- The wave of activity immediately following dubstep threw up plenty of reclusive types: fame-shy, meticulous producers whose output might amount to little more than one record a year. But even in this hallowed company—Joe, Pangaea, Elgato—Klaus keeps a low profile. Since 2011, he has taken the rhythmic forms of dubstep and garage and abstracted them ever further. At first, the sadsack results recalled his associates Mount Kimbie and James Blake (Klaus is part of Blake's 1-800-Dinosaur crew). But lately Klaus's landscapes have become ever more sparse, his grooves more about stasis than movement.
Klaus's latest, the third record on his own Tanum label, continues to explore this spare, extremely evocative musical language. Garage's last vestigial twitch has been stilled, and the abyssal darkness of 2013's "BT Gulf" has been exchanged for something softer and more soothing. The common element across these three tracks is sampled strings, rich layers of the stuff that pool like crushed velvet. "Tele" picks up a sort of dub groove at the midpoint, but it hardly disturbs the torpor. The even better "Delta" finds a livelier double-time pulse but keeps it submerged, flickering teasingly beneath the surface. "Luc," finally, takes a brief turn for the gothic. But even as the bells toll and ominous explosions sound in the distance (fireworks, or something more sinister?), it's difficult to feel anything other than totally at peace in Klaus's world.
TracklistA1 Tele
B1 Delta
B2 Luc