Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Reinhardt Buhr, Bandcamp 2020.
Back on one of my favourite sites I came across this gem. Reinhardt Buhr is a South African multi-instrumentalist who is based in Cape Town and, using a sequencer, he produces beautiful instrumental compositions of great complexity.
Most of us have become familiar with musicians using sequencers to replicate a full band sound.
The sampler and sequencer have revolutionised music. They are the fundamental tools, and basic building blocks, of nearly all rap and hip-hop and most bands of all genres use them in live performance to replicate studio produced sound.
Many singer songwriters employ them to flesh out their performances but I’ve yet to come across anyone who is as accomplished as Reinhardt Buhr is in getting the most out of them.
It certainly helps that he is a very talented musician.
Using an electric cello, acoustic guitar, electronic drums, a variety of percussion instruments and even a didgeridoo he builds totally enthralling musical landscapes to get lost in.
He does use his voice but it becomes another instrument rather than a transmitter of words.
If you want to watch Reinhardt in action go to the Bandcamp site, there’s an excellent clip to go with this album.
Reinhardt Buhr has released 13 albums and Compilation is a distillation of the best tracks lifted from them.
They come from a four year period of his career and a new album is due out soon.
Reinhardt’s compositions evolve organically, often starting with a simple repetitive riff, and develop into something that resembles a full orchestra.
They are relaxing, mesmerising, and often mysterious.
They take you to another place. One that is often better than where you are.
