Artist or Title Artist Title Label

Tracks:

Disc 1: Linea [1+3] (1998) = Liner Writings (1996)
1. vot4
2. vot5
3. vot4/2
4. vot5.

Disc 2 Nachtstücke (1975-1978) = Nachtstücke Revisted (1998)
1. opening
2. second night
3. 4th theme
4. swarm
5. minature one
6. in ablaze
7. revisited
8. miniature two
9. vot 7
10. towering

The fashionable term "remix" is often based on a misunderstanding. To re-mix a piece of music means to mix all tracks of a multi-track recording in a new way. Putting the complete piece (the sum of all tracks) through the wringer means "recycling". Before starting the recycling two questions might arise: "Why recycle this piece?" and "Are the structure and sound of the piece convenient for recycling?" The ability to answer these questions depends more or less on the artist's perception and focus. An artist calling himself a "recycler" needs at the very least a reliable musical instinct and a sense of respect for the material. This respect permits the recycler to work, play and interact sympathetically with the pre-recorded source material.

Another emotive word is "deconstructivism". Recycling is not actually related to the deconstruction of music, but instead portrays a respectful approach to the material being recycled. Here the artist or recycler must comprehend and acknowledge the flow of each piece of music being recycled. Of course he is free to alter it beyond all recognition if the spirit of the original piece dictates a certain intensity of recycling. Spiritually it maintains the communication and musical dialogue between two creative human beings, exchanging a bit of soul and supporting each other to move beyond standard expectations and musical principles.

Motives for Recycling is the result of the most recent collaboration between acclaimed ambient soundcraftsman Vidna Obmana and highly regarded grandfather of experimental industrial music Asmus Tietchens. On each CD in this two disc set Vidna Obmana took pieces originally created by Asmus Tietchens and recycled them. Using processors, speed variations, volume changes, loops, FM noise and feedback in his studio in Belgium, Vidna Obmana transformed recordings made in from 1975 to 1988 in Germany by Asmus Tietchens into completely new works. An earlier untitled collaboration between the two musicians was released in Italy in 1994 by Musica Maxima Magnetica.

A review from Ujamaa's Ambient Page
A few years back, Belgian synthesist Vidna Obmana sent several of his recordings to experimentalist Asmus Tietchens, who "recycled" the existing material to create a new album which was released as an untitled collaboration. With the double-CD release Motives for Recycling, Vidna Obmana finally returns the favor, using processors, speed variations, loops and other techniques to rework Tietchens' 1980 album Nachtstücke and 1988 cassette release Linea [1 + 3].

The result is a highly varied work consisting primarily of layered atmospheres but featuring a few interesting surprises. For instance, the first disc, Linear Writings, starts with a distant, alien rhythm that is eventually overwhelmed by a sea of thick atmospherics, only to reappear at the end of the final track.

While Linear Writings consists of four long pieces, the second disc, Nachtstücke Revisited, is primarily made up of shorter tracks, each with a distinctive feel. The dark, oppressive "Second Night," the ghostly "Miniature one" and the distant, ringing "In a blaze" are among the best moments here.

With Motives for Recycling, Vidna Obmana proves that he is up to the challenge of expanding his horizons through musical dialogue with the work of another artist.