Beyond the Valley

Mobilee records’ head honcho, Anja Schneider’s debut album is something of a mixed bag. On the whole it conforms to her self-proclaimed love for hypnotic minimal. Not necessarily something you would hear in the early hours of the morning or at the peak of a set, but more–so the kind of music you would want playing in the later hours of the morning or something to enjoy and appreciate in the comfort of your own home. The standard of this album and its classification can be attributed quite simply to the quality of some masterfully well-crafted melodies.
Artist albums can be an interesting experience in this business. Sometimes recognised as a combination of sounds or a means of an artist expressing themselves. Sometimes the progression of an artist’s sound can be monitored by keeping watch over their productions. Beyond The Valley is not only a good foundation for Anja to build, but is also very apt with regard to Anja’s sound at the moment. The warm and sometimes Balearic feel to Beyond The Valley is undoubtedly a window into Anja’s own persona.

This album is anything but a bass heavy affair. We are treated to a feast of melodies, which at times are really quite exquisite, especially early on in the opening 3 tracks. These tracks are not all that exciting, but I get the impression that was not the idea. There is an implication of these setting the scene and there certainly is a progression into more upbeat, groovy tracks such as Belize, one of the stand-out tracks of Steve Bug’s Fabric compilation. There is a unique edge to many Mobilee releases that features throughout this album. The use of what I like to call a ‘soft metallic’ sounding melody giving tracks identity.

"It's the place where your parents told you not to go play as a child. Why? Because anything could happen. It's dangerous and anarchic. All the creatures that have been chased out of the village have gone there to hide.” – Anja Schneider on the title of her debut album.

I would have called it ‘The Valley and Beyond’ as for me this is more-so what the album represents. The deep, organic, serene sounds of parts of this album, for me, represent the beauty and peace of a valley, the slightly moodier and darker end representing a venture beyond it. Worth a look in, but by no means essential.