industrial
chamber music and imaginary soundtracks, are back with a new
full-length CD on German label Interlink. With a four-year gap since
their previous album, Artridge have developed a knack for effortless
eclecticism and a talent for lush orchestration. This all-instrumental
CD takes in elements of krautrock, trip-hop, metal riffing,
soundscapes, jazz, gentle breakbeats, and even a touch of the blues,
and binds them together with a rich and sometimes intentionally
claustrophobic production style. Thankfully not an easy band to
categorize, they don't really resemble the 'electronica' they're
sometimes tagged with, but fit more comfortably alongside the likes of
Earthmonkey or the Pink Dots/Tear Garden's instrumentals.

'Halo' is the most accessible tune here, an upbeat post-rock dreamer
which makes good late-night driving music (we checked). But this is a
rare diversion for a band more fond of film-score atmospherics, at
which they excel. 'Milkbar', 'Man in the Middle' and 'Jellyfish' all
incorporate creepy horrorshow ambience but strike off in radically
different directions, while 'Charcoal' somehow manages to sounds like
a Lynchian spaghetti western.

Although they are far too cryptic a band for political
message-mongering, the later tracks of the album take on a vaguely
political feel, starting with 'Polygraph' and the spy-helicopters
conspiriology of 'Spec Ops', and culminating in the frenzied 'Dallas
Ditchwater', peppered with warlike Dubya malapropisms and guitar
noise. After this, closing track 'Worldpool' provides a downtempo
return to normality, the musical equivalent of that post-Bush sense of
relief.

(Andrew Clegg /FREQ Magazine)

http://www.freq.org.uk/albums.html#artridge_butterfly

Darklife [CH]

After a 4-year hiatus, the Berlin-based duo made up by Christoph Mainz and Robin Pleil are back with a new visionary work of eclectic connotations. Artridge bring under the same roof a variety of styles to give life to the first part of a compendium of their night-time creative wanderings. Drifting from post-industrial to jazzed up electric rock, ambient to prog, IDM to psychedelic, Artridge broadcast a message that knows no boundaries and leaves little place to clichés. Although they call themselves 'retro-garde', their approach to composition is purely avant-gardist and markedly freeform. Yet they build up and maintain a sonic coherence that holds for the duration of the work, which consists of eleven tracks and just over 45 minutes of playing time. The journey they offer is purely fascinating and, as it's easy to see this is on the wrong side of the pop sensibilities that dictate mass-appreciation, it goes without saying Butterfly Wing Theory is not for mass appeal. Although its soft approach, the caressing layering of suede-like sonicscapes evolving in several directions, is certainly an element that helps focus the imagination, to the point that by the end of the album, their sonic message will probably ring as well established on the listener sub-conscious. At least that's what Artridge do to me!

(Gianfranco Sciacca / Editor)

http://www.darksite.ch/darklife/dlzineX7frame_cdreviewsapr09.html

ReGen Magazine [USA]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Not a dramatic departure from their established sound, but still a work of exploratory instrumen-tality.

The duo of Robin Pleil and Christoph Mainz certainly had their work cut out for them with their sophomore release as Artridge. Their debut, Finished Soundtracks for Unshot Films lived up to its title as a collection of forward-thinking instrumental music, touching on various genres in a cohesive flow that certainly lent a cinematic scope to the music. As with any sophomore album, the pressure to expand on the previous album's successes and improve upon its errors was high, but Pleil and Mainz seemed to have met the challenge headlong with Butterfly Wing Theory, Part 1, once again presenting listeners with abstract instrumental compositions that wax and wane amid a sea of divergent electronic textures and organic touchups, each track painting a picture of a scene unseen.

