Felix Kubin’s new album is out on Belgian label Futura Resistenza — the perfect home for new experiments by one of Germany’s most fearless sonic adventurers. Der Tanz aller is the score for a theatre performance of the same name by Hamburg-based collective LIGNA. The piece draws on the concept of “movement choirs,” developed by Hungarian choreographer and dance theorist Rudolf von Laban in the 1920s. His aim: to reshape the social order of the masses through collective dance.
The result is a rhythmically diverse record that — despite its variety — feels remarkably cohesive. Tracks like “Dämonen der Zerstreuung” recall the repetitive structures of American-style minimal music, while compositions such as “Eine Amöbe auf dem Mond” evoke chamber soundtracks of classic Hollywood cinema, with percussion and brass instruments conjuring otherworldly scenes. And then there’s the title track “Der Tanz aller”, which could easily pass as a gentle acid banger with a minimalist orchestral touch — enough to light up a club dancefloor.
The fact that so much of this music sounds explicitly mechanical is no accident. It’s what turns the album into a kind of Ballet Mécanique for today — one that hypnotises body and mind even without the accompanying performance.
Der Tanz Aller
