Review: Peter Gall - Drum Seeds (Compost Records)

Compost Records have had their eyes on Peter Gall for the past seven years since his debut album and now its the time to release the jazz drummers' unconventional  album, 'Drum Seeds': watch them grow!

A couple of years on since the Peter Gall 'difficult' second album 'Love Avatar' you'll recall that project recorded with top musicians from the European jazz scene which got top reviews (see review HERE), led to successful tours and performances at renowned jazz festivals and won the German Jazz Award for “Album of the Year” in 2025.

The temptation to repeat a winning formula must have been, quite literally, tempting!  But jazz drummers are not typically typical so when drummer/producer Peter Gall says he's doing a solo album, 'Drums Seeds' is much more than just a drum statement.

The groundwork was actually laid by Compost label head Michael Reinboth: He had long wanted to produce a pure drum album with Peter Gall. So they met at Jan Krause’s (Beanfield) studio, where Peter Gall had also recorded numerous albums for the Compost universe with the spiritual jazz supergroup WEB WEB. In this familiar atmosphere, hours of material emerged—ranging from beats and grooves to layered drumkits and, in some cases, orchestral drum-and-percussion arrangements. On DRUM SEEDS, Gall’s drumming is more prominent than on any of the roughly 50 albums the 42-year-old has recorded to date for various bands and artists. Nevertheless, he remains averse to sheer, virtuoso show-off drumming. “For me, it’s more about the feeling and the story a simple groove can tell,” he says.

Peter Gall’s love for vintage analog synthesizers then derailed the original plan to let only the drums take center stage on the album. And suddenly, the mantric beats evolved into partly song-like tracks with immersive sound collages that evoke associations: with the ambient works of Aphex Twin, the dancefloor bangers of Caribou, the jazz of the ’60s and ’70s, with The Streets, Boards of Canada, the soundtracks of David Lynch or Blade Runner, but also, time and again, to Gall’s earlier jazz albums—with compelling melodies, profound harmonies, and an imaginative, spiritual atmosphere.

PS. Did I not say 'Groove Receiver' and 'Super Truth' are amazing?  Kraut-Rock-Returneth!

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://petergall.bandcamp.com/album/drum-seeds

Artist: Peter Gall

Title: Love Avatar  

Release date: 4th September, 2026

Label: Compost Records

Cat. No: CPT 635 1-2-3

Format:Vinyl LP + Download Card / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

673794268019 > LP
673794268026 > CD
673794268033 > Digital

Review: Peter Gall - Love Avatar (Compost Records)

Compost Records have had their eyes on Peter Gall for the past six years since hisebut album as they can now release the jazz drummers' second (not so difficult) album, 'Love Avatar'!

Jazz drumming group/band leaders were de-rigeur in the be-bop days and the likes of Yussef Dayes, Seb Roachford, Nick Woodmansey (Emanative) and Teppo "Teddy Rock" Mäkynen (The Stance Brothers) to name a few, are some of the current 'new wave'.  

To that list we can add Peter Gall as the German who has written and produced the ten tracks on 'Love Avatar' and is supported by Wanja Slavin (saxes, flute, keys, synth), Reiner Baas (guitar), Rainer Böhm (paino, keys, synth), Matthias Pichler (bass) with Peter on drums, percussion and synth.

Last months' 12" of the 'Love Avatar' / 'Echoes Of A Dystopian World' (see review HERE), that happen to be the opening and closing tracks on the album, with some heavy 'meat' in the middle of the jazz sandwich.

'Luz Solar' and 'Heartbeat' best show the fusion influence and the BRUK/stutter/nu-jazz that's under-pinned by Gall's (the groups') love of giants such as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter (particularly 'Oasis'), Hermeto Pascoal to Flying Lotus (all crammed into 'Heroes'?)

'Heartbeat' is ideal jazzdance manic is in huge contrast to the dark and light of 'Unreal' plus 'Love Lines' highlighed with some Metheny-esque wanderings that's very Jazz on 3 along with the synth-proggy 'Closing The Chapter' and 'Indie Flowers'.

I suspect this album is likely to become a reference point for many a future "Tomorrow's Warriors" as much as some of us remember the birth of the Nu-troop. 

Artist: Peter Gall

Title: Love Avatar  

Release date: 27th September, 2024

Label: Compost Records

Cat. No: CPT 635

Format:Vinyl LP / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Peter Gall - Love Avatar / Echoes Of A Dystopian World (Compost Records)

It's not love actually, it's better that that with 'Love Avatar' as Peter Gall does it in his own name.

Similar in format to Michael Reinboth's single 'Let The Spirit' / 'RS6 Avant' (see review HERE) but totally different in approach as drummer/composer Peter Gall gets ready for the album, 'Love Avcatar'.

The title track is a brilliant take on 60s Blue Note jazz/fusion for a nu-jazz/broken generation for fans of Herbie Hancock in the 70s. It's that whimiscal/clever.

'Echoes Of A Dystopian World' is just that as it's got the depth of a OST and a live jazz gig; i.e. it's special.

Peter's worked in the past with Max Herre (see review HERE), Roberto di Giola (see review HERE) and some pretty popular bands as one of the best drummers in Germany so there's a big buzz for the follow-up to his debut album, 'Paradox Dreambox'.

Put it in your diaries, the album ' Love Avatar' is out on 27th September

Artist: Peter Gall

Title: Love Avatar / Echoes Of A Dystopian World

Release date: 2nd August, 2024

Label: Compost Records

Cat. No: CPT 635-5

Format:Vinyl 12" / Digital / Bandcamp