Beginning with "Distillery," Artridge rummages through a desolate sonic landscape that could easily play soundtrack to Apocalypse Now before finally breaking into a dark and rhythmic romp that will certainly put some listeners in the mind of Recoil. "Halo" introduces us to a primarily guitar-driven bit of jazzy noise, with layers of e-bowed guitars overlapping to create a symphony of distorted noise, switching things up to end on a slower and jazzier movement, while "Charcoal" begins with plucking melodies overtop ambient mists before breaking into a morose bit of audio noir with a slow jazzy trip-hop beat and bass line with smooth guitars, truly reminiscent of a late night club or a slow drive through an urban sprawl at night. By the time we get to the industrial clamor and reverberating guitars of "Man in the Middle," the Artridge journey is in full swing, incorporating dark and seemingly directionless atmospheres into what at their core are simple blues jams with lazy drum patterns, somber bass lines, and guitars that weep as profusely as any tortured diva. Even the electrified madness that is "KnitFitFoamFix" or the sparse and eerie ambiences of "Polygraph" resonate with experimental flourishes of edgy electronics and off-kilter progressions often employed by the likes of King Crimson or Tuner, while "Spec Ops" could easily be some sort of soundtrack to a military action movie.

It's difficult to say if Artridge has indeed progressed beyond the confines of the band's first album, especially when considering the sheer breadth of style and vision displayed. Like Finished Soundtracks for Unshot Films, Butterfly Wing Theory, Part 1 take the listener through peaks and valleys of instrumental exploration, although the addition of more organic elements of guitars, bass, and live percussion give this album a no less cinematic feel as well as a greater sense of their artistic range. Avant-garde electronica meshes with seedy blues in ways few musicians have accomplished successfully, all set to a stream-of-consciousness style that while hardly catchy does at least allow the listener to soak in the sonic environment and continue down unfamiliar but enticing paths.

(Ilker Yücel / Editor)

http://www.regenmag.com/Reviews-1754-Artridge-Butterfly-Wing-Theory-Part-1.html

TEXTURA [CA]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Artridge describes its music as "Contemporary Progressive Post-Industrial Chamber Music" and the characterization isn't entirely off-base. Abetted by a trio of drummers, Christoph Mainz (piano, organ, electric piano, synths, keyboards, guitars) and Robin Pleil (electric and acoustic guitars, baritone and steel guitars, string bass, strings, keyboards) shape a heady brew of prog and post-rock into a lumbering colossus, with the material on Artridge's first full-length in four years often sounding like live jams the duo have shaped into multi-layered masses. Throughout its life-span, the group has absorbed multiple styles and pretty much all of them surface at one time or another during the album's forty-five-minute running time, including drum'n'bass ("Milkbar"), prog-rock ("Halo", "Jellyfish"), post-rock ("Charcoal"), and dub ("World Pool").

"Distillery" eases the listener in with a bubbly cauldron of tinkling chimes, and beats that occasionally swim to the surface of the chemical broth. "Halo" hits harder with an attack that's rather King Crimson-like in style before easing up in the second half for a downtempo, bass-prodded coda. The initially diffused "Charcoal" gradually assumes a post-rock shape with colourful swathes of electric guitar draped across a tight bass-and-drum groove. Opening with a heavy riff that's distantly reminiscent of "Owner of a Lonely Heart", the brief "Man in the Middle" exudes the crushing force of a steamroller, after which the funereal "Jellyfish" plunges below the surface towards the murky depths. "Spec Ops" transports the listener to a psychedelic war zone where the gyroscopic churn of helicopter blades and wind-up clocks intertwine, after which the material's political overtones turn even more explicit when George Bush's declamatory voice surfaces amidst the torrential prog-noise blizzards of "Dallas Ditchwater". Though Artridge originally intended Butterfly Wing Theory to be a triple album, the group eventually scrapped the trilogy concept for a two-part release, with Butterfly Wing Theory - Part 1 (Think Tank) obviously anticipating the second, which one assumes will be released sooner than later.

