Tobias Preisig Coming Closer and Closer
2 February 2023 sees the release of “Closer”, volume two of a trilogy of solo albums by Zurich-based violinist Tobias Preisig. “Closer” reaches us via Quiet Love Records in vinyl as well as digital form.
The first part of the trilogy, «Diver», came out just before the pandemic. Preisig describes the process of making that album as a “diving into an adventure at full pelt”, creating a kind of panorama vision of possibilities. This time round, he does the opposite, diving ever more closely into the instrument that has been his constant companion since he was a nipper, trying to keep up with his dad’s accordion and playing the Volksmusik tunes of canton Appenzell in the East of Switzerland.
“Closer” starts off with the hyperactive title track which is driven forward by a single violin note repeated at a frenzied pace: „A smorgasbord of sound colours,“ says Preisig, „that define the album.“ The eight pieces that follow oscillate between simple, beautiful melodies („Grace“), delicate plucked motifs („Colorzzz“) and dense sheets of ambient sound. Treating the original violin motifs himself with laptop and effect pedals, these recordings were then sent to producer Jan Wagner in Berlin for further treatment. More layers of sound were added by drummer Alessandro Giannelli (with whom Preisig shares the widely travelled duo, Egopusher), and Quiet Love label “boss” James Varghese on bass. What will the third part of Preisig’s trilogy bring? “I’m not sure yet. At the beginning I thought: I’ll just start and see what happens. My music constantly changes, and that’s what keeps me alive.”
