- Compared to other styles of music, house and techno are emotionally repressed, straying as rarely as they do from club-friendly states of mind. In a way this makes sense—part of what separates underground dance music from its mainstream counterpart is its lack of overwrought emotion. But in a world of poker-faced grooves, a firm tug on the heartstrings can go a long way—provided it's done well. Enter Traumprinz, an artist who somehow goes way over the top without ever sounding cheesy. Think of the gushing drum & bass of "There Will Be XTC," the vulnerability of "All The Things," the heavy new age vibe of his recent remix of Efdemin. Now, as DJ Metatron, he delivers soaring emotions of a type rarely felt by anyone over the age of six, but with a self-awareness that lets him keep his cool.
Aside from the ambient "Spiral Worlds," every track on U'll Be The King Of The Stars takes a different angle on the same idea: the outsized melodies of trance, packaged into house and techno grooves. The title track and "Rave Child" slather bittersweet chords over punchy deep house beats. "The Colour (Sad Sad Euphoria Breakbeat Mix)" does exactly what it says on the tin, though not quite as well as Traumprinz's "Over 2 The End Version" of Efdemin's "Parallaxis." "Oh Ah" is the heavy artillery here, combining little more than three simple ingredients—a kick, an arpeggio and the titular vocal—in a way that would surely electrify a big room. Compared to his more ambiguous material as Traumprinz and Prince Of Denmark, U'll Be The King Of The Stars is a lark, but it's one that's impossible not to enjoy.
TracklistA1 U'll Be The King Of The Stars
A2 Rave Child
A3 Spiral Worlds
B1 The Colour (Sad Sad Euphoria Breakbeat Mix)
B2 Oh Ah