- On Traum Schallplatten's 70th outing we find two of Germany's hottest producers, Gabriel Ananda and Dominik Eulberg, teaming up for the first time. That it is the maiden voyage is sometimes noticeable, as both struggle to fully leave behind their signature sounds and combine their talents successfully.
'Harzer Roller' is, if anything, well named as this cut is certainly one with a rolling feel to it. Starting off with a bouncy rhythm, Eulberg's glitches and bleeps find themselves centre stage before Ananda soon joins the party, bringing one of his trademark melodies with him. It comes in a wave, slowly enveloping all other elements of the track, before the kick restores balance. A similar buildup then follows but this time when the kick arrives, it is not quite as substantial as you may have expected with the mellow rhythms that dominate most of the track quickly reasserting themselves. From there it just keeps on rolling and when it comes to an end nine minutes later you are left feeling gratified but not totally fulfilled, the track having never fully developed the way it perhaps should have. Nevertheless, the cut does retain a certain charm to it and definitely could work its way into DJ sets, but perhaps not during peaktime.
'Schierker Kreisel' is the stronger side as the two producers do a better job of working together. A deep bassline starts the track off nicely, instantly giving it a more up tempo feel than 'Harzer Roller'. A distorted melody begins by lurking in the background and slowly emerges to the fore, finally kicking well and giving this cut a rocking edge. Ananda and Eulberg proceed to a breakdown introducing some well placed chimes before revisiting the melody and kicking the track in a much more resolute fashion. From here on the bassline really comes to dominate as it transits into a tougher number. Rather than coming to an end, though, things continue along and start sounding more like a jam session, as the direction changes again. The track finally finishes around the ten minute mark with a rather surprisingly misplaced vocoder.
Both cuts on this 12" are solid and show plenty of potential, but neither hit the mark fully. On the A-side Ananda and Eulberg struggle to create a unified sound, while on the flip there is perhaps a bit too much going on. So while unfortunately the release doesn't quite live up to the sum of their two considerable talents, there is still probably enough on this 12" to merit a look and to keep an eye out for future releases from this impressive pairing.
TracklistA Harzer Roller (8:47)
B Schierker Kreisel (10:27)