Samuel Rohrer - Music For Lovers (2024)

Press release by Thomas Bey William Bailey
“Music for Lovers” is the new solo outing of multi-instrumentalist Samuel Rohrer (playing a combination of percussion, modular synthesizer and keyboard-based instruments on this recording). The album’s title, which has been used for other albums in unrelated musical genres, might be deceiving: those who expect overly sentimental, fluffy pieces full of levity from start to finish, or sarcastic and cynical attempts at rejecting such “easy” listening, will be surprised by the emotional and tonal complexity on display here. In Rohrer’s own words, it is dedicated to “those brave lovers, who are ready to not only find, but eventually become truth,” and as such is an exploration of an evolving process rather than an idealized state.

Rohrer continues his statement above by noting how these lovers know “the sweet, powerful and at times painful sound of silence, which they may find along this road…away from the untruths”. On previous records, Rohrer’s respect for such a communicative silence has become a distinguishing feature, and here again it contributes to a clear-minded, economical approach - a perceptible confidence in the ability of each instrument to express without being veiled behind a wall of effects or technical showmanship. The opener “The Parish Bell” sets the pace for the proceedings with such a tightly focused, un-rushed approach, where various ephemeral sounds appear and fade like fireflies, and yet show enough of themselves to be fully understood. This then carries over to other tracks such as “Love and Warfare”, a highly involving sonic scenario in which dozens of independent sound-objects are magnetically pulled towards the purring synth bass at the track’s core.

Those who are looking for more well-known features of “romantic” music won’t be disappointed, but keep in mind that “well-known” does not translate to “cliched” here. See for example “The Gift,” where the sinuous, reflective muted horn part contributed by guest Nils Petter Molvaer floats along with the cloud-forms provided by Rohrer’s sonic design. There’s a glowing calmness here that ignites curiosity, and, again, a conviction which allows the instrumentalists to quote from the dictionaries of dub, fusion, and “electronica” without succumbing to the limitations of any single genre. With that in mind, “Schizophonia” recalls other expert synthesists (perhaps classic Can or other vintage pieces of “motorik” music) in its expansiveness, and its rhythmic foundation that manages to swing while still being laser-precise (Additional points are awarded here for the carefully timed echo and warm quality of the synth section.)

It’s also worth noting that “Music for Lovers” is the first record in Rohrer’s catalog to be mixed completely by the artist himself (besides his latest EP “All The Beauty of The Dark” for Yoyaku, released in September 2024), and his approach to this aspect of sound production closely mirrors his playing style: allowing each instrumental voicing a clear place in the mix, without giving any one voice clear precedence within the listener’s headspace. It’s an effect that rewards careful attention, and which is again a nice audio metaphor for those Rohrer hopes to pay tribute to: “those who are willing to cut through the beauty and the horror, pass through the limbo and turn towards honesty, courage and commitment.”