Peace Orchestra - Peace Orchestra

Peace Orchestra, the debut album by Kruder & Dorfmeister's Peter Kruder, suffers little for its lack of both producers. The kind of trance-state trip-hop that sounds freshly minted by God himself, these nine tracks belie the notion that trip-hop is a style scavenger, content to paste sampled jazz-funk over a few hip-hop breaks. Peace Orchestra is so lovingly crafted, so finely detailed, that comparisons with the glut of trip-hop sinking the market seems almost laughable. A languid clarinet line does a slow waltz with K&D's oft-used shuffle-beat on the highlight "Meister Petz," while "Double Drums" works a mutated tech-synth line with strong breakbeats. Kruder's musical sense comes from a variety of musical capitals, including Rio de Janeiro (the fine, delicate swing), New York (the jazz chords and shadings), East L.A. (Latin percussion), and London (acid house ). Only Kruder (or perhaps Dorfmeister) could distill so many elements into one cohesive album without risk of blandness or musical fragmentation. - by John Bush, AMG

This is something truly beautiful. Peter Kruder (of the famous "Kruder & Dorfmeister") definitely proves his skills as a solo producer on this album. It manages to create that ethereal feeling so prized by Acid Jazz and Trip-Hop producers, while still maintaining listenability through consistent yet subtle drum beats. Kruder's caught a lot of flak for the horns and vocals used on some of the tracks, but I attribute a lot of this criticism to sheer ignorance from the downtempo "purists" out there. The vocal and brass samples manage to give "Meister Petz" a somewhat festive feel, and enhance the brooding mood of "Who am I" and "Shining".
Every sound Kruder uses on this album bends and shapes the mood like a clay sculpture. The textures are rich but not bombastic, and the album maintains a feeling that is brooding and mystical but not excessively sparse or depressed.This one is at least as vital a downtempo recording as Portishead's "Dummy", or anything Kruder and/or Dorfmeister have previously recorded.Peace Orchestra is one of the most beautiful records I have ever beheld. Get it. - by theunderbob, Amazon com

Artist: Peace Orchestra (Peter Kruder)
Album: Peace Orchestra
Year: 1999
Label: G-Stone
Runtime: 58:28

Tracks:
1.  The Man Part One 4:47 
2.  Meister Petz 6:18 
3.  Double Drums 9:24 
4.  Domination 8:37 
5.  Marakesh 6:57 
6.  Henry 6:57 
7.  Who Am I 5:59 
8.  Shining 5:03 
9.  The Man Part Two 4:22 
All compositions by Peter Kruder

Personnel:
Peter Kruder (Programming, Sampling)
Chilli Bukasa (Vocals) - 8