BnB Review: Douglas Greed - KRL
Written by Youri Jozee
Crossover - One of house and techno’s most adventurous labels, Freude Am Tanzen, presents FAT mainstay Douglas Greed’s new album KRL. Now, is it any good?
Over the years, we’ve come to know Douglas as a producer with a rather diverse view on all things electronic. His music is not easily to be categorized, as most of his releases can be seen as exciting fusions of (deep) house, minimal, downbeat, and techno. The same applies to his new album KRL, a collection of 12 mostly downtempo tracks of which every single one of them is a shapeshifting genre-crosser.
After the beautiful Pain, a somewhat dark and haunting track and the album’s opening, KRL continues to serve up a batch of clear crisp hybrids over the course of its content, with each track drenched in mysterious vibes and dark fairytale themes. Sound wise, this makes the album as a whole quite diverse and melodic, but it most certainly isn’t the kind of album that appeals to a broad audience. Experimental mergers of synth pads, live instruments, crackling rhythms and track themes are mere elements to help stretching and crossing conventional structures and genres.
Bridges Over Babylon (feat Kemo), for instance, is a clear example of Douglas’ experimental style: Featuring vocals by Kemo, this track is amazing mix of oriental sounds and rhythmic drums, with hints of dubstep and downbeat woven in. Waiting in Line (Feat Ian Simmonds) is more of a Bryan Ferry-goes-dance-kind of tune, while the icy cold Morning Gloria (feat Mooryc) turns to moody electronica / electro to deliver the shiver. Any weak moments too? Hardly.
Our verdict:
Douglas Greed’s KRL has become a rather unorthodox album marked by soothing but dark tracks that seem to transform continuously over the course of their playtime. Melodies and fx play major roles in its content, but it’s the overall vibe of each track that had me nailed to the couch during listening. If you’re looking for something special outside the ‘dance-or-I’ll-shoot’ spectrum, then this one’s for you.
Rating: 8.2/10
Label: Freude Am Tanzen
Release date: October 14th, 2011
Tracklist:
1. Pain (feat Mooryc)
2. Down There
3. Down Here (Douglas Greed & Pascal Bideau)
4. Bridges Over Babylon (feat Kemo)
5. Love is Not A Trick Candle
6. Back Room Deal (feat Dehlia de France)
7. Die Schwarze Witwe Liebe
8. Unbemannt
9. Waiting in Line (Feat Ian Simmonds)
10. Morning Gloria (feat Mooryc)
11. Hold it Together til Our Friends are Gone
12. Shiver (Dehlia de France)
