AROVANE Vinyl & CDs

Review: German IDM and experimental electronic don Arovane, AKA Uwe Zahn, is a name well worth taking a deep dive into if you've not already. Rising to specialist prominence in the late-1980s as a result of him playing no small part in pushing the evolution of instrumental art-hip hop forward, by the mid-1990s he was recognised among the most innovative names in synthesised leftfield, occupying a place that's as commanding as it is peaceful, a futuristic sonic world that pulls us in closer with every drum and refrain.
Icol Distil is one of his earliest releases, but certainly makes it clear that by the time he got round to putting stuff out under the Arovane guise he was already incredibly accomplished. Ear worm broken beat beauty after ear worm broken beat beauty reside on the track list, so prepare to be fully immersed.

Review: Uwe Zahn might have been active under his real name more recently, but his longtime Arovane project has always remained steady apace. That being said, there's also a great impetus to reissue his music going at the minute: Lilies is the ambient musician's fourth album, and was originally released in 2004 by City Centre Offices, a label run between Berlin and Manchester. Inspired by a trip to Japan, there is an unmistakable eco-ambient undercurrent to this album. Out of print for almost two decades, Kepler do the good work of reissuing it now: Lilies is exquisite, with its laboured rhythmatics and lush synthetic plucks providing a blueprint for generations of Western ambient (techno) artists to come.

Review: 12k is very happy to welcome Uwe Zahn, aka Arovane, to the roster. Arovane, a well-respected artist in the field, hailing from within the German countryside, has been active since the early 2000s beginning with releases on City Centre Offices and DIN in the heyday of the IDM and microsound years. He has since gone on to release work with n5MD, Pure Magnetik, and Strangely Isolated Place, among others. With Reihen he takes his characteristic pointillist synthetic structures and impeccable sound design and lays them in a web of fagility, decay and etherealism that feels like new a new direction for Zahn.

Review: Arovane is the moniker of experimental electronic musician aficionado Uwe Zahn, and his new heads-downer 'Sinter' is one of many new ambient electronic masterpieces to file under 'autumncore', perhaps alongside the folktronic work of Pub or Bibio. Rich in natural, field-recorded textures and twinkling, folk-abstracted melodies, this album is a restless work, each track homing in on a singular sonic theme while placed in a surrounding bed of pad and texture. For those who like their ambiences focused yet spiced with a hint of longing, 'Lithh' and 'Skaal' might be for you.

Review: Arovane is Uwe Zahn and is someone who can conjure up, arrange and thread together music and sonic texture that is so lush it feels like you could reach out and bath in it. This is a record couched in ambient music but that leans heavily on the classical sounds he has also showcased over the last two decades. The whole thing is meticulously crafted with exquisite sound design and plenty of sensitivities, lush melody and rich emotions that all linger long in the memory and add up to a beautifully escapist listen.