E.A.R. THE KONER EXPERIMENT
1997 2xLP Space Age Recordings USLP666

October 31, 2004 edited over 13 years ago
This simply is in my opinion the very best minimal techno album of this period from that scene (and believe me, I heard almost everything from that period from that scene)! Think a mixture of Plastikman's Consumed and Biosphere's icey sounds, and you got a good idea of where this precursor album takes you. Landmark album!
Experimental Audio Research (commonly shortened to E.A.R. or EAR) is a loose collective of experimental musicians formed around (a.k.a. Sonic Boom), formerly of . While Spacemen 3 were a relatively traditional band with strong experimental leanings, E.A.R. is essentially a project, creating instrumental music characterized by lengthy, droning textures and slowly evolving structures.

The line-up often included Sonic Boom (, Spacemen 3), (), (), and (). Other collaborators have included of , , and , plus various members of Spectrum, though it is generally considered a Kember solo project. The collective is one of Kember's several post-Spacemen 3 projects, which also include Spectrum, as well albums released under the Sonic Boom moniker.

Thomas Köner (born 1965 in , ) is a multimedia artist whose main interest lies in combining visual and auditory experiences. He's been noted for his use of low frequencies. The , in a review of Köner's work in 1997, calls him a "media artist," one who works between , , ambient music and as one half of Porter Ricks dub techno.

Tracklist A1 Untitled 3:52 A2 Untitled 4:04 A3 Untitled 4:10 B1 Untitled 4:58 B2 Untitled 6:07 C1 Untitled 4:07 C2 Untitled 3:51 C3 Untitled 4:00 D1 Untitled 5:05 D2 Untitled 4:44 Companies, etc. Recorded At – Recorded At – Recorded At – Credits Artwork – Electronics [Rhythms & Pulses] – , Guitar [Treated] – Mixed By – Mixed By [Assistant] – Percussion, Cymbal [Bowed Cymbals] – * Producer – , Saxophone, Effects [Wha Wha, Echoes] – Synthesizer [Ems Vcs3 & Synthi A], Bagpipes [Wind Pipes], Guitar, Electronics [Serge Modular Music System] – Written-By – *, *, * Notes This album contains 10 pieces with a total playing time of 47:25

Recorded at Cabin Studios, Coventry, Farheath Studios, Northampton & Thomas Köner Studios, Dortmund.