Welcome to Dolph’s Schattentheater, Dolph’s shadow puppetry, ladies and gentlemen! You may look forward to grand emotions, to witty profundity, and to lots and lots of rhythmic movement when the puppet master sends his wondrous characters to an epic journey in four acts.
It begins in the middle of a heaving synth pad. The sound of a heavy bass creates both listening pleasure and listening pressure. It’s an atmosphere that is very epic, but at the same time extremely casual. The subtle melancholy of Angel Dust is somewhat reminiscent of Blues – which might have to do with the dreamy trumpet that sets in during the second half of the track.
Meerkats picks up the beautiful storyline and gives it a wonderfully uplifting spin: His remix comes with a dynamic bassline and weightless modulations in the stereo panorama. Next up is a chapter full of eccentric samples and kafkaesque humour: Alive delivers an intoxicating dose of sophisticated Dub Techno. The adventure comes to an end when Dolph presents the last act of his Schattentheater, his shadow puppetry. Third Ear is a fine piece of Slow Electronica, a jazzy sound collage between mellow grooves, a track that is both relaxing and inspiring.