“Each track on this record is composed in different scales from A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and back to A, inspired by the idea of parallelism, suggesting a connection of meaning through an echo of form.” So say the press materials for Split Scale, the new collaborative record from Berlin-based composers and musicians Brueder Selke and Midori Hirano. “In other words, we wanted to make the working process as inspiring and balanced as possible, with mutual respect.” While listening to Split Scale, it’s refreshing to witness the ideal balance between the sometimes lofty and calculated nature of process-based composition and the successful delivery of eight stark, gorgeous, and inspiring tracks.
Brueder Selke are a duo of two brothers, Sebastian and Daniel Selke, who are both credited with electronics and cello (Sebastian) and piano (Daniel). They’ve joined forces with composer, pianist, and synthesizer player Midori Hirano. While all three musicians share a classical background, they’re also deeply devoted to modern electronic music. The process for creating Split Scale is simple, and the result is a fairly uncomplicated, direct execution but imbued with a dark sense of mystery.
“Scale A” opens the album with Hirano’s cyclical piano arpeggios, followed by the brothers adding subtle bits of color, seeming at once comforting and foreboding. There is a bit of ambient minimalism at work, as the piano provides a spine of gentle repetition. The piano on “Scale B” tends to be more free-form, embracing a low-key jazz feel, as the electronics rise to the surface and subtle, insect-like effects bring a more organic sonic result.
Midori Hirano has achieved great success as a composer for film and television, and there is indeed a cinematic aura surrounding these compositions – the haunting synths and strings that envelop “Scale C” are palpable. Recorded between 2021 and 2023 in Berlin and nearby Potsdam, the piecing together of these eight tracks over a relatively long period could, in lesser hands, result in something fractured and uneven, but the songs blend beautifully, each track exploring the different hues of its tonal center. The process may seem restrictive on paper, but it allows the three musicians to find sonic gold within their established parameters.
For instance, “Scale F” is one of the more hopeful-sounding tracks, rising above some of the bleakness that preceded it with a gentle progression soaring to powerfully emotional heights. “Scale G” rides along a gentle bed of sustained synths and strings that bring to mind vibrant film scores. Closing out the record by returning to the first track’s scale note, “Scale AA” incorporates more deliberate electronic sounds that the three musicians are known for but rarely revisit on this record. The gentle pulse of the synthesizer brings modernity to the forefront, but the result maintains a powerful classical spirit.
In the press materials for Split Scale, Brueder Selke explained that the record is a way of returning to their roots. “Our choice of tones was relatively simple, intuitive, almost child’s play. We wanted to take this unique opportunity with Midori to start from zero, and to do it together.” It’s a unique set of circumstances and concepts that brought these three musicians together, and the result is nothing short of exhilarating.