- At the heart of it, minimal dance music is a tug-of-war between personality and economy. When he's in his best form, Dutch producer Ion Ludwig nails the balance—just check out last year's sprawling album Ghost To Coast, or one of his three-hour live sets. But the last time he appeared on Lick My Deck, for 2014's Mr. Nubilous, his tendency for minimalism got the best of him. He makes up for it on Im Kloster, a three-tracker featuring two great tunes that show off his friskier side.
Lengthy A-side "Now On The Ocean Sky Only Knows Back In The Mountain Is Where It Goes" is touted as a big moment for Ludwig, mostly because it includes his vocals. But it's really just a serviceable club tune, full of springy drums and webbed basslines. Those sounds occasionally make way for ethereal vocals that sound like they wafted over from a Bob Moses rehearsal, feeling more like a gimmick than a carefully considered expression.
The flipside makes Im Kloster worth picking up. The title cut is bold, skating on a downcast chord progression that coats the background in warm, autumnal colours. The percussion's moreish skip really sells the track, with complex but intuitive drum programming that outpaces the A-side. "Fizmo Theme" is even more approachable, full of shiny, hi-tech synths and filtered drums that wade through thick atmospherics. Like the best moments of Ghost To Coast, Im Kloster's B-side speaks to how much personality Ludwig can cram into pared-down frameworks.
TracklistA1 Now On The Ocean Sky Only Knows Back In The Mountain Is Where It Goes
B1 Im Kloster
B2 Fizmo Theme