I want to ride in a car with Thomas Fehlmann, preferably on the German Autobahn. Why? Because he knows when to push on the gas or hit the brakes, when to shift gears or lay on the horn, and most importantly, when it's best to just put it in neutral and coast.
"Lowflow" is an album that shows a sophisticated deep-house sensibility, as Fehlmann is clearly comfortable and confident in this stretch of chill-out highway. The opening track, "GoldHaar," uses intriguing sample blends that mix medieval choral sounds with a flickering, stop-and-go digital sputtering. It transitions smoothly into "Prefab," a track that samples a child's pop-up toy with Middle Eastern flourishes and it all works.
Fehlmann continues the child's play on "Intertwine," a too-short track that could've used some rounding out. "Hana" keeps up the chill-out vibe with "found sounds," showing that Felhmann is a true ambient believer by his inclusion of scratchy feedback as part of the whole aural experience.
"Alice Springs" reinforces the ambient doctrine by summoning up an aural landscape with heavier rock overtones, a satisfying groove that defies convention by being a bit more metal than its typical electronica counterparts. Fehlmann seems to go light again with "Springer," but the tune plunges back down to a swaggering heavy beat and stays there for the duration.
With "Feat," Fehlmann goes deep-sea diving with sound rippling like waves across the surface. In all, "Lowflow" plumbs the depths of electronic music and brings a wealth of aural treasure to the surface. |