- The Cécille freight train rolls on, this time on the Numbers sublabel with a two track EP that once again proves that everything that isn't happening in Berlin these days is most likely taking place in Frankfurt. Cécille's magic is in its subtle—and not so subtle—incorporation of organic elements into the minimal techno framework. Call it Villalobos-lite: Whereas you can't help but notice the art that goes into Markus Fix and Robert Dietz's efforts here, their aim never wavers from the dance floor.
Dietz, who has an even shorter Discogs entry than relative newcomer Markus Fix, takes a page from SIS's playbook and teases for minutes-on-end with a snippet of "Sunshowers" before dropping its chorus wholesale. Like The Field, Dietz can't help but be transfixed by its repetition, but unlike the Swede he's using it as a means, not an end. It ain't subtle, but anthems rarely are—and I'd rather listen to this than "Trompeta" any day.
Dietz and Markus Fix are tribal minimalists in a Vakant style, but rarely get caught up in the microscopic details. "Bo Boston," Fix's contribution here, sets out a healthy groove that would act as a perfect set-up for an Onur Özer track, but the Frankfurter pares things down to a sensible amount of moving parts. A soft organ unfurls a riff, a tapped cymbal appears every so often—or is that a train coming into station?—and Fix even included what sounds like something falling down a flight of stairs. It's to his credit that it feels neither over-stuffed nor under. (Although nine minutes is a bit of stretch.)
Tracklist A Robert Dietz - Shunsower
B Markus Fix - Bo Boston