International Germans Album

On International Germans, Okey Szoke (Sam Szoke-Burke) uses silence and irregular loops to
experiment with ambience and dynamics. Each track explores different terrains and moods,
beginning with plaintive, snowy textures (International Germans) before exploring compositions
that are more urgent and dramatic (British guys in their naval uniforms), and sun-melted (Cowbell in
palm).
Each track is built from sparsely assembled loops, all of which have different lengths. Each
composition’s elements thus have repetition as a common feature, but are arranged in a way that
ensures that the piece never repeats itself. This separates the release from composers working
with phase pattern arrangements, where different tempos neatly link in and out of rhythm
according to clear mathematical patterns.
The album is bolstered by recordings made outside of the studio, including multiple anonymous
voicemails received in early 2016. Attempts were made to contact the caller but were ultimately
unsuccessful.
This marks the first non-percussive EP by Okey Szoke whose previous releases have focused on
the intersection of tambor zao and bass music (Mahangu, 2015), tarraxo and fodencia (Spiced Bun,
2014), and minimal techno (Work, 2013).
Sam Szoke-Burke hails from Australia and is currently based in New York, where he works on
human rights issues associated with international investment. He is the co-founder of Brother
Sister Records.