1989, the third Kompakt full-length by
Kölsch, is meant to evoke the year the Danish techno producer started going through puberty, as well as the period when his parents were divorcing. It was a highly emotional, difficult time for young Kölsch, and this music represents some of the stormiest, most dramatic music he's ever made. As with predecessors
1977 and
1983, this album's steady, lengthy tracks build up toward surging progressive house climaxes, but the youthful euphoria of Kölsch's previous material seems to have been obscured by clouds of uncertainty. Past collaborator
Gregor Schwellenbach contributes string arrangements, which are delivered by
the Heritage Orchestra this time, blowing up Kölsch's dancefloor dramas into widescreen proportions. On an updated version of "Grey," which previously appeared on the
Speicher 93 12," fluttering flutes and sharp horns dance around the thumping beat, bathed in ethereal echo. The end result is like a more club-tooled version of something off
Carl Craig's
Versus, possibly with a pinch of DJ Rolando's "Jaguar" thrown in. "Liath" is perhaps the album's emotional peak, with rich strings resembling an intergalactic disco version of
Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy," pausing in the middle for a teary-eyed violin solo by
Kate Robinson. As with the first two thirds of this album trilogy, Kölsch limits himself to one vocal number on
1989. In this case, it's the ambient tech-house track "In Bottles," featuring guest singer
Aurora Aksnes' catchy "down your spine" refrain and a sprinkling of lush strings. "Push" injects a bit of aggression, courtesy of some spiky synth arpeggios and brash horns, but the orchestral arrangements smooth it out and keep it from boiling over.
1989 is nothing less than a techno coming-of-age story, and judging by its ambitious scope, it wouldn't be too surprising if the artist made the leap to the big screen to continue telling his tale.
