Klopfgeister - Sunflavoured

Sunflavoured is the second full-length album from Klopfgeister, a German duo consisting of Jens Schefzig and Thorsten Paul. Klopfgeister released their debut album Sweet Compromise with Balloonia Records in 2005 after appearing on the Uplifter 2 compilation from Mental Arts in 2004. Their style is fairly straight-forward rendition of tradition German progressive psytrance as pioneered by groups such as Element, Tarsis, DJ Sangeet, and Ololiuqui. This album focuses on festival-friendly progressive treats with some crossover potential.

The journey begins with a luxurious piece of downbeat trance that churns along at exactly 104 BPM: Smoke A Bagpipe. The lead melody is exactly what you might expect to hear with a title like that! Soaked in rich atmospheric swirls and backed by deep tribal beats, this unconventional introduction makes a great first impression.

Sunflavour exhibits the kind of fine craftsmanship and reserve we have come to expect from the top shelf German progressive producers. Smooth and seductive atmospheric programming places this track soundly within the domain of morning trance. The uplifting aspect of this production feels genuine, not forced. Very nice.

Disco Stu Doesn’t Advertise takes a different approach, digging deep into snappy grooves shrouded in elegant melodic flourishes. It feels as if Klopfgeister has channelled the mood and style of Phony Orphants with this production—the slick rhythms are strongly reminiscent of It Cetra, one of the best progressive albums of 2005. This isn’t the only connection to make; the prominent vocal samples parallel those of Native Radio’s Neuromancer, a memorable German trance anthem released on Vibration 4 in 2001. Neuromancer explores the visceral experience of dancing; Disco Stu Doesn’t Advertise seeks to portray the sense of eternal vitality that defines the perfect dance floor moment: “There was a feeling. Life is a party. The party was life.” Forget any misgivings about the somewhat derivative nature of the track; Klopfgeister have done a fantastic job setting the mood and capturing the feeling of an excellent party. This is something special.

Previously released on Back From Beyond, The Hills Have Eyes is a sleek and classy song with a captivating futuristic mystique. The drums are tightly programmed, the atmosphere is deeply serious, and the melodies are smooth and sublime. Another favourite.

Riders Of The Eucalypse opts for a thicker, bouncier groove—somewhat similar to what we have come to expect from groups like Magnetrixx, Symphonix, or Day.Din. With a strong emphasis on snappy melodies, it seems promising, but the execution leaves something to be desired. The frivolous samples taken from Back To The Future don’t really help the case.

My Little Pink Pony takes a similar approach to that of Sunflavour, exploring the subtle side of morning with tightly integrated breakbeats and layered atmospheric melodies. Decent, but nothing special.

Zathuration continues in the same vein with a steady groove and moderate hints of trippy morning melodies. Songs like these decay under stringent examination; they fare much better in the background or in the mix. Bland.

Luminosity 2006, an update of a track released on Klopfgeister’s 2005 debut, is recorded live in Berlin. As such, the production quality is not quite as good as the rest. At eleven minutes in length this track is by far the longest of the album. It develops in small increments, gradually building energy using traditional trance techniques. Even though it doesn’t stand out this is still a nice piece of music.

Organizm rounds out the album with a welcome excursion into funky grooves and soothing atmospheres. Klopfgeister spice it up with a hint of trumpets, making this sound a little something like the track Serial Groover from Jaïa’s excellent album Fiction. This is the sonic equivalent of a blissful afternoon at the beach. Wonderful!

Sunflavoured is a subtle piece of work that starts strong and then slides into the doldrums. At times it might sound like any other progressive release on the market these days—the style is not particularly distinct. Still, there are some very good songs on here, and it would be a shame to pass this one up simply because parts of it are relatively nondescript. The first four tracks shine with quality, as does the timely finale. If the middle portion of the album were stronger this would have been a very fine release. Instead, it is merely above average—something nice to listen to at home or throw into a mix, but not exactly essential.

Purchase Options

Saikosounds // Physical mail order shop based in Hong Kong.
Wirikuta // Physical mail order shop based in Austria.

More Information

Iono Music // Label home page.
Klopfgeister // Artist home page.

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