siince the release of his debut album, substantial, in 2004, volker bertelmann aka hauschka has, slowly but surely, earned a remarkable reputation as a purveyor of imaginative, distinctive, prepared piano music. this isnt, to be fair, a heavily populated field, but its one hes made his own, and while some might have dismissed his work early on as a novelty, bertelmann has proven himself to be uncommonly inventive, coaxing ever more unprecedented, euphonic sounds and rhythms out of his instrument. even so, on what if which finds him adding player pianos (also known as pianolas) to his armoury bertelmann expands his range even further, defying expectations and delivering what is without doubt his most ingenious album yet.
the vinyl release includes a download code.