Johannes Heil - Loving

Written by Youri Jozee

Veteran DJ/producer Johannes Heil will release his new album ‘Loving’ on Sven Vaeth’s Cocoon label this September. Worth your cash? Here’s what we think…

Although we must remain objective at all times, we have to admit that Johannes Heil has been a long term favorite of the entire BnB crew. Why? ‘cuz tunes such as Paranoid Dancer (1998, Kanzleramt), Calling (1999), and The Fool never get old. Anyway, an artist is only as good as his last productions eh. You can’t even imagine how many bullshit releases have come our way over the past few years, especially since every techno producer all of a sudden turned to minimal and… but that’s a whole different story. The good news is, Johannes doesn’t let down.

‘Loving’ serves up 12 brand new cuts bearing J’s evolved sound, which stretches from Detroit-influenced house to straight up oldschool-ish Kanzleramt and even a genre-fusing surprising. African chants, moving electro bass and silky strings are just some of the ingredients of this very diverse album, as Johannes clearly doesn’t shy away from experimenting which results in album that is unlike dozens of others we’ve heard this year alone. Opening track Hallelujah opens subtle with a stripped down semi-hiphop rhythm, after which the tech house-flavored All Is One and the Detroit-flavored The Ace introduce the first beats in the form of two very effective and very well produced tunes.  Johannes love for electro is present throughout the entire album, given the fact that most of the track are decorated with filthy bass stabs, square beats and somewhat punky grooves. Among the highlights are Freedom Of Heart, a massive techno slammer driven by a fat, merciless groove and the deep melodic Twentythree with its highly emotive touch. Impressive.

Our verdict:
‘Loving’ is one of those rare techno albums that’s clearly been put together for the love of music. Upon listening, it immediately becomes noticeable that a lot of time has been spent on giving each track that special extra touch, by which the album as a whole is an absolute joy to listen to. A very balanced, powerful and effective album with 12 bangers and definitely one of the better we’ve heard this year.

Rating: 7.9/10
Label: Cocoon Recordings
Release date: September 2010

Tracklist:
1. Hallelujah
2. All Is One
3. The Ace
4. Seeded
5. To The Groove
6. Big City Nights
7. Glockenspiel
8. Freedom Of Heart
9. A Holo Static
10. Twentythree
11. Could this Be
12. Loving

Johannes Heil - Freedom Of Heart

 

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