PAUL KALKBRENNER - The Essence (2025)
A deep emotional cut, a wound in the soul. I discover numerous emotional hues and echoes of my youth that leave me awash in the beauty of this creation. I sense the Tangerine Dream, the Ximox... something akin to Moby but surpassing him. And following the soundscapes of the spirit, what can be said about the sounds? Touching, as are some melodic phrases that appear to recall the Alphaville.
A love letter to a world that no longer exists, a prompt to reconsider the worth of an era that is unfathomable to those who haven’t experienced it, yet it breathes life in many segments of this ode to all things romantic. But there’s more: it’s an electronic record, of electronic sounds, that orchestrates every emotion it evokes with algorithmic precision. And every feeling generated is managed, never overdone, never drifting into the lyