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DJ KOZE

DJ Koze exists both above and beyond club culture as we know it - his albums and remixes flying free from genre and trend - and symbiotically woven into its heart. Yes, he always abstracts and weirds out the principles of house, techno, hip hop, pop, psychedelia, exotica and so forth, but he does that because he understands them. And when it comes to club-demolishing tracks, he understands those principles as well as just about anybody on earth.
Thus he could create an enduring club tune like 2015's "XTC" that is strange, contemplative, even disturbing, bore little relation to anything around at the time, yet still got bodies moving and sweating better than way more obvious techno bangers. And thus the Knock Knock album, which melts a million genres and none into one another, can comfortably include "Seeing Aliens".
"Seeing Aliens" unquestionably is a banger, its bass riff snaking around your body like a python, its high-drama strings, pianos and outbursts of noise designed for maximum crowd pressure release. But, again, it sounds like nothing else, and its dynamics and twists unfold over eight and a half minutes in ways that will mess with your head every time no matter how many times you hear it.
The exclusive b-side track, "Nein König Nein" ("No King No"!), meanwhile, is slightly gentler on the face of it: it's less about sonic pressure, more about hip-shaking syncopation. But it too tells strange fairytales in its peculiar and brain-tweaking accumulation of detail, and though you'll hear archetypal sounds from the heart of house and disco in it, every last one of them becomes new and otherworldly.

TRACK LISTING

A. Seeing Aliens (Extended Breakthrough Version)
B. Nein König Nein

DJ Koze

Wespennest EP

DJ Koze unveils a spiritual and surprising journey into rapturous spheres with "Wespennest EP". The visionary artist and master of electronic sound, presents his first own release after 2018's global club hit "Pick Up".

"Candidasa" and "Wespennest" are the result of DJ Kozes inspiring stay in a secluded Benedictine monastery on the enchanting island of Sulawesi. Amidst this idyllic setting, he found the perfect environment to unleash his musical vision. He composed all of the music of "Candidasa" while lying on his stomach, in an act of deepest devotion and self-reflection. In doing so, he fed exclusively on so-called heroin kebabs to immerse himself in a trance-like state of creative flow. The result is a soundscape of unimagined depth and beauty that enchants the senses and transports listeners to another dimension by massively increasing the frequency of flicker fusion.

On "Wespennest” the wonderful Sophia Kennedy takes the stage and breathes a new dimension into the music with her impactful lyrics and vocals. With generous dedication, Sophia has provided exclusive excerpts of her yet unreleased songs, giving this track a radiant psychedelic power. The combination of DJ Kozes musical genius and Sophia Kennedy's glorious vocals creates a club track full of wonderment, opening up a mystical rapturous world for listeners. Already an instant classic of German dance music.

With "Candidasa" and "Wespennest" DJ Koze has once again pushed the boundaries of electronic sounds and created a spiritual journey that touches the soul and frees the mind. This EP is the first harbinger of his highly anticipated new album, which will be released in 2024. The time until the release can be wonderfully bridged with the magical album "Hit Parade", which DJ Koze has produced for the British legend Róisín Murphy and on which we can be carried away into the world of musical brilliance.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A new record from maverick German Stefan Kozalla always causes a bit of a stir round these parts. As wild and as oddball as ever, this double header displays his unique sonic artistry in fine form. Coupled with some inventive song writing to boot. It's another winner from the highly acclaimed producer.

TRACK LISTING

A1.Wespennest (feat. Sophia Kennedy) 8:03
B1. Candidasa 10:21

DJ Koze

Knock Knock

    Like all DJ Koze records, "Knock Knock" exists outside of trend and influence. In fact, it's a step further beyond: absolutely every single thing here, from grooves to voices to handclaps, is otherworldly and unique. Which is not to say it is utterly alien abstraction, mind. There is still disco, there is still soul, there is still techno, there is still hip hop, there is still psychedelia – there are even wafts of easy listening, lost crackly thriftstore record memories and... sort of... indie rock – but though it may sound familiar, it never does what your brain thinks it's going to do.

    Likewise with the voices. More than ever before on Koze's records, there are fascinating, individualist – and well-known – voices throughout "Knock Knock" but again, each of them is rendered strange, drawn into a different reality Bon Iver's ghostly hymnals on “Bonfire” are very recognizably Bon Iver, but the way they twist and merge with synthetic sounds until choir and computer are writhing around one another in bliss are something else. The ever-unique Róisín Murphy, on two stunning tracks, becomes a cyborg funk diva. Speech from Arrested Development delivers luscious and lazy R&B-funk on “Colors of Autumn”, but Koze's warping bass, dubwise echo and alien nature sounds take it to an alternate dimension tropical landscape. Kurt Wagner of Lambchop is a vocoder bohemian, Sophia Kennedy is a sci-fi Weimar cabaret star, José Gonzalez a holographic projection from an old film of South Sea Islands... on it goes, nothing is real, everyone is an inhabitant of Koze-world.

    And that's what is crucial here. Koze is a world-maker. You don't get to chose how you hear his music – you enter his world or you don't, that's it. And that's why individual influences, whether it's the trippy German techno that's always rippled through is albums or the beat-scene abstract hip hop that he incorporated into his DJ-Kicks mix in 2015, are all but irrelevant. Though he'd never compare himself to anyone else, Koze only makes sense in the way that other world-builders do, from Bowie to Sun Ra, Outkast to Kate Bush. And Knock Knock is far and away his greatest statement of that. It's an album that came together slowly and steadily, his working processes arcane and mysterious in their steady accumulation of sound and inspiration. It's so complete and bursting with detail and consistency from every micro-second that you'd swear it was meticulously planned – but there was no masterplan, do desire to create a definitive artefact: the record itself decided when it was ready. And now it is ready, the most perfectly constructed portal into that other world, you had better be ready too!


    TRACK LISTING

    CD
    1. Club Der Ewigkeiten
    2. Bonfire
    3. Moving In A Liquid (feat Eddie Fummler)
    4. Colors Of Autumn (feat. Speech)
    5. Music On My Teeth (feat José Gonzaléz)
    6. This Is My Rock (feat. Sophia Kennedy)
    7. Illumination (feat. Róisín Murphy)
    8. Pick Up (album)
    9. Planet Hase (feat. Mano Le Tough)
    10. Scratch That (feat. Róisín Murphy)
    11. Muddy Funster (feat. Kurt Wagner)
    12. Baby (how Much I LFO You)
    13. Jesus
    14. Lord Knows
    15. Seeing Aliens (album)
    16. Drone Me Up, Flashy (feat. Sophia Kennedy)

    LP
    A1. Club Der Ewigkeiten
    A2. Bonfire
    A3. Moving In A Liquid (feat Eddie Fummler)
    A4. Music On My Teeth (feat José Gonzaléz)
    B1. Colors Of Autumn (feat. Speech)
    B2. This Is My Rock (feat. Sophia Kennedy)
    B3. Illumination (feat. Róisín Murphy)
    B4. Planet Hase (feat. Mano Le Tough)
    C1. Pick Up (album)
    C2. Scratch That (feat. Róisín Murphy)
    C3. Muddy Funster (feat. Kurt Wagner)
    D1. Baby (how Much I LFO You)
    D2. Jesus
    D3. Lord Knows
    D4. Seeing Aliens (album)

    7"
    A1. Drone Me Up, Flashy (feat. Sophia Kennedy)
    B1. Take A Run (feat. Ada)


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