Erich Fromm s -Escape from Freedom. was published 83 years ago. His assumption was that modern man, having freed himself from the shackles of the old days and living freely, longs to return to the totalitarian, destructive and conformist world. In 2024, the pluralistic and individualized way of life of the so-called West seems self-evident. Boundless freedom is suggested – but we continue to flee.
Utopias are crumbling and conservatism is experiencing a renaissance. At the same time, the freedom to decide -to be able to stay- in contrast to ?having to leave? currently seems to represent a high value. This EP, between the two producers from Germany and Ukraine, was created in this field of tension. David Heine and Konstantin Kost are already working together on the current AMAS project (Odessa EP) -Freedom From Esacape- adapts the former title of Erich Fromm s central work, which is given a prominent role on this record. Music and techno are freedom and escape at the same time: transcendence and escapism. In interaction and contradiction at the same time.
The cover picture was taken on 25 July 1909, when Louis Blériot became the first person to cross the English Channel in an aeroplane with the Blériot XI, which he had designed himself. The reversal of the title and the idea for the cover artwork came about during a conversation with the artist Jennifer Mattes in Vienna. About the tracks: On the A-side, the two protagonists create a world of minimalist dub techno, which also has melodic, flat side strands in its narratives. The more than 60-year-old fragments from TV interviews with Erich Fromm on the subject of freedom, decisions, constructivism and destruction are presented so densely and rustlingly that you do not feel compelled to follow the lecture. Instead, the spoken word corresponds with the minimalist framework of the two pieces. The old audio recordings are embedded as part of the composition.
Some of it may be understood and arouse the listener s curiosity, but again and again you get lost in the repetitive swamp of sound, so that you may understand more of the text each time you listen to it without it imposing itself on you. The two remixes of the first track take a different approach. “Save Your Atoll” specifically frames and limits the spoken word in its interpretation and embarks on a hypnotic journey that is less worldly and more futuristic. “Anna Kost” goes one step further by literally suffocating the old man s spoken word, as if the destructive drum patterns were trying to shut him up. “Freedom From Escape” will be released on 18 October 2024 in a physical edition of 200 records and is available digitally on all common portals.
