Gajek - Very Light Means Less Control

On his new record, Berlin based experimental artist Gajek explores a more immediate emotional approach than ever before. Still firmly rooted in the artist’s ongoing fascination and reinterpretation of Krautrock aesthetics, Very Light Means Less Control dives headfirst into contemporary synthesizer music.

It came about as a moody and melodic companion piece to the complex structures of his highly conceptual previous albums, in particular Vitamin D, which was recently released on Warp artist Chris Clark’s Throttle Records. This time, Gajek turns his rhythmic experiments and off-grid production techniques into a blissful stream of sound that seems to flow without beginning or end, reaching one subtly euphoric climax after the other. Matti Gajek composed these six tracks in early 2019 while simultaneously working on what would later become Vitamin D.

Its elaborate translation of very personal subjects into adventurous and challenging sounds was channeled into music that feels like a counterpart: The album is driven by feelings, a completely new approach and the most personal output for Gajek so far. Opening up as a musician and being affirmative is no easy thing to do in the age of cool. Gajek opened up the the door and welcomed simplicity and basic sounds. Inspired by this new approach and aesthetics of the past decade, from leading labels like PAN and Warp to unknown underground producers, Gajek maps out his own taste and vision within this nonconformist continuum of electronic music. As its title suggests, Very Light Means Less Control is made up of floating and feathery compositions, but they are still built upon the same unique structures as Gajek’s previous music. It’s shaped by the technical knowledge he gained while crafting Vitamin D and at the same time hints at the organic style that characterized 17, his previous album for Monkeytown Records released in 2017. References to Kraftwerk are no coincidence, the solemn spiritualism of Popol Vuh haunts tracks like A Few Voices Are Singing Together or About The Future.

The digital version of the record comes with a mix by Modeselektor. Slightly re-arranging the album’s tracks and blending them into each other, they created an alternative and uninterrupted listening experience of Gajek’s latest work (Listen to it HERE).

The cover art is a painting by Vienna based artist Ernst Yohji Jäger. It served as a major inspiration for the making of the record as it radiates the same emotiveness and vibe that entered Very Light Means Less Control – lighthearted late-night solitude, the joy of discomfort, romanticism.

Join Gajek, say yes and hum along.