Steffen Basho Junghans
Late Summer Morning

Love this record? Hate it? Tell us.

Sound clips for Late Summer Morning by Steffen Basho Junghans: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, Strange Attractors Audio House, £11.79.

What their label says...

With the recent resurgence in popularity of the works of John Fahey, Leo Kottke and Robbie Basho, this Germans 14th release is the right disc at the right time. An exhibition of a true master of his instrument, Junghans disc varies from barren modal landscapes to warm and inviting strumming, all via only six and twelve string guitars. The influences of a number of legends are audible here, but not in a way that detracts from Junghans creativity. Many of the tracks may remind one of Robbie Basho, but Junghans refuses to simply rekindle the sounds of the past, building on them instead. A seemingly gentle and sincere musician, Junghans tracks reflect his persona quite nicely. Although consisting of only six tracks, this album develops a tremendous theme by its end as it explores a number of different genres of classical guitar. From the more atonal moments of the 20+ minute opus that is the titular opening track, to the very Indian influenced raga of Sky Dreamers Gold, this is an exhibit of specialized skill aimed at a particular audience. As each track develops, you may be tempted to try and pin it down and give it a neat and tidy genre label, a flaw in listeners which has been furthered by the dominance of mp3s. But this is music that exists outside that mindset, and just as a track becomes familiar, it changes entirely, seemingly aware of the dangers of monotony. The most beautiful examples of this are Azure No. 3, and album closer Northern Winds, in which Junghans develops a wonderfully innovative yet simple melody, only to return to the depths of his own more atonal sound, as if to slight some peoples natural presumptions of strong structure and development. Some people may be put off by a lot of these tracks complete disregard for any sort of beginning/middle/end format, but that is part of the purpose of this album, like so many of those by Junghans predecessors. Creation is hardly a structured exercise, and thus its end product clearly can not be either. This uninhibited exploration of different aural landscapes is what sets this album apart from one which simply hopes to imitate, and defines it and its creator as innovative. Surely not everyone will enjoy this album, even fewer will put this disc on for entertainment, but on the rare occasion that you want to listen to a skilled and experienced piece of musicianship created for creations sake, this is where to turn.