http://www.textura.org/reviews/artridge.htm

CONNEXION BIZARRE [P, UK, USA]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Subtitled "Think Tank", "Butterfly Wing Theory Part 1" is a wonderfully experimental affair that toys around with varying degrees of elements from natural sound sources to full instruments to programming, more often than not all in the space of one track. Take track two "Halo". This is beautifully composed and casually layered with orchestral instrumentation, jazz percussion like structures and soaring progressive rock guitars, each holding their own and not drowning out their counterparts in the process. It's an eclectic mix but ultimately gracious and dripping with raw, unbridled emotion rivalling that only attained by the upper echelons of IDM circles, yet all patched together with natural instrumentation. Elements of surf guitar glide along through a couple of numbers and is so utterly slick leaving you in no doubt that they are probably one of the coolest acts you could listen to right now. There is simply nothing this lot couldn't turn their hands to using this album as evidence. Ambient elements, rock sensibilities, no stone is left unturned and this really has something for any fan of post-industrial, progressive rock and rivals anything currently turning the boards in Intelligent Dance Music circles, with ease. It would be easy to dismiss a lot of this album if you don't give it the time it deserves. Without a doubt a lot of the journey rates as some of the strangest listening I have come across, and yes it can be a little pretentious at times, but that is all part of its charm. I mean come on, who sets themselves up as 'Contemporary Progressive Post-Industrial Chamber Music' or more ludicrously, 'Instrumental Electromagnetic Unkraut Rock'? No one apart from this lot and to be fair they couldn't have nailed it more on the head (well, sort of).

[9/10]

(Tony Young / Editor)

http://www.connexionbizarre.net/reviews/r_artridge_bt1.htm

OX-FANZINE [D - Print]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

[...] Artridge können auf „Butterfly Wing Theory Part 1" mit ihren fließenden Gitarrenklängen und sanften Rhythmusteppichen von Anfang an eine dichte Atmosphäre aufbauen [...]

http://www.ox-fanzine.de/web/print/pdf/s/207/rev/65206/reviews.207.html

ZILLO [D - Print]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Nach dem 2004er Release „Finished Soundtracks For Unshot Films“ entschlossen sich die Wahl-Berliner Artridge mit ihrem aktuellen Longplayer „Butterfly Wing Theory“ die Software gegen Hardware auszutauschen und alles etwas organischer klingen zu lassen. Das Ergebnis ist gelungen, denn Post- Rock, Ambient, Jazz, Kammer-Musik, Progressive-Rock und Electronica gehen hier eine fruchtbare und durchaus postmoderne Symbiose ein, denn eine Klassifizierung des Gehörten fällt schwer. Vielmehr greifen sich Artridge für ihren unkonventionellen, rein instrumentalen Klangcocktail Zutaten von überall her, ohne dadurch an Homogenität zu verlieren. Reine Geräusch-Kulissen gehen in (scheinbar) improvisierte Prog-Rock-Teile über, die dann wiederum in energischen Post-Rock münden – und so vollzieht sich die Metamorphose der Stilistiken die ganze Zeit über. Glücklicherweise werden Artridge dabei auch trotz des Fehlens eines Sängers nicht langweilig. Dennoch ist dies Werk definitiv kein Album für die breite Masse, sondern Musik für eine Minderheit, die auf Anspruch und Experimentierfreude gleichermaßen Wert legt. Irgendwie originell.

(Sascha Blach / Editor)

http://www.zillo.de/

CHAIN D.L.K [I, CH, USA]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

(Maurizio Pustianaz / Editor)

http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=4730

METAL.DE [D]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Unangenehm. Blut! Blut! Ein Schmetterling! Ach, wie herrlich... nein, nein, nein, keine Milch, keine Flügel, keine... Menschen? Ordnung... nur ein kleiner Baustein der großen Gesamtvision, nur ein unbedeutender Teil des Chaos. Sie schießen! Es brennt! Blut überall... Nein, kein Blut! Klang, es ist Klang! Ein Sumpf, weit weg von Menschen, weit weg von Häusern, hörst du es? Der Wind bringt Geräusche mit sich von
sterbenden Völkern, von Heuschreckenschwärmen, von alptraumgeplagten Städten. Nur hier, in der Oase der Ruhe hört man die Schmetterlingsflügel schlagen, nur hier kann man tief in sich gehen, sich seinen Ängsten stellen. Geborgenheit ist eine Illusion. Sicherheit ein hohles Wort. Zeit ist ein scharfes Gebiss! Damokles wacht über uns. Ewig. Wohin soll ich mich wenden? Gefangen im Strom der Gedanken, im Rausch der süßen Pflanzen, bunt und schwer... kalt und ultraleicht legt sich der Geruch der Verwesung auf meine lechzenden Lippen. Ein Lied ohne Worte. Ein Wort ohne Bedeutung. Eine Bedeutung ohne Sinn. Ein Sinn ohne Bestätigung. Eine Bestätigung ohne Frage.

