LITIA by ASMUS TIETCHENS

Asmus Tietchens is one of the best known German artists in the field of abstract music. He began by recording a handful of Residents-influenced synthesizer albums, launching into a peerless mix of stuttering beats and off-kilter harmonies which earned his music the generic tag "pseudo pop".Litia from 1983 was the fourth Tietchens release on Sky Records (Cluster, Rother, Roedelius, Moebius, Plank, Riechmann amongst others). What sets Litia apart from its three predecessors is the wider pool of instruments at Tietchens disposal. For the first time, he had a digital rhythm machine which could play samples; then there was the Korg Polysix synthesizer, a hybrid of analogue and digital technology. The polyphonic transition piece could not actually create samples, but could at least simulate the sounds of instruments. As the Korg Polysix and rhythm machine could be synchronised, "a whole new world of sound" beckoned.