Uh? A brand-new Supershelter-Review…

You might ask- what???!?!?? That’s exactly what I thought when a dear friend, Adam Butler (known to many as Vert) sent this to me today. ‘Supershelter’ (released in November 2008) feels so far away… sometimes I forget: it actually does not matter when a record came out, it matters when it is discovered by the listener. So I am happy that good ol’ Supershelter found a late appreciator!

And thank you, dear people from Aquarius Records, for taking so much interest in my music!!

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GLITTERBUG “Supershelter” (C Sides Label) cd 16.98
We totally flipped for the new Glitterbug record, Privilege, reviewed a couple lists back, the work of Till Rohmann, a German DJ / producer / artist, whose Glitterbug sound was exactly what we had been hankering for, a glorious blend of processed field recordings, soft pulsing glimmering synthscapes, stripped down minimal techno, abstract kosmische krautdrone and pop ambience, so when we discovered there was another, previous Glitterbug, we knew we had to check it out. And once again, were were not disappointed. Supershelter is another heady blend of Kompakt style skeletal techno, and warm swirling synthy drones, dark ominous rumbles, and ethereal after hours party music, skittery, and stuttery, washed out and hypnotic.

After a gorgeous slow melodic intro, that sounds like it could have been plucked from a Burzum record (at least before the plink plonk piano counterpoint comes in), the next few tracks unfurl the beats, wrapped around playful keyboards, percolating clicks and chirps, some sweetly melancholy melodies, even some soaring faux strings, “The Things I Long To Do” almost sounds like a Bjork backing track. “Oh My Hick!” is another skittery techno, warm liquid ambience hybrid, while “Unforgotten” is a brief stretch of hissy static rumble, leading into “Reference System” a low slung slab of synth wrapped late night shuffle, groovy and subtly funky, which butts right up against the warped and muted “Brontohouse” which does evoke some sort of giant beast, with its muddy thumping rhythm, and warm whirring buzz. The record plays out similarly, flitting from minimal thump and pulse, to woozy washed out drift, and quite a few stops in between.

Imagine a less clinical, more playful Kompakt, this will definitely hit the spot if you’ve been digging any of the recent weirdo electronica from folks like Actress, Pantha Du Prince, Klimek, Vex’d, T++, Thomas Fehlman, Oneohtrix and all the rest…

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