LANDFILL TOTEMS Sample Library by Spitfire Audio

Spitfire Audio released a new sample library. HAINBACH – LANDFILL TOTEMS — a sample library comprising an augmentation of the sound palette of Berlin-based electronic music composer and performer Hainbach’s musically mind-blowing Landfill Totems concept album simultaneously released on SA Recordings.

The London-based label owned by the British music technology company, allowing access to a truly unique world of one-of-a-kind, bespoke sounds expertly curated by Hainbach himself from long-forgotten, now-obsolete test equipment collected from nuclear research labs, grandfathers’ sheds, and scrap heaps, completely repurposed and given a new lease of life as instruments, meticulously recorded and processed further before being presented in Spitfire Audio’s award-winning, easy-to-use plug-in as many morphing and evolving sounds suited to techno and ambient music production, as well as cutting-edge film scoring.

Berlin-based electronic music composer and performer Hainbach (a.k.a. Stefan Goetsch) creates shifting audio landscapes living on the experimental edge of electronica, championed by British independent print and online music magazine The Wire — widely renowned for its coverage of a wide range of global alternative, underground, and experimental musics — as “…one hell of a trip.” 

The music itself is an abstract yet visceral experience, fashioned from esoteric synthesizers, test equipment, magnetic tape, and idiophones — instruments that totally vibrate when struck, shaken, or scraped. Straddling studio to stage, Hainbach’s immersive live performances are also admired, manifesting more recently through his YouTube Channel, where he has amassed an ever-expanding loyal following, sharing his experimental journeys and expertise with wider audiences.

Appropriately, the Landfill Totems project started life as a performance installation at Berlin’s PNDT — a new art gallery whose purpose is to provide a space for culture and creation, for presentation and appreciation of art in all its forms, expanding exponentially into a full album and accompanying sample library recorded at Patch Point, builders and sellers of unique instruments in Kreuzberg-Berlin — much more than a standard store on account of offering residencies to promote community and education through a free booking room filled with unique synthesizers for everyone to play. 

Hainbach himself puts it this way: “What I love about Patch Point is that it is a place for those interested in sound and music itself. You don’t go there to buy a box with 999 presets that will make you sound like the industry standard; you go there to find something that speaks to you. You pick up something that will start an intimate process of music creation, and it will sound like you, and only you.” 

Subsequently stacked into three monolithic towers resembling totem poles, each piece of equipment thereon was carefully chosen by Hainbach for its distinctive tone generation and modulation capabilities before being wired together much like a modular synthesizer. Says the electronic music composer and performer eventually lending his notable name and one-of-a-kind, bespoke sounds to Spitfire Audio’s HAINBACH – LANDFILL TOTEMS sample library: “Each tower of equipment took the form of a lifelike statue, and suddenly all these faces started appearing in the machines. They made massive sounds and unfamiliar noises and I thought, ‘I want these to be heard — to sing again.’”

As anyone observing those assembled anthropomorphic figures could conceivably concur, a deep appreciation and affection for the engineering technology of the past is apparent — totally unique machines assembled for one final swan song. Ultimately upcycled and redesigned as pillars and shrines, these totems act as a commentary on the environmental cost of progress; what was once the pinnacle of technology quickly becomes unviable and destined for the scrapheap — if not for the intervention of Hainbach, creating beauty from that which is thought to be obsolete. Carefully chosen to create this towering collection is medical, telecommunication, and scientific research equipment, vintage sound-testing devices, a Nuclear Instrumentation Modular, an outmoded medical signal generator, a mixer previously used by the Stasi — the state security service in former East Germany, and a Brüel & Kjaer 1613 bandpass filter creating the hi-hat, bass drum, and watery sounds.

Simultaneously released alongside Hainbach’s musically mind-blowing Landfill Totems concept album on SA Recordings, Spitfire Audio’s sample library namesake sees those same machines completely repurposed and given a new lease of life in an unforeseen capacity as instruments, producing unpredictable sounds from another world — wide-ranging from eerie morse code bleeps and comms signals to flickering bass pulses; deep drones and ominous pads to grainy textural rhythms; visceral clicks, industrial drum hits, and loops; and electromagnetic noise to heavenly humanoid ‘voices’. Virtual instrument brilliance is guaranteed as everything is meticulously recorded and processed further as dystopian sounds presented in Spitfire Audio’s award-winning, easy-to-use plug-in providing access to truly one-of-a-kind, bespoke creations, impossible to recreate otherwise.

