Name: nit ding + _snd
Brand: Microstoria

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

THRILL587LPX

Colour

Pink

Colour details

Opaque Pink and Green

Discogs ID

{"time": 1705682143501, "blocks": [], "version": "2.24.3"}

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: Yes

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2024-01-26

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Redeye

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

790377058710

Total Cap

Pink LPx2

Artist

Microstoria

Genre US

Electronic

Label US

Thrill Jockey

Restored classics, rare finds, and sought-after releases. Whether you're a vinyl enthusiast or a tape collector, we have something for everyone.

Reissues

Newest Listed Items

Few records have weathered the fast-moving, fickle trends in electronic music like those of Microstoria. The duo brings together two of the most prescient, playful minds in the German electronic underground – Jan St. Werner (Mouse on Mars) and Markus Popp (Oval). Their albums as Microstoria are considered foundational texts in ambient music while equally sounding just as cutting-edge now as on their initial release. Continually cropping up in “best of” lists from the likes of Pitchfork and FACT while finding new fans through remixes by Jim O’Rouke and Stereolab. After being long out of print and coveted by collectors, the duo’s cult classic albums init ding and _snd now receive the expanded reissue treatment as a double LP, featuring remixed sleeve artwork based on the original designs and a full remaster of each by engineer Rashad Becker.

Microstoria’s creative process was as much about careful listening as composing, the duo working in a dialogue with their machines. Their first outing init ding (1995) captures the thrilling, anarchic energy of Germany’s experimental underground in the 90s, rendered in beautifully understated atmospheres. In those early studio sessions, Popp and Werner would cycle through synthesizer patches and effects settings while playing, sounds glitching and taking on new shapes with each turn to create moments of genuine surprise. Throughout the album the duo wrest paradoxically organic sounds from digital instruments, with everything from bird-like calls to aqueous washes of bass or fizzing strings that crest like rolling waves of warm analog thrum. The duo’s sophomore album _snd (1996) provided a subtle refinement of those earlier recordings, stripping back the dense layers of texture to play with space and tension, with an even greater contrast between light and dark. The album finds comfort in colder, deliberately digital soundscapes - the sound of neon lights illuminating the empty concrete of the city at night, or dial-up router glitch bathed in the warming glow of monitor screens. This is no mere wallpaper music, but living, breathing ecosystems of sound teeming with detail and tangible feeling.

 Nearly 30 years on from their original release, both init ding and _snd still offer thrilling new revelations with every listen. Much like the nature of their creation, these are records that reward deep listening. The expanded reissue of these two classic albums highlights their enduring influence and uncanny genius, standing essential titles from two artists still shaping the landscape of contemporary music today.

nit ding + _snd 

Music US

Discover nit ding + _snd by Microstoria. Two cult classic albums from the German electronic underground, now reissued as a double LP. Label: Thrill Jockey.