Triadic Ballet

3CD BOX

CD1 ‘Unity’:
01 design (unity)
02 design (hierarchy)
03 design (variety)
04 3 directors
05 ikone der moderne
06 zeppelin
07 machines gone mad
08 triadic ballet
09 art + technology
10 struktur
11 les trois couleurs
12 the manifesto 13 utopia
 
CD2 – ‘Hierarchy’:
01 design (fotonovela's r2d2 loves c3po rmx)
02 3 directors (threshold mix)
03 ikone der moderne (deutsche bank rmx)
04 zeppelin (nattefrost rmx)
05 machines gone mad (lifelong corporation rmx)
06 triadic ballet (commuter rmx)
07 art + technology (musicocoon rmx)
08 struktur (my.cosmo rmx)
09 les trois couleurs (playboy's bend rmx)
10 the manifesto (the rorschach garden analog mix)
11 utopia (johan breton's journey through utopia)
 
CD3 – ‘Variety’:
01 design (absolute body control rmx)
02 3 directors (oberkampf's 80's mix)
03 ikone der moderne (systematic rmx)
04 zeppelin (diskodiktator rmx)
05 machines gone mad (trinity ward rmx)
06 triadic ballet (passengers in turmoil version)
07 art + technology (sound of science rmx)
08 struktur (paul alty rmx)
09 les trois couleurs (machinespirit rmx)
10 the manifesto (franck kartell rmx)
11 utopia (thomas more's vile rmx)

Art begets art, the saying goes. A cliché as big as a house, but one that holds a fundamental truth. More than likely, Passengers A. and S., the sonic engineers of Metroland, will need no persuading: on "Mind the Gap", their impressive debut released in 2012, they already put the theory of the ‘Gesammtkunstwerk’ into practice and instantly established their vintage electro trademark sound which brought them unmistakable comparisons with pioneers like KRAFTWERK or TELEX. Inspired by the basic principles of design: Unity, Hierarchy, Variety, the passengers deemed it logical to draw inspiration from the art movement where these principles were put into practice and resulted in an almost unbelievable array of artefacts and creations: the Bauhaus movement, founded in 1919 by the architect Walter Gropius. The idea of creating a total movement, where all art forms would be present, sparked a creative avalanche, with a huge and lasting influence - to this day - on art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and even typography. Unity, variety and hierarchy indeed. The result is this ‘Triadic Ballet’ album: 3 silvery discs packaged in a Bauhaus-inspired deluxe box: Disc 1 starts off with a trilogy of “Design”, emphasizing – again – unity, variety and hierarchy. ׁ Directors”, a far more nervous and edgy affair, could well be the perfect soundtrack to the rollercoaster ride experienced by the Bauhaus’ three directors Gropius, Meyer and van der Rohe. It paves the way for “Ikone Der Moderne”, a 90’s electro inspired four-to-the-floor, soothed by rainy arpeggios and driven forward by throbbing strings. “Zeppelin” then, is definitely up, up and away, providing blue skies and breathing space, before the frenzy returns with“Machines Gone Mad” and the weirdness of “Triadic Ballet”. “Art + Technology” and “Struktur” find some inspiration in the great city of Düsseldorf, while “Les 3 Couleurs” (The 3 Colours) shows the Passengers moving into their own ground. “The Manifesto” is the seamless combination of musical backdrop vs spoken word, and as such it’s an intriguing illustration of the Bauhaus theory. It’s also the perfect introductory piece for “Utopia”, probably the most emotionally gripping song Metroland have created to date: Bauhaus was about men who believed in a utopian world where human meets mechanical: if the band succeeded in one thing, it's proving that this combination, when applied to music, can lead to astonishing and moving results. Disc 2 and 3 belong to the remixers. They took the songs, filtered them through their own artistic sieve and came up with results as diverse as they are interesting: from the synthpop of the Greek Fotonovela to the electro of Laurent Paranthoën’s Commuter, or the minimal EBM of Belgium’s Absolute Body Control to the toy shop of Playboy’s Bend (origin unsure. Could be La La Land). All in all, it’s a different journey than disc 1, for sure. But those who stick with it to the end, may find it a rewarding addition to the voyage.