Solomun’s signature Diynamic sound has been all over the Island of Ibiza last summer. So it is with great pleasure that we see the Hamburg based label treating us aficionados of Electronica with two full albums before the summer. ‚Times‘ by youngster and shooting star David August, already considered a future star by connoisseurs of the German EDM scene, and the self-titled début album of Stimming, a Diynamic staple with his powerful and sweaty house sets.
Whereas ‚Times‘ makes for great living room sessions, Stimming is a more club orientated album. His sturdy bass and easy melodies will need only little tweaking to turn tracks like ‚Ferdinand‘, ‚Die Taube auf dem Dach‘ or ‚Cherry blossom‘ into powerful club edits. With its heavily distorted voices and eccentric whims the album has a scent of James Blake with a strong sense for the history of electronic music.
Especially ‚Die Mächtigen‘, an angry track about the exploits of greedy bankers, shows that this man knows his Kraftwerk. Here are twelve tracks that will take you down a very warped rabbit hole where wondrous and psychedelic experiences await the one who dares to open up. The often German lyrics contribute to an underlying sense of weirdness and almost humour, which is also emphasized by Stimming’s bizarre choice of sounds. Sources include children’s toys, a coke can, marbles and a pizza cutter.
Where Stimming’s album is more mature and composed, August’s début is an impetuous and eager coming of age story. With a surprising nonchalance for a 22-year-old, August serves fourteen impressive tracks. They are the musical equivalent to a TV Late Night Show: Quiet and sophisticated with a cheeky twist and unexpected abysses.
Perfect for a candle light dinner at home ‚Times‘ evaporates a very chilled, after-dark atmosphere. Due to his use of real instruments August’s music has an extremely warm and organic feel to it. Most of the vocals are his own apart from the tracks with his two guest singers Ivy and Wanja. And it is in ‚Until we shine‘ with Ivy that David August delivers the highlight of this album: a sentimental duet where brittle voices are shattered against a brutal bass-line.
‚Times‘ has a definite allure for pop fans. Not least because contrary to lots of electronic music tracks August does not build up to a peak in the middle of a track to release tension towards the end but lets listeners meander through his music. And just before you think you are lost there is a hand to lead you back on track. That is, of course, only if you want to…