On the face of it, then, the plug-in provides 40 presets split into four sections: Kling — presets containing elements from all other sections, with a huge range of textures available to explore using the mod wheel; Klang — tonal sounds, from evolving pads to pulsating drones; Knarz — textural and effects-style sounds, from watery to alien-like; and Krach — percussion and drum hits, as well as time-machine loops and patterns. Innovative inbuilt effects and controls provide a wealth of self-explanatory sonic possibilities to drastically control and manipulate each of the presets, including REVERB, DELAY, ATTACK, RELEASE, DISTORTION, and STRETCH, while the dynamics fader controls the processed signal to offer a spectrum of sounds within each preset — velocity-sensitive themselves for varying tones. “Just press one note, and you get a whole spectrum of emotion.” So says Hainbach himself, ending on a high note.

As a sample library of stark sonic contrasts — from harsh, futuristic, and dystopian to beautiful and emotive sounds from another world, HAINBACH – LANDFILL TOTEMS is an invitation for musicians and producers to reimagine, recreate, or completely pull apart the sound world of an artist like no other to facilitate their own artistic vision. Indeed, it is perfect for creating tension, suspense, and beauty in any musical setting — from electronic tracks to hybrid film scoring or abstract sound design... and all without breaking into a broken bank balance-induced sweat!

Spitfire Audio’s namesake Spitfire Audio application allows anyone to buy now and download anytime, and is available for free.

Pricing and Availability

HAINBACH – LANDFILL TOTEMS is available as an AAX-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible plug-in supporting Native Instruments’ NKS (Native Kontrol Standard) for Mac (OS X 10.10 – macOS 11 minimum) and Windows (7, 8, and 10 — latest Service Pack) that loads directly into any compatible DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) for an RRP (Recommended Retail Price) of only £29.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$29.00 USD/€29.00 EUR (inc. VAT) — Please note that the first 1,500 purchasers ofHAINBACH – LANDFILL TOTEMS will each receive a limited-edition Landfill Totems cassette album for free.

Hainbach’s musically mind-blowing Landfill Totems concept album is available to purchase either on its own as a limited-edition 12-inch vinyl album for £17.50 GBP (inc. VAT) or as a bundle — comprising a limited-edition 12-inch vinyl album (plus WAV / FLAC digital download) and the HAINBACH – LANDFILL TOTEMS sample library — directly from SA Recordings here. Please note that bundle purchasers will each receive a limited-edition Landfill Totems cassette album for free.

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Landfill Totems by Hainbach

Today Hainbach’s new album „Landfill Totems“ is out! A brooding collection of tracks recorded on three massive statues made from obsolete test equipment. 

 SA Recordings released a limited edition vinyl and brand new sample library from Berlin-based composer and musician Hainbach, entitled ‘Landfill Totems’. The Limited Edition 12″ Vinyl (a limited edition run of 500 clear vinyl) seems to be already sold out. I was lucky to get one.

Landfill Totems LP

Hainbach’s latest album distils many elements of his work into an immaculate project; an irrepressible childlike fascination and obsession for experimenting, a mischievous sense of humour and a completely unique and charismatic approach to electronic production and composition. The release started as an installation and a one-off performance in Berlin, before expanding exponentially into a full album and an accompanying sound library which will also be available.

Hainbach erected three huge sculptures from obsolete, once high-end research equipment, taken from nuclear research labs, particle accelerators and grandfather’s sheds. These forgotten relics of scientific progression and milestones of human evolution were repurposed by the artist and given a new lease of life in a completely unforeseen capacity as musical instruments dubbed the ‘Landfill Totems’.

The juxtaposition of totemic imagery and electronic landfill is, in part, meant to act as a commentary on the environmental cost of progress; what was once the pinnacle of technology quickly becomes unviable and destined for the scrapheap except for the intervention of Hainbach, upcycling and redesigning them as pillars to the idea that progress doesn’t always have to cause destruction.

[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=620719078 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false]

As the human brain searches for faces and patterns in everything, the repurposed totems began to take on a humanoid form, with faces appearing from rusty knobs and broken switches. Each figure has its own connection to a musical abstract, based on its function and look. When observing the absurd anthropomorphic figures, a deep appreciation and affection for the engineering technology of the past is apparent; totally unique instruments too good to let just fade away quietly, assembled for one final swan song.

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The music Hainbach coaxes out of the ‘Landfill Totems’ is stark, minimalistic and full of impending doom – it is about a world in crisis, driven by indecision, division and losing its function; a reflection of the global circumstances in which it was created.

