When Berlin master musicians and producers Bernd Jestram and Rex Joswig team up with avantgarde composer Bob Rutman, you know that something special is cooking. Rutman died in June 2021 and together with the tribute CD The Sound of Bob Rutman that Jestram and Joswig produced after his death, they also conceived and put together a CD by the Apregarde Dub Orchestra: an occasional studio ensemble with special appearances by Rutman and some of his experimental instruments. And what a beautiful and surprising CD it has become with Jestram on bass and electronics, Joswig for loops and delays, Rutman on steel cello and Alex DocDorsch playing Rutman’s bow chimes. The liner notes add to this motley but excellent crew and their strange and intoxicating musical grog:
“it is all about the echochamber in the heart of the anchored sea a shadow swings long forgotten tunes on drowning instruments where singing bears smoking big cigars under sails of heavy metal the manson family escapes in a creepy yellow submarine rasputin takes over saint petersburg in a cold dark night tick tack tick tack time is the master of everything & everyone and truth came down like a drone from gods own saxophone follow the sonar step into the unknown listen to the lighthouse do not be afraid of nothing & nobody for god is an old pig”