Paul Kalkbrenner – Guten Tag

Something far more immersive than the disposable quick fix you might have expected

Kalkbrenner’s fondness for the metronomic thud of the kickdrum threatens to derail ‘Guten Tag’ and consign it to the fate of being merely a passable techno record that lacks euphoric climaxes. However, as the balance improves, you start to realise that the electronic arrangements are delicate and teeming with melancholy, and you’re left with the interesting juxtaposition of the reflective with big beat. From then on, ‘Guten Tag’ takes on a different guise – is it an allegory about the shallowness of life as a superstar DJ? Probably not, but Kalkbrenner has created something far more immersive than the disposable quick fix you might have expected.

7/10

Words by JOE RIVERS

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