A German newcomer project but not consisting of bloody newcomers: Villaborghese is a duo established by Friedhelm Kranz and Erick Miotke and at least Erick should be well recognized in Germany's Dark Electro music scene because of his being in Trial. Erick was responsible for the musically part of this famous duo and Trial had a major impact on the scene in 1992 with the release of „Blut Und Eisen“ on a 4-track CDEP and the accompanying album „Zero Feeling“, both out by Hypnobeat. After their album „Secret Pain“, released 1994 on Electric Blue / Ausfahrt Musikverlag GmbH, it has become quite silent around this project until the year 2006, when they started a comeback with live performances as well as with the release of the “Too Late” DCD set out in 2008 on Maxsoniq Recordings. Later through the years Trial has become the follow-up project Trilogy still with Erick behind the synths and machines, but with Jens Müller being the new vocalist and Chris "Léo" Leonhardt (drums / live support).
Friedhelm, born already 1957 in Bremen, hasn't had so far any deeper impact on the dark music scene of Germany although he nevertheless has established several projects into photographic, sound design and painting art. He can look back on various exhibitions mostly based in the north Germany area. Both protagonists know each other since years and have collaborated several times and can look back on decades of expertise in the areas of sound design, media communication and various art projects. Now under the pseudonym Villaborghese they established their mutual collaboration efforts bundled up in a sophisticated way.

Musically you won't get an EBM / Dark Electro music-related project as most of of our readers would have expected it behind the name Erick Miotke. Villaborghese is more that kind of a film-like journey, a trip into the depths of musically density and haunting layering. “On The Move” deserves to get consumed under a quality pair of head phones and a high-end home entertainment. Surely and expected, the sound creation takes almost completely its foundation out of IDM / Electronica / Electro-Ambient sound-programming attitude, undersigned with movie-like scores and with a few elements turning into the field-recording genre.
Their press release taps us listeners up on some stereotype-like comparisons to global players like “Vangelis, Kraftwerk, Synaesthesia, John Carpenter, Recoil and many other acts, they create dystopian sound spaces with a new, thought-provoking perspective and sometimes gloomy atmosphere”.
Actually, the whole music sounds to my taste much darker and infected with a constant Dark Electro-influence especially on the more straighter produced tracks (“Surrounded”, “Close” or “Mover”). There aren't vocals, at least the so-called “human factor” can be noticed with some ominous voice samples thrown in here and there. As for references to describe the sound of the both protagonists I would suggest to put a few albums by Flaque, Remain Silent into the ring as well as several recording projects under roof of Hymen Records (The_Empath, Jérôme Chassagnard) or with some relations to one or another artists of the far too early gone Tympanik Records label.

Both the rapid produced “Mover” or “Close” with their fiercely installed kick and hi-hat-works might be the ones most danceable and accessible tunes on here but compared to the further, more dense and haunting produced stuff, they are rather unusual. I found the strongest moments next to the manifold produced “Surrounded” in that mystic Dark Electro-track “Rising” with its wobbling synth lead sounds - reminds me pretty much on Flaque, Disharmony, Polygon and related. “Amnesia” is another Ambient-like tune with a thrilling density through its ominous installed synth pads and its clock-ticking rhythmic inserts - to me another outstanding track on here.

As usual with those rather Ambient-like albums, also “On The Move” requires a bit of free time and dedication of the affectionate listener. This soundtrack isn't definitely not your subtle background music in your next-corner Walmart. But again, you will get rewarded with a crafty produced movie-like album for a headtrip and with intellectual demand. Demand and dedication to art which is a loss in our currently rushing times, even if this soundtrack touches the darker-minded listeners.