Punkte: 9/10

(Johannes Schmuck / Editor)

http://metal.de/cdreviews.php4?was=review&id=11497

TERRORVERLAG [D]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

”Art Rock“ ist ein Prädikat, das irgendwie nie so richtig Anwendung findet und oft an dem Make-Up-Bühnenquotienten der betreffenden Musik festgemacht wird. ARTRIDGE füllen diesen Begriff aus, als ob er nur für ihre Musik erfunden worden wäre.

Wirre Soundgeflechte aus sensationell klaren Fieldrecordings, Klanginnovationen, Ethno-Elementen, Jazz-Anleihen und Post-Rock gehen auf “Butterfly Wing Theory, Part 1 – Think Tank” fließend ineinander über, bereichern sich gegenseitig und kreieren eine ganz spezifische, schwer zu fassende Atmosphäre. Hin und wieder erinnern manche Samples an die Basis von Graeme Revells “The Insect Musicians” Konzeptalbum. Schlagzeug und E-Bass wirken in vielen Stücken schon fast wie Fremdkörper, verleihen den Stücken aber so eine feste Grundlinie, die den abstrakten Teil des Albums näher an den Hörer heranbringt. Das Vertraute wird hier zum Vermittler, der einen mit dem „Rest“ der “Butterfly Wing Theory“ versöhnt.

Das Cover zeigt eine Larve und wie diese Larve wird sich auch die Musik weiter entpuppen, vielleicht durchschaubarer werden mit den kommenden Teilen der „Theory”. Das Album komplett zu verstehen ist schwer, ohne die anderen noch zu erscheinenden Mosaiksplitter genauer zu kennen. Ein hermeneutischer Zirkel, der erst durch den nächsten Teil komplett wird. Das Warten kann beginnen.

(Gnark 6. 11. 2008)

http://www.musik.terrorverlag.de/rezensionen.php?select_cd=7912

CUEMIX MAGAZINE [D]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

This album is one of those I've awaited for a long time. Four years after their last album Artridge are back with a new milestone called "Butterfly Wing Theory - Part1". This album made a long journey and the story of its production would fill a whole book. But in the end the result counts and the long way until the birth of something new becomes history. Artridge reinvented themselves again by merging new equipment, new drummers together with some old equipment and their own vision of music and sound. The sessions for this album must've been a very special experience. The sound of Artridge became richer and better than ever before. Handmade sounds like drum, bass, guitars and acoustic pianos are joining perfectly together with electronic soundscapes and samples. This music is hard to file under any genre, its too special, too briliant and outstanding. If you would ask me spontaneously I would state somewhere in between early Pink Floyd and the quiet ones from Flashbulb. The range of sounds and the atmosphere of the tracks are nearly inconceivable. This music has identity and soul - and a message. This album will bewitch the lovers of "real music" and the sceptic ones who can't handle genres like "Post-Industrial Chamber music". With this album Artridge created the next milestone in music. And this milestone isn't too heavy that you cannot consume it with brain and heart without having fun listening to it. One of the most surprising releases of 2008! A must have - no question. I am looking forward to the next part....

(Michael Mück / Editor)

