Bernhard Günter

Guenter's assiduous compositions favor extremely subtle variances in electro-acoustic crackle, subsonic rumble, and subliminal frequencies exploring the limits of the audible spectrum through invisible digital edits. The title of his landmark debut album, released in 1994 and reissued through Table of the Elements in 1996, translates as "a little dirty snow," an apt description for Guenter's naturally impressionistic minimalism. UN PEU DE NEIGE SALIE opens with "Untitled I/92," a degenerating matrix of micro-sampled synth sounds. "Untitled II/92" evolves around shrill frequencies that decay like tuning-fork strikes. Guenter's compositions are rarely this explicit, and these two pieces provide an accessible entry point into his domain of digitally-tempered quiet. Regardless of initial impressions, the lengthy compositions that follow are never silent and rarely inert. Guenter intuitively accentuates, adjusts, and enhances the natural, imperceptible flow of electro-acoustic sound. The microscopic granularity of "Untitled III/92" and the fine, implosive detail of "Untitled I/93" and "Untitled IV/92" seem to contradict Guenter's request that the album be appreciated "at a very low volume." Indeed, amplification reveals the meticulousness of the sonic construction. But Guenter's plea is justified, as low-level listening is ultimately far more rewarding.