TAL 27 / SAM PREKOP / THE SPARROW
TAL27
SAM PREKOP
THE SPARROW
all music by Sam Prekop
CD / LP inc. DL
Release: October 2022
Worldwide distribution: MORR
A
The Sparrow (17’21)
B
Every Night (5’58)
Step and Stair (4’34)
Fall is Farewell (5’06)
Palm (2’06)
mastering: Detlef Funder at Paraschall, Düsseldorf
artwork: Takashi Makabe
illustrations: Sam Prekop
“Is it too Sam Prekop?”, Sam Prekop asked me in an email conversation in which he delivered his
wonderful illustrations which would become the front cover artwork. No, it is not too Sam Prekop at
all. His drawings as well as the freeform music on this album are subtly different from anything else
he has produced in his solo career. Regardless of the style he is working in, Sam Prekop’s music
is always imbued with a sense of wide-eyed discovery and unpredictable exploration.
On The Sparrow Sam Prekop expands his electronic cosmos with a remarkable expression of
timeless simplicity and coherent execution. It’s deceptively simple music that feels accessible
without abandoning the experimental legacy of the Modular hardware system which serves,
besides a polyphonic Prophet 5 synthesizer, as the centre piece of this production.
The side long title track The Sparrow opens this album with unpredictable synth dissonances and
broken step sequenced patterns. Palm brings the set to a close with its irregular fragility while Fall
is Farewell is build around a yearning brassy fanfare which resembles the noir romance theme of
Michael Smalls soundtrack for the 1971 film Klute. The sparkling essence of Step and Stair
seems a suitable space for unforgotten summer holidays of our childhood.
On his first solo release for Düsseldorfs label TAL ,electronic experimentalist Sam Prekop offers his
most captivating yet stripped down modular music. All compositions on The Sparrow were
gradually developed piece by piece. Best known for his jazz-leaning tropicalismo with The Sea
And Cake, a key part of the Chicago scene with the likes of Tortoise or Chicago Underground
Duo, he has in recent years established himself as a modular synthesist, building his instrument
meticulously to create a unique system that allows him to create highly individual music through
mechanical patterns, repetitions and chance. In this context his widely acclaimed community
forming public tutorials on fb should be noted as well.
The Sparrow is an exciting new chapter in his development as a constant creative influence.
Stefan Schneider, August 2022
