Asmus Tietchens - In Die Nacht (1982)

In Die Nacht was the third of Asmus Tietchens’ four albums of mutant electro-pop for Sky Records.  I posted the fourth a while back, and this one is every bit as good. Originally planning to release a third collection of two-minute minatures, Tietchens found himself pressed for time to finish and deliver In Die Nacht, resulting in time-stretching on half of these tracks by necessity as much as any wish to experiment with longer pieces.

This, and the new acquisition of a Polymoog to fill out the sound, make for a fascinating record in which bouncy opener Mit Zebras Rennen is followed up by two lengthy, queasy explorations of minor key noir-ish synth and odd little rhythms, and the second half is stranger still.  Spanische Fliege percolates around its descending melody as the cheesy home-organ rhythm track grinds on, and the more gently pulsing Regenwald lives up to its title with some rainforest ambience, if the forest in question were under a biodome on a deep-space outpost.

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