It?s not that easy to determine what to make out of the latest release on the sympathetic Pingipung label from L?neburg in Germany. When the first track starts, you would think that ?The Palmin Sessions? is just another average electronica release. The album opener ?Heinrich & Helene? at first does not sound much different from a lot of releases the Mille Plateaux label. But it only takes two minutes to find out what makes Sven Kacirek stand out from the crowd. Kacirek is a passionate studied drummer with a jazz background. And in the middle of the album opener, he gives a little example of his abilities. The track quickly builds up density and pace and Kacirek?s frantic drumming is really a pure pleasure to listen to.

Other tracks on ?The Palmin Sessions? follow that example. Generally, Kacirek seems to be a friend of complex multi-levelled rhythms. ?Glas? for example features a highly refined polyrhythmic structure that fuses rhythm with melody. The same goes for the immediately following ?Auf dem Kanal? which prominently features metallic and wooden percussive instruments joined together in a deeply meditative study. On tracks like those two, but also others, Sven Kacirek often reminds of the looped ambiance frequently summoned by Jan Jelinek on his numerous releases.

However, other than is the case for Jelinek, the large majority of the ?The Palmin Sessions? actually consists of real instruments which gives the album a very warm feel. Two tracks, ?Comes a Headache? and ?1000 Hz? feature Kacirek on vocals which doesn?t work out so well. First, Kacirek does not have the best singing voice in the world. Second, it seems like the use of vocals moves the focus away from Kacirek?s strength which is his great sensibility for rhythm. The vocal tracks move back to the rather average electronica area of the first two minutes of the CD. Nonetheless, the two or three not so exciting tunes don?t overshadow the positive overall impression of Sven Kacirek?s debut on Pingipung. 6/10 -- Stephan Bauer (6 February, 2007)