Grischa Lichtenberger’s works are defined not only by their experimental foundation but also by relentless energy. Be it through glitch and EBM components, or jazz injections, there always is a volatile core. This is now changing with Works for Last Work. While the abstract mindset still defines Grischa as an artist, this time around it is applied over a minimal and ambient offering. The slow turns of opener “0515_15_beginning 2_sk1” reveal this cinematic essence, the repetitive progression giving birth to an ominous moment. It is this expectation, the calm before a storm, which never truly breaks. Instead, it is a meditative quality that prevails, in a variety of takes and flavours.
Works for Last Work takes on various forms. The opener’s threatening promise melts into an eerie presence with “0515_14_duo cs_fl,” a journey through a jungle of hazardous noise effects. But from there on the shifts are even wilder. Light comes into the fold with “1011_11104_v_re_61011s1b,” as the stripped-down approach and radiant noise additions complete this ethereal setting. Even more fierce is the collection of mutilated voices of “0315_23_dancers voices_mel_1_re eq” drive into the drone territory. This otherworldly throat singing is pivotal. A sound that is at the same time monstrous and human. It is only part of a grand scheme for Grischa, this divide between the humane and the artificial.
Given Grischa’s history with glitch, the artist’s perspective on technology is one that admires the flaws in its, naively considered perfect, form. The string instrumentation in “0315_11_bat_shost_1_bt” combines the two. Their warm sound carries a long history. Here, the classical leaning is obscured by the electronic components, desperately attempting to unearth itself beneath layers of concrete and debris. Still, there are times when this etude arrives with a playful attitude. The unpredictability of “0515_14_lv_3d_fl_2” provides a certain preciousness, while the same happens through the awkward noises and intricate elements of “0415_01_perepdotchka long tn ms rearg b.” It naturally leads to this reinterpretation of the rhythm section, as with “0116_19_lv_1_psres” where the noise and artifacts are repurposed to provide a heartbeat to act as the track’s backbone.
As impressive as the creativity of Works for Last Work is, its greatness does not lie there. Instead, it is the fact that every component found within is used for a purpose. This is not a mindless experimentation in the abstract. It is a work of boundless imagination and true feeling, and the fact that Grischa balances in that space is what matters.
