- Kompakt's recent interest in songs made from "proper instruments" continues apace with Justus Köhncke's newest 12-inch. The neue disco maestro indulges a heretofore unknown side of his musical personality on the A-side with a cover of Michael Rother's 'Feuerland.' Köhncke shies away from transforming the tune into some sort of anthemic stormer, instead opting for a seemingly unaltered melody drawn from a delicate guitar, buzzing synths and a digital motorik beat, with nary a four-four bass drum in sight. It's slightly harder edged than the original, but then again, what wouldn't be?
'Parage,' on the other hand, is klassic Köhncke. It samples (or mimics, one can never tell these days) a famed guitar lick from the word go, and builds a host of instruments around it, before eventually gathering enough steam to go ahead without it. The ghost of the riff haunts the track, though, as the theme that emerges emulates its basic path, gathering epic strings (and an accompanying flourish), banks of synths and a fat bassline to guide it to a suitable conclusion. Unlike the simpler 'Feuerland' it seems overstuffed at times, with too many elements fighting against one another to presumably allow it to wreak too much havoc on the dancefloor. But like much of Köhncke's straight-ahead work, it's highly accomplished – and only takes a few listens before it worms its way properly and indelibly into your brain.
TracklistA Feuerland
B Parage