Where Rune Reilly Kölsch’s year trio—the albums 1977, 1983 and 1989—comprised chapters of the Danish producer’s upbringing, Now Here No Where brings his sonic autobiography up to date. He has described the record as “an album about life in the year 2020”, an era of “confusion, misinformation and environmental challenges”, yet the abiding mood is not dark. Now Here No Where is infused with all of Kölsch’s habitual energy—bold sawtooth melodies, buoyant pads, driving basslines—and Kompakt regular Gregor Schwellenbach’s string arrangements lend extra depth and texture, such as the scene-setting harp of the opening “Great Escape” or the gentle violin counterpoint of “Shoulder of Giants”. Kölsch has long been one of Kompakt’s most unabashedly emotive artists, and he doesn’t hold back here: “Remind You” laces progressive house with bluesy horns and pumping organ, while Beacon’s falsetto vocals give “Time” an unmistakably wistful air, and “Traumfabrik” (translation: “Dream Factory”) is tossed by a meditative breeze. It all comes to a head with “Glypto”, a percussive, stripped-back floor-filler in which eerie chants build to a climactic explosion of colour—a tribute to dance music’s life-changing moments of abandon, and an expression of hope for their speedy return.
- 2018
Featured On
- Paul Kalkbrenner
- Fritz Kalkbrenner
- Kollektiv Turmstrasse
- Ten Walls