the way to M
Their preview EP "the way to M" is available as a free download at www.circleintosquare.com, presenting a rough profile of their work to date. The EP is also the soundtrack to the homonymous animated short by Zsuzsanna Werner, which won the Asifa Austria Award/Best Animation in 2011.
FREE DOWNLOAD @ Circle Into Square: theclosing - the way to M
FREE DOWNLOAD + VIDEO + BOOKLET @ bandcamp: theclosing - the way to M
“the way to M“ directed and animated by Zsuzsanna Werner (www.werzus.com)
Animation, 7 min 16 sec, 2011 Sound: Alexander Hengl Musik: theclosing
theclosing is a Vienna-based music and art group consisting of Daniela Auer, Alexander Hengl and Lukas Lehner. The three have been working together since 2004 towards the goal of making beguiling and original electronic music that evades easy genre classification and mixes analog and digital sources, including self-made samples, found sounds, and field recordings.
The group's debut release for Portland independent label Circle Into Square, their self-titled record embraces a wide variety of influences. The sputtering pulse of modern hip-hop comes out in tracks like "rrroar"; "nyejreska" takes on slow simmer of a steamy downtempo IDM come on; ambient roots start to show on the pinging album closer "m4". The songs may come from different parts of the band's collective brain, but they connect perfectly on record.
theclosing's music is visionary and instantly accessible. Anyone with a pulse and a pair of hips can find something to sway about on their self-titled record. The beats are strong and vibrant and dominate the 14 songs found here. This is a record for the head nodders and the deep thinkers alike. Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but there's something for mind and body here. An indescribable and palpable energy that you'll be itching to tap into.
new video: theclosing - nyejreska (feat. iris dittler)
new video:
Death + Taxes - Exclusive 'nyejreska' Video premiere
album track downloads:
some reviews and interviews:
skug - Album Review (german)
Death And Taxes - Album Review
mica - Interview (german)
"From Vienna, Austria comes theclosing, a trio who makes otherworldly percussions that music journalists snarkier than I are by now no doubt hyphenating together more adjectives and nouns in the attempts to pin down the specific Vienna art school sound. Alexander Hengl, Daniela Auer and Lukas Lehnera met while attending the Academy of Fine Arts and have been working together in a meticulous manner since 2004 to not just create analog/digital hybrids of beats and new noise but work too within the mediums of both film and computer generated visuals. Listen to the genre defying "box" and define for yourself. The self-titled LP from theclosing comes out July 10 from Portland, Oregon indie imprint Circle Into Square."
—Impose www.imposemagazine.com
"Vienna, Austria trio theclosing are like sound miners, sweeping their surrounds for flickers of audio gold to roll into their meandering melodies. On their glitchy self-titled debut album there are watery clicks, park life ambience, household squeaks and creaks, and all manner of other “found sounds” that have been abstracted and layered into a captivating collage. Like insects in the rain flying low with liquid wings, it has a bumbling flow to it that’s charming rather than cloying. It’s also one of those records that you can comfortably slip in and out of, from conscious to unconscious listening. It trickles down the back of your mind to gather in the nape of your neck like the rain that feeds it. A very solid debut indeed. [RS]"
—Dummy www.dummymag.com
"The beat-centric environment influences of theclosing dominate its thought-provoking imagery. If Primus ever decided to do trip-hop, they would sound like theclosing, so these guys get bonus points for showing us the boundaries of experimental music. As it simultaneously waxes industrial, IDM and hip-hop, theclosing appeals to fans of this growing witch-hop cross genre. After listening to the cornucopia of environmental layers and funky beats, it’s clear that these guys would put on one freaky live show. [Ryan Stabile]"
—MXDWN www.mxdwn.com
"Vienna, Austria-based electronic trio theclosing have put their self-titled LP online to stream in full and it’s a nice chunk of experimental sonic fantasia. Think Boards of Canada, Casino vs. Japan, Freescha, Four Tet and Odd Nosdam all swirling together in integrating in a pool of sound that alternates between dense vortices and spare space. It should work equally well winter as it does in summer.
There is a common thread on the album. That is, there is something identifiably theclosing in aesthetic and tone, but there are both subtle and overt stylistic shifts that indicate the trio is capable of some profound musical alchemy. [DJ Pangburn]"
—Death And Taxes www.deathandtaxesmag.com