http://www.cuemix- magazine.com/cuemix/inhalt.php?image=991

ORKUS MAGAZIN [D - Print]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Wie war das? Wenn hier ein Schmetterling mit den Flügeln schlägt, dann regnet es in China? Oder so. Jedenfalls klingt der Titel von Artridge, einem Projekt bestehend aus den Musikern Christoph Mainz und Robin Pleil, ziemlich spannend – und nach Konzeptalbum. Ist es in gewisser Weise auch: Schon bei ihrem Vorgänger „Finished Soundtracks for Unshot Films“ wanderten Artridge durch sämtliche musikalischen Gefilde, blieben aber immer der psychedelisch angehauchten Rockmusik, wie man es von Pink Floyd oder King Crimson her kennt, treu. Und auch auf „Butterfly Wing Theory – Part 1 (Think Tank)“ arbeitet das Duo zusammen mit einigen Gastmusikern die intellektuell aufgeladene Rockmusik der letzten Jahrzehnte ab. Dabei können sie wie bei „Charcoal“ gitarrenlastiger sein, ehe sie beim darauffolgenden „Milkbar“ mit entrückten Synthesizerlinien und Drum’n’Bass-Rhythmen ankommen, ehe es dann mit „Man in the Middle“ geradezu rockig losgeht. Das Gitarrenriff zu Anfang, das im Laufe des Liedes immer verwaschener wird, erinnert stark an 80er-Rock-Songs. Sicherlich ist Artridge keine Band für zwischendurch. Ihr Springen durch die verschiedenen Spielarten der Rockmusik und die Chuzpe, sich auch innerhalb eines Stückes wieder neu zu definieren, macht es zwar dem Hörer nicht immer einfach, mitzukommen, dennoch sollte man den Hut vor solch immensem popkulturellen Wissen honorieren. Ein bisschen sophisticated, das Ganze, aber auch irgendwie geil.

(Nuuc / Editor)

http://www.elektrauma.de/rezensionen.php4?KritikNummer=1846

IK ECHT [NL]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory (Part I - Think Tank) Het heeft bijna vijf jaar geduurd voordat Artridge terugkeerde aan het front. Na voorganger "Finished Soundtracks For Unshot Films" is er nu dat het eerste in een tweeluik "Butterfly Wing Theory (Part I - Think Tank)". Elf tracks van iets meer dan drie kwartier alles bij elkaar. De heren Christoph Mainz en Robin Pleil zetten iets neer wat zij nu omschrijven als "Contemporary Progressive Instrumental Post-industrial Chamber Music, Sub-genre: Electromagnetic Unkraut Rock". Als u daar iets van kan maken hoor ik het graag, voor mij klinkt het als een heleboel bij elkaar gegooide genres en "ik wil niet gelabeled worden". Oftewel over naar de muziek. Het grote verschil met het voorgaande album is dat er op dit album met echte instrumenten gewerkt wordt in plaats van alleen met software en knopjes. Dat geeft vooral een warmer geluid, een geluid dat net als op zijn voorganger ook weer heel goed geproduceerd is. Qua muziek is filmisch nog steeds een goede omschrijving. Het zijn nu wel meer losse nummers en minder één geheel. De sfeer verandert gedurende het album ook nogal eens van donker ("Halo") naar jazzy ("Worldpool"). De heren zijn de hokjes absoluut voorbijgegaan en durven van alles aan, toch iets afleverend dat als een album klinkt met bijbehorende samenhang. Als je het dan toch moet brandmerken met één stijl slechts dan komt denk ik post-rock nog het dichtst bij. Maar zoals gezegd de heren weten de hokjes goed te ontwijken. Waar het wel om draait is de kwaliteit en die straalt er vanaf. Dit is goed doordachte muziek, al is het heel af en toe lastig om een goed einde voor een nummer te bedenken. Zo aanraden als de voorganger zal ik niet doen, maar voor iedere liefhebber van experimentele muziek is dit een aanrader en voor vele ambient-liefhebbers en post-rockers kan dit ook niet misstaan in de platenkast.

(Jaap Kamminga / Editor)

http://ikecht.web-log.nl/ikecht/2008/11/artridge---butt.html

KULTURTERRORISMUS [D]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Genre: Industrial, Krautrock, Jazz, TripHop, Ambient

Künstlerisch hoch wertvoll oder …?

