DETTMANN II by MARCEL DETTMANN

A sequel in a true sense, the album marks a return to the spirit of the first album, but with things feeling less tense this time around. Dettmann brings his recent experimental outlook and applies it to the album template, creating a record that lives and breathes with a naturalism rare for a techno albumEach tune's central theme is a bit more out there than usual, from the sheet metal racket of "Lightworks" to the house-hinting chorus of "Soar", which is every bit as majestic as its title implies. He offers up some top-notch ambient material as well, like the trippy "Shiver", or the ominous "Outback", which features contributions from Levon Vincent. Dettmann also reaches for a rare collaboration on his second album. Kindred spirit Emika lends her spectral gasps to "Seduction", which stays stunningly antiseptic even as it weaves her voice into its wire framework. With Dettmann II's stretch of tracks "Radar" and "Corridor", the album finally takes flight into full-on club mania, fist-pumping career-high material with all the subtlety of his old work molded up into a spiky banger. "Aim", which ends the record in lofty fashion, hints at a new direction for Dettmann, uncharacteristically melodic and even uplifting. Co-produced by Ren� Pawlowitz, it bears the Shed touch but keeps it firmly in Dettmann's finely-honed world.