Fifth album by this German group, based in Karlsruhe. Previous albums on Staubgold, Quecksilber, Afterhours, and Temporary Residence. They have been compaired to: Amon Dl, Four Tet, The Notwist, Styrofoam, the Morr Music roster, etc. Musique concrŠte, soundscapes, country, free jazz, jazz, the scores of yet unmade films etc. -- all these components make up Kollektief"s art without ever being there simply for their own sake, a fact which they communicate to the listener. The consistent negation of execution, the music that "goes without playing," the stuff that seems to happen at random and without consequence -- these are the key characteristics of Absencen. The Kollektief purposefully explore the endless musical possibilities of improv, sampling and random quotations in an attempt to piece together a sophisticated puzzle picture of the absent and the present (thinking of Giuseppe Archimboldo may help here). Absencen is a tapestry woven from many diverse translucent threads. Straubgold. 2005.