Manche Tonträger stemmen sich mit aller Kraft bzw. Gewalt gegen eine Besprechung, indem sie versuchen den Rezensenten (mich) bei jedem Hördurchgang mehr zu verwirren! Dieser Sache zuträglich ist der Einsatz verschiedenster Musikstile, die gemeinsam für eine gewisse Undurchdringlichkeit sorgen. In diese vorher beschrieben Kategorie gehört das aktuelle Lebenszeichen “Butterfly Wing Theory – Part 1 (Think Tank)” von Artridge, welches nach 4 Jahren Funkstille das Licht der Welt auf Interlink Audio erblickt. Im Gegensatz zum sehr elektronischen Vorgänger “Finished Soundtracks For Unshot Films” präsentieren die Herren Christoph Mainz & Robin Pleil hinter Artridge mit Unterstützung von Ben Makinen, Harley King, Matthias Geiges und Christoph Hellmich ein mehrheitlich handwerklich erstelltes Release, das sehr progressiv bzw. technisch des Weges kommt.Inhaltlich reflektiert “Butterfly Wing Theory – Part 1 (Think Tank)” humorvoll wie schockierend Situationen, die uns in den Medien täglich ereilen. Artridge greifen im Besonderen den Kampf zwischen den Herren Osama Bin Laden und George W. Bush (Zum Glück muss der Kriegstreiber endlich in Rente!) auf, den die Herren vorrangig alleine ausfechten sollten (Warum trefft ihr Euch nicht auf einen Kaffee und bringt Euch am Ende gegenseitig um? Das gäbe mal eine Schlagzeile!), anstatt andere Menschen, die in ihrer Befehlsgewalt oder unter ihrem religiösem Einfluss stehen, in den Tod zu entsenden. Diejenigen, die sich für hochwertige grafische Gestaltung bzw. Kunst interessieren, bekommen diese Thematik anhand von Karikaturen und Collagen im Booklet geboten – sehr fein bzw. empfehlenswert.

Die zu vernehmende Musik auf “Butterfly Wing Theory – Part 1 (Think Tank)” mag faszinieren wie verschrecken und präsentiert ein Sammelsurium von Genres, das eine Vielzahl von Hörerinnen und Hörern ansprechen könnte – wenn sie bzw. er ohne “Scheuklappen” durch den “Dschungel der Töne” wandelt. Sehr vielschichtig wie abwechslungsreich komponierten Artridge ihre Tondokumente auf diesem Langspieler, der eine stringente aber sehr anspruchsvolle Melange aus Post-Industrial, Krautrock, Jazz, TripHop wie Ambient offenbart. Teilweise ereilt den geneigten Hörerkreis das Gefühl als würden Kapellen wie Aphex Twin, Allerseelen, Porcupine Tree und Between The Buried And Me gleichzeitig zusammen spielen. Von Aphex Twin könnten die treibenden wie atmosphärischen elektronischen Passagen inspiriert sein, die sich vornehmlich im Hintergrund der Tracks bewegen und für den nötigen “Drive” bzw. Rückhalt sorgen. Von der Komplexität wie Progressivität her, ähneln Artridge auf “Butterfly Wing Theory – Part 1 (Think Tank)” den Strukturen der Kanadier Between The Buried And Me – Technikfreaks sollten diese Platte unbedingt antesten! Die eingebauten Gitarrenlinien schwingen zwischen den Arbeiten von Porcupine Tree und Allerseelen, weshalb hier in keiner Sekunde Langeweile aufkommt sondern Faszination in den Ohren Einzug hält. Im Besonderen besticht dieses Opus im Weiteren durch das Einpflegen sehr feiner Percussions wie Schlagwerke, die für echte Akzente in den Songs sorgen. Auf Gesang verzichteten Artridge gänzlich, nur ein paar Sprachsamples (Der “Revolverhelden aus Texas” (George W. Bush) ist auch mit von der Partie!) + ein paar Choräle lassen Stimmen erklingen. Wer jetzt glaubt, auf diesem Oeuvre von Artridge sei alles nur geklaut, dem sei entgegnet: “Wenn geklaut, dann so gut, dass ein künstlerisches Highlight am Ende dabei herauskam!”

Fazit: Nach langer Abstinenz offenbaren Artridge mit “Butterfly Wing Theory – Part 1 (Think Tank)” eine vielseitige Publikation, die aus jeglicher Hinsicht begeistert, wenn sie bzw. er sich damit ausführlich auseinandersetzt (Kein schneller Konsum möglich!). Individuen, die zwischen Genres switchen und freigeistig Musik hören, dürfte “Butterfly Wing Theory – Part 1 (Think Tank)” ein helles Licht sein!

