After a lengthy hiatus, German House and Techno imprint Kann is back with a new EP courtesy of Giegling mainstay Traumprinz, who you may also know from his Prince Of Denmark moniker. Traumprinz has been steadily making a name for himself as a purveyor of finely crafted machine-house, implementing dusty textures and human touches to give a hand-crafted feel to his mechanical sound. On Paradise With A Lobotomy he excels not only in producing three superb cuts of decaying dance music but also gives the listener a real sense of variation across the tunes, resulting in an impressive and highly listenable EP.
It’s hard to pick a highlight when all three tracks on offer feel so worthwhile and carefully crafted, but opener Big Baby Jesus, the straightest cut of the selection, definitely makes a strong impression. Using thick layers of ambient static as a base, Traumprinz applies a chugging 4/4 and carefully sequenced Dub Techno synthwork which filters powerfully through the mist. The Dub referencing is taken a step further later in the tune, with the echo turned up to eleven on an ethereal reggae sample which leaves a ghostly trace across the second half of the track. Even though Traumprinz uses a varied range of samples and sounds on his tracks they always meld fluidly thanks to careful mixing, resulting in tracks which feel like coherent machinations more than a collection of individual effects. Nowhere is this clearer than on second cut Love Yeah, where a similar ambient field is laid under a catchy melody of chimes and deeply atmospheric vocals embedded deep in the mix. The subtle buildup of percussive textures, each rich and organic, continues right up to the close, rewarding listeners who pay attention to the details.
Third cut Feel is the most unusual track on offer here, but that only goes to show the producer’s deft skill at implementing his unique sound in an array of different styles. A meticulously programmed drum pattern limps heftily through the opening minute of the tune before it’s joined by a host of slow, worn synth stabs and a pitch-perfect vocal sample that echoes emotively through the soundfield. A warbling vocal evokes unusual tones towards the end of the track, before only the ghostly ‘feel’ is left as the song erodes rather than fades away. The worn and dusty aesthetic of the sounds suits Traumprinz’s loping House style to a tee, showing a producer with a deep understanding of how to create punchy and unique Techno tunes which immediately grab attention and further seduce the listener on repeated spins.