From home recorded tapes in the 90s to a newly released vinyl record in 2024, The Comfort is happy to present our third release, Siegmar Fricke’s Commercial Breakdown.

Back in the year 1990, the working method of Siegmar Fricke and his contemporaries was one best described as a DIY recording process. With spare tapes, glue, scissors, and sheer determination, Siegmar sought to share his music with an audience hungry for adventurous electronic music. In an era of limited access to labels and platforms, those not conforming to commercial trends had little choice. Thus, tapes like this one, dubbed simply as “home-recordings,” circulated among DJs and friends, embodying the playful experimentation of musicians exploring unconventional sounds and even dabbling with mainstream pop sounds.

Yet what makes this record so special? Beyond its long confinement to obscurity? Quite a lot, actually. It stands as a crazy discovery that is nearly impossible to come by.

The record kicks off with “Commercial Breakdown”, an extremely layered acid house track that fills the soul with more emotion than we know how to describe. Traversing through gentle piano chords, intimate and eerie synths and the type of groove that just doesn’t stop, it’s beautiful, affective and most importantly: highly experimental in a lot of ways. A track that you simply can’t crack, place to a certain time or vibe, it’s truly a singular piece of music, one that we are so happy to release.

On the B side, the first track “Turn on the tap”, words fall short as it’s the type of true hypnotic dance music created during a time, when there was nothing to reference, nothing to copy. You either had something to say or you didn’t, and this track says a lot.

B2, Geriatrics, takes more influence from the motherland of Siegmar, more wave’y, more in line with the zeitgeist of the time, yet still retains a unique edge that is hard to find. Pitched vocals, an extremely consistent rhythm that is layered with spaced out sounds and just turns into a piece of bliss in the half-way with soft pads and angelic vocals.

Finally, “Interfax” closes the EP with a punchy house groove reminiscent of UK and US sounds, infused with the essence of German experimentation. It’s a fitting conclusion that leaves a lingering vibe long after the music fades. 

A1. Commercial Breakdown
B1. Turn on the tap
B2. Geriatrics
B3. Interfax