Peter Kruder
Visions LTD EP
Gigolo Records
I like electronica, but for it to really work you need a mix of various artists and a competent DJ. Most electronica CDs quickly become tedious, and after 10 minutes you’re ready to hit the “next disc, please” button. That’s why the DJ is god and most of the techno/break beat/acid house musicians remain enormously anonymous. Sure, you might pick out an individual DJ’s style after a few songs, but any given cut is somehow interchangeable with any other, so long as the beats per minute match. The fact that most DJs never back announce doesn’t help, either.
Peter Kruder (the front half of Kruder & Dorfmeister) pushes that boundary; his long downtempo mixes stand on their own and you can clearly hear it on this two-song EP featuring “Vision LTD” and “Shine.” The first track amplifies on its loop of drums and electronic yelps, building from a simple yet danceable opening, then gradually and subtly turning up the energy to a crescendo before slowly pulling back to leave you with that lonesome feeling you get when you leave a party way too early. The second track feels much sparser at the open, but achieves a similar effect with a chorale of feminine voices that gives a cathedral-like ambiance to the rhythm machine. Together, they make a quarter-hour of very solid listening – hypnotic without being stoned, and rhythmic without repetition. Not bad for a disc with no back announce.
Peter Kruder: http://www.myspace.com/peterkruder
