Telesoniek Atelier is the nom d’artiste of Dutch audiovisual explorer and electronic music sorcerer Hans Kulk, who’s been steadily carving a name for himself in Dutch art circles while constantly shining a light on the electronic music pioneers that came before him. ‘A Selection of Improvisations’ brings together some of his work of the last quarter of a century, veering back and forth between avantgarde classical music (the post-Bachian opener ‘Chateauroux’, ‘Oberheim Impro’), thoughtful minimalism (‘A Prophet Oberheim Impro’), emotive ambient (the wonderfully understated ‘I Am’ and the Klaus Schulze-dedicated ‘Gruesse an KS’) and eerie retro-futuristic soundscapes (‘Improvisatie’, ‘Montage De L’Histoire’). It’s a varied bunch that’s so heartbreakingly beautiful you can’t help but wonder why none of this was ever released before.
“There was never much focus on recording quality - I was interested only in capturing the momentary musical idea improvised on those great SCI, Oberheim and ARP instruments”, Kulk humbly states in the liner notes of this beautifully designed double album. While he’s obviously selling himself short here - ‘Improvisations’ sounds great from start to finish and that can't be solely attributed to the expert mastering of Frédéric Alstadt - it’s this sense of selflessness and unpretentiousness that makes this such a thrilling ride. The music speaks for itself here and it speaks volumes.
"Fascinating improvs. I loved 'Gruesse'. " Suzanne Ciani (Atmospheric, USA)
"Beautiful music with real subtlety and depth” Anthony Child (Surgeon, Transcendence Orchestra, UK)
"Lovely, pure synth music." Mark Pritchard (Warp Records, UK)
"The phenomenon of the sound and music created here is very mysterious. These pieces of music, created without any intention of being published, reached my ears without warning. Of course, this happened because I have lived a life devoted to a certain kind of music, but there is a chance I would never have listened to them in my life. But, they came to me. Now they play over and over in my listening space - blending into the air that surrounds me. Vibrating. It is as if they had always been there from a long time ago."
Chee Shimizu (Organic Music, Japan)
"Absolutely love Chateauroux .... I love all of it!" Maria Somerville (4AD Records / NTS Radio Earlybird Show, IRE)
"Chateuroux is mighty... A proper zoner. Flung on earth." John T. Gast (UK)
"This is a great release by Telesoniek Atelier - a musician unknown to me before now. I've been thoroughly enjoying playing this double vinyl release since i got it. Both discs are filled with amazing music that moves between abstract electronic experiments to melodic, DMT bent sounding, classical contemporary music and futuristic soundtracks from non-existing Sci Fi movies you'll wish you could see. It time-warps you from here to there then freezes the moment. It all sounds like its been taken straight from the ancient room .. you know, that one where the spirits of the great teachers live. This is very focused, unpretentious and highly emotive music . A wonderful and dreamy sound garden coming from what I imagine to be a beautiful mind . These discs will be camping out on my turntables for a while." Tako Reyenga (Music From Memory, NL)
"Completely knocked out while experiencing this blissful minimalism. I feel covered in the circularly enveloping tones of the Oberheim synths - like i have been time-warped.
I hope his music reaches the world." Dubby (Ondas, Japan)
"A deep sense of the symphonic permeates this record. While synthesizers form the basis of its sound, Hans Kulk shapes their timbre into uncanny acoustics and weaves them together like an orchestra. Just when you think you have understood what is happening, another layer reveals itself. Yet it keeps a floating sense of lightness throughout. A truly rewarding listening experience." Hainbach (DE)