Sample Library

Spitfire Audio is a renowned British music technology company creating innovative sample libraries and writing tools in collaboration with the world’s best composers, producers, engineers, and sound designers. In collaboration with SA Recordings, Spitfire Audio create a series of sample libraries with a selection of innovative, influential artists, released in conjunction with each artist’s record.

From eerie bleeps reminiscent of sci-fi movie alien communication to deep, pulsating drones and rhythms; atmospheric, unsettling pads to industrial drum hits and loops. Meticulously recorded, processed and manipulated further, these dystopian sounds are presented in Spitfire Audio’s award-winning, easy-to-use plug-in, giving you access to truly bespoke sounds, impossible to recreate yourself. Featuring processing and morphing crossfades, this sample library provides you with a world of sonic possibilities far beyond its original analog state, with many of the sounds morphing and evolving as you play and a wide range of in-built controls and effects to drastically control and manipulate each of the presets. Designed to inspire and enrich your own compositions, you can create atmospheres of suspense, tension, or otherworldly beauty.

Exclusive bundles (physical and digital) including the album and sample library, can be purchased on SA Recordings here: sarecordings.com/release/220828-hainbach-landfill-totems

Customers who purchase the digital and physical bundles will also receive a free and limited edition cassette of ‘Landfill Totems’. 

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=620719078 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

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Landfill Totems by Hainbach

On April 8th, SA Recordings will release the latest project from Berlin-based composer and musician Hainbach, entitled ‘Landfill Totems’.

Hainbach’s latest album distils many elements of his work into an immaculate project; an irrepressible childlike fascination and obsession for experimenting, a mischievous sense of humour and a completely unique and charismatic approach to electronic production and composition. The release started as an installation and a one-off performance in Berlin, before expanding exponentially into a full album and an accompanying sound library which will also be available.

Hainbach erected three huge sculptures from obsolete, once high-end research equipment, taken from nuclear research labs, particle accelerators and grandfather’s sheds. These forgotten relics of scientific progression and milestones of human evolution were repurposed by the artist and given a new lease of life in a completely unforeseen capacity as musical instruments dubbed the ‘Landfill Totems’.

The juxtaposition of totemic imagery and electronic landfill is, in part, meant to act as a commentary on the environmental cost of progress; what was once the pinnacle of technology quickly becomes unviable and destined for the scrapheap except for the intervention of Hainbach, upcycling and redesigning them as pillars to the idea that progress doesn’t always have to cause destruction.

As the human brain searches for faces and patterns in everything, the repurposed totems began to take on a humanoid form, with faces appearing from rusty knobs and broken switches. Each figure has its own connection to a musical abstract, based on its function and look. When observing the absurd anthropomorphic figures, a deep appreciation and affection for the engineering technology of the past is apparent; totally unique instruments too good to let just fade away quietly, assembled for one final swan song.

The music Hainbach coaxes out of the ‘Landfill Totems’ is stark, minimalistic and full of impending doom – it is about a world in crisis, driven by indecision, division and losing its function; a reflection of the global circumstances in which it was created.

‘Funktionsverlust’ opens the record plunging into dark, dramatic tonalities with deep pressurised bass and a portentous, industrial repetition; striking a balance between the past and present lives of the totems, neatly reappropriated as an intelligent piece of austere techno. This, according to Hainbach, is the final noise ever made by this particular machine as it died during the recording process.

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‘Spaltung’ and ‘Unruhe’ introduce a whirring rhythmic conversation between old switchboards and telecommunication equipment that twinkles and throbs with growing excitement as more of the machines seem to spring into life.

‘Krisen’ rounds off side A with an ominous, pulsating, mechanised hum which seems to depict the resurrection of these machines and cajoles the spirits of the totems into existence.

On side B, we find ‘Segen’ where metronomic kicks are forged from manipulated comms signals meet electromagnetic atmospheric noise and morse code chirps creating a slithering composition that evokes a stunning blend of Ryoji Ikeda and Radiohead.

‘Amtsweg’ and ‘Die Wahl’ feature Geiger counter-esque clicks and steely mechanic howls, denoting the imminent end for the machines which slowly dissipates back down to a solitary drone; hinting at a new dawn, post-apocalypse where discarded, disused and antiquated bits of kit are all that remains and will inevitably have to be reinvented into something beautiful. 

Recorded by Hainbach at Patch Point in Berlin, Summer 2020
Mastered by Nathan Moody at Obsidian Sound
Master Lacquer cut by Andreas Lubich

Pricing and Availability

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[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=620719078 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Limited Edition 12″ Vinyl, includes digital pre-order of Landfill Totems. You get 1 track now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released. Limited Edition 12″ Vinyl is shipping out on or around April 8, 2021