Hardwax regular and Berghain resident Michael Fiedler has been in the dance floor bomb business for more than 15 years, but we're not accustomed to seeing his name unattached to Erik "Errorsmith" Wiegand's, his partner in the famed MMM label. Whatever bug Fiedel caught that made him decide that now was the time to strike out on his own—well, be glad he caught it. While Ferro very much fits the MMM mold of unfettered arrangements and fluorescent sounds, this particular wheel of cheese feels like it's been aged to subtle perfection.
Indeed, there's an ethereality to Fiedel's solo sound that's been conspicuously absent throughout MMM's run. The title cut captures surprisingly muted drums orbiting a few knotted-up notes. On paper, its arrangement bears a good deal of similarity to tunes like "Touch & Go," but the takeaway is completely different: airy and exquisite, it's as dreamy as you'd imagine this sound gets. On the flip, "Andreas" bangs a bit harder, but you still sense Fiedel keeping a tight grip on the clamor. In the end, Ferro contains as much firepower as any Erik & Fiedel record, though the extent of its impact sneaks up on you more than most.
