Deep Impressions

German producer Peter Kersten, AKA Lawrence, will release his sixth album Films & Windows in September on Dial Records, the Hamburg label he runs with Carsten Jost. Beyond releasing material from artists like Efdemin, John Roberts, Pigon and Pantha Du Prince, Kersten has established himself as a producer to rival anyone who releases on Dial, making melancholic minimal house and techno as Lawrence and more dance floor oriented material under his Sten moniker. “Writing music for me is a very spontaneous issue,” Kersten reflected recently. “For over a decade I have been digging a lot of styles — house music, techno, ambient, hip hop — from my very first album to my last CD, Until Then, Goodbye on Mule Electronic.” Films & Windows was apparently “inspired by an endless number of screened movies and real-life films,” and features 11 new tracks. I have it on good authority that Sydneysiders can expect a visit from Lawrence before the year is out – but I will show rare restraint and wait until I have the go-ahead from the promoter before I spill the beans.

The great Dane, Anders Trentemøller, will release a new album,Lost, in late September, his third LP and first since Into The Great White Yonder in 2010. While Trentemøller originally made his mark in techno circles via cuts such as ‘Physical Fraction’, ‘Polar Shift’ and the club remixes of ‘Moan’, he has increasingly moved towards acoustic indie and krautrock influenced soundscapes, touring with a band and supporting the mighty Depeche Mode. Remixes of David Lynch,M83, the Pet Shop Boys and Kasper Bjørke, along with the excellent Harbour Boat Trips compilation, showcase Trentemøller’s inclination to explore disparate sonic territory and venture away from the club realm. “In the past I felt like I’ve been trapped in this whole techno thing,” Trentemøller stated in a recent interview, inferring his days of making music for clubs may be behind him. Vowing not to merely echo his previous work, Lostis apparently a more “song structured” affair than previous Trentemøller albums, and features appearances from members of Blonde Redhead, The Raveonettes and The Drums, as well as collaborations with regular partner Marie Fisker and slowcore band Low. It seems a logical next step for the Dane after his previous album evinced an increased focus on live recording and instrumentation. While technophiles may yearn for a return to the darker club anthems, Trentemøller has proven himself equally adept across different soundscapes, so lets defer to him and listen with open ears when Lost drops in seven week’s time.

Chilean producerRicardo Tobarwill release his debut album entitledTreillis in October. Tobar has been lurking about the club frame for some time, having emerged through his two memorable EPs onJames Holden’s Border Community label a little over five years ago. The first, ‘El Sunset’, was a driving counterpoint to Nathan Fake’s memorable ‘The Sky Was Pink’, while ‘Boy Love Girl Song’ was a more restrained but no less accomplished number. In the time since, Tobar has chalked up a number of EPs on the German label Traum before moving to the Parisian label In Paradisum for his most recent outing last year, entitled Esoteric Carnaval. Leadoff track ‘Garden’ has been described as “Caribou dragged sideways through a field of acid tinged feedback,” and suggests that the Chilean has recaptured the form of his Border Community output. The challenge is whether he can sustain it over a full album, but even if he can’t, Treillis will be well worth a listen, as Tobar is one of the more interesting club producers with a penchant for all things analogue. While many producers in the club realm are indistinguishable, Tobar is cut from his own cloth, and stands apart from most of his contemporaries. “People like Villalobos and Luciano are kind of like gods here [in my country]. So you have loads of people imitating them and no one doing anything interesting,” he explained. “Everybody wants to belong and they follow that style for gigs or maybe for a record deal”. There is no doubt Tobar has followed his own path so far in his career – I expect that to continue through Treillis and beyond.

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