'Growing up on a diet of '90s lo-fi, old blues and the Smithsonian Antology Of Folk Devens calls himself a lo-fi fascist. When he was just 15 years old he used to unroll old cassettes, rumple the tape and roll it back on. While recording he kicked his four-track to experiment with the wow-and-flutter effect or he just layed down his tapes in the pouring rain.And like a mouse always finds the way to the cheese, Ignatz stayed true to his roots. He wraps up his folkish guitar music in a cloud of effects and electronic noises and his scarce lyrics are a mixture of broken English and unintelligible mantra-like repetitions. The songs are very open and covered with echo and delay. In that way he keeps fucking up his songs, but in that way that it provides him the freedom to experiment and improvise. The effects dictate his way of playing the guitar and the way the song will follow. Improvisation and spontaneity are two basic statements within Ignatz' musical universe. The final recording of a song is for Devens the end of a musical journey. Once the song is on tape, he erases the sampler that he uses for the effects what makes it unable for him to play it in the future. Everything is recorded in one take, so that nothing from the spirit of the moment will be lost. Structured songs and prepared pieces don't exist. Songs are build up while played and every time the next sound is a reaction to the previous one. Ignatz is the first cd of Bram Devens and is a compilation of songs that he recorded over the past year. The only instruments used are a guitar, effects, a sampler and Devens' his voice. The result is a simple but extra-ordinary sound that takes your breath. Ignatz' music stands for freedom, toughness, melancholy and foolishness.'