- You could think of Die Vögel as DJ Koze's protégés. The German duo have only released on his label, Pampa, and their wacky sense of humour falls perfectly in line with his own. And while Jakobus Siebels and Mense Reents haven't exactly been prolific, their releases tend to make an impact. True to form, "The Chicken" will probably leave a curiously shaped crater in its wake.
For its first three minutes, the track is almost unsettlingly normal. The Middle Earth tavern feel of "Blaue Moschee" is gone, the deranged rhythms of "Fratzengulasch" all but disappeared. Instead, it's mildly swung, like something from labelmate Robag Wruhme... until it falls away with an hilarious vocal sample: "Try to look a chicken in the eye with great intensity," a voice intones in a thick German accent, "the enormity of their stupidity is just overwhelming." Occasionally swelling up with kazoo-like synths and woodwind coos, the track veers close to novelty territory, but thankfully the killer beat underneath is sound enough to survive on its own terms.
It would seem that making such a strange epic took a lot out of Die Vögel—the flipside "Mesmerize" is meek in comparison. Sounding like an outtake from Koze's Amygdala LP, it's a well-groomed house groove brushed with horns, like a grown-up version of their first EP from 2009. It shows a newfound maturity from this always-puzzling duo.
Tracklist A The Chicken
B Mesmerize