- Hirsch & Eigner are Andreas Oskar Hirsch, a musician and visual artist based in Cologne, and Richard Eigner, an Austrian sound artist and percussionist. Hirsch makes his own instruments, like the Carbophon, an electro-acoustic reinvention of the African kalimba, and the Electrified Palm Leaf. The latter can be heard on Summe 1, the album he released last year on his own makiphon label, and both have been used on Stalker / Swoop. Eigner is just as partial to non-conformist music-making, wielding everyday utensils like a toilet brush when performing as part of Ritornell. Both artists clearly share a sense of humour and a childlike inquisitiveness, which are especially infectious on these two tracks.
Struck notes (perhaps from the Carbophon) provide "Stalker"'s resonant melody, while Eigner raps out the beat on a drum kit. Dry wood and tinkering metal sounds colour between the lines. It all sounds light, organic and rapturous. The stonier "Swoop" involves more obvious electronic processing. There's a drone that engulfs and muffles the instrumentation, and Eigner's drums sound looser and more improvised. Both tracks sound as if they'd really come alive when performed onstage.
TracklistA Stalker
B Swoop