Spinner RPM: Tosca

Posted on Jul 31st 2009 1:00PM by Mike Spinella
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"Let's say it could have some kind of introspective sound, like a spiral inwards," electronic musician Richard Dorfmeister tells Spinner about the sound of his project, Tosca. "In easier words, 'No Hassle.'" The electronic duo got its start in Vienna, Austria back in 1994, laying much of the groundwork for the experimental downtempo genre. From the start, Dorfmeister's work in Tosca and his other project, Kruder and Dorfmeister, has been ahead of the pack, pushing the boundaries of electronic music with a lush, atmospheric flavor. "Since the downtempo label got spoiled by lots of bad, uninspired compilations we tried to stick to our roots and rely on our trademark sound, which is just us,' Dorfmeister adds.

With influences ranging from Austrian composer Franz Schubert to Miles Davis, the band has come into its own, especially on its spacey yet bouncy album 'No Hassle,' which surfaced earlier this year."We really did it the way we wanted it to be, less vocals, less beats and just less pretentious, and there is the bonus live CD that we recorded at the Ars electronica festival. In total, it reflects our way of looking at structures and sound," Dorfmeister tells Spinner.

To give a better idea of their inward spiral sound, the duo made this exclusive DJ mix of tweaked-out minimal beats, which kicks off with a song from 'No Hassle.'

Setlist
Tosca, 'Oysters in May'
Sebbo, 'Watamu Beach' (Moritz V. Oswald Rework)
Martin Butrich, 'Cloudy Day'
BMW, 'White Label'
Martinez, 'Organic Theme'
Motorcity Soul, 'Hatohay' (Move D. Remix)
Phonique, 'Worked it Out" (Charles Webster Remix)
Rhythm+Sound feat.Tikiman, 'Let Cha Love'