Commissioned Music

• Artist: Blixa Bargeld
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1995
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Creepy, sparse, and quietly disquieting, Commissioned Music is a compilation of Blixa Bargeld's music for the play Dumpfe Stimmen and the film Jahre Der Kalte. Though intended for backgrounds, Bargeld's work here is anything but wallpaper. Much of the minimalist material is downright hypnotic. The two-minute bass march of "Indoktrination" brings to mind a procession of lemmings into a death pool, replete with what sounds like knives being sharpened. "Blackout Music" is layers upon layers of Bargeld's screeching voice, perfect for shooing away trick or treaters and unwelcome visitors. Closing out the tracks for Dumpfe Stimmen is a beautiful and uplifting (no, really!) rendering of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," featuring plaintive piano, drones, brushed drums, and Blixa's comforting crooning. If you ever wish to get a view of the sunrise from a gutter in Berlin, here's your soundtrack. The three brooding, piano-based tracks for Jahre Der Kalte are based on a Schubert cadence. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Ouverture	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Lange Senze	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Ritual	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
AFF 14	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Indoktrination	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Blackout Music	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Bassthema	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Auf Freiem Feld	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Over the Rainbow	Harold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg	Blixa Bargeld
Schacht	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Klopfzeichen	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld
Workuta	Blixa Bargeld	Blixa Bargeld

Credits

Blixa Bargeld (Composer), Marc Elsner (Engineer), Blixa Bargeld (Songwriter), Blixa Bargeld (Multi Instruments), Boris Wilsdorf (Engineer), Blixa Bargeld (Vocals), Blixa Bargeld (Guitar), Roland Wolf (Arranger), Thomas Wydler (Drums), Roland Wolf (Composer), Moritz Wolpert (Drums)