Am Ende bleibt nur eine Frage offen: “Wie lange müssen wir auf den Nachfolger warten?”.

(Raphael Feldmann / Editor)

http://kulturterrorismus.de/rezensionen/artridge-butterfly-wing- theory-part-1-think-tank.html#more-934

GOATSEND [USA]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

This duo (multi-instrumentalists Christoph Mainz and Robin Pleil)'s second CD of highly visual soundtracks combines exotic live instrumentation with electronic sound design and programming. It gels into a cohesive whole, fortunately. 'Charcoal' takes on a moody rock structure, and proto-industrial dance sounds find their way into the booming rhythmics of 'Knitfitfoamfix', which is swirled by percolating sequences. 'Jellyfish' is a solemn and reflective piece - sounding very urban and nocturnal. 'Polygraph' seems almost prog/jazz in feel, but still coming from a mysterious, shadowy origin. If you're looking for a solid late- night set of background tunes, 'Butterfly Wing Theory' will suffice quite well, bringing life to the darker corners of your room.

http://goatsend.blogspot.com/2008/12/artridge- butterfly-wing-theory-part-1.html

MINDBREED [D]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Artridge passen in das Genre ”Art Rock“! Man könnte fast glauben, dass ihre Musik dafür erfunden worden wäre.

Auf dem Cover erblickt man eine Larve. Diese steht meiner Meinung nach dafür, dass sich die Band und ihre Musik auch weiterhin entwickeln wird. Da ich gerne zwischen den Zeilen lese und höre, muss es auch gar nicht durchschaubarer werden. Die Atmosphäre, die einem hier entgegen kommt, ist schwer zu fassen. Teils findet man hier Jazz-Anleihen und Post- Rock, aber auch Sounds, die das Durcheinander von Ethno-Elementen, Fieldrecordings und neuen Klängen sensationell bereichern. Erinnerungen an Samples von Graeme Revells “The Insect Musicians”-Konzeptalbum werden wach. Die feste Grundlinie wird den Songs von Schlagzeug und E-Bass gegeben. Vermittelt wird etwas Vertrautes, was zu guter Letzt den abstrakten Teil des Albums “Butterfly Wing Theory“ sehr willkommen macht. Will man das ganze Album verstehen, muss man sich definitiv viel Zeit dafür nehmen. Eine Art Puzzle, welches erst fertig ist, wenn die weiteren Teile dazu kommen.

Daumen hoch, in freudiger Erwartung auf das nächste Album!

(Claudia Wagner / Editor)

http://www.mindbreed.de/showrezi.php?id=704

SCHALLGRENZEN [D]

Artridge - Butterfly Wing Theory - Part I (Think Tank)
Interlink Audio

Musik zu beschreiben ist im Grunde ein zum Scheitern bestimmtes Unterfangen. Man nutzt die Mittel des Vergleichs, sucht händeringend nach Synonymen, hantiert mit Begrifflichkeiten und vergibt unzureichende Adjektive. [...] Das zu rensierende Album heßt “Butterfly Wing Theory - Part 1 - Think Tank” und stammt von dem instrumentalen Musikprojekt Artridge.

In einer meiner letzten Radiosendungen hatte ich das Album vorgetellt. [...] Die beiden vorgestellten Songs “Halo” und “Milkbar” liefen immerhin erst kurz vor Mitternacht und trotzdem bekam ich begeisterte Mails von Hörern. Das Album ist unberechenbar, spannend und kaum einem Genre zuzuordnen. Electronic wird mit Drum`n`Bass und südamerikanischen Rythmen vermengt. Post-Rock mit progressiven Experimentalsounds. Dazu Industrial, Ambient, Fieldrecordings und ethnologische Verweise, Dramatik, cineastische Dramaturgie und immer wieder Abschweifungen in den Jazz. [...]

Unbedingt anhören. Unglaublich.

(Peter A. Rehbein / Editor)

http://www.schallgrenzen.de/artridge-butterfly-wing-theory-part-1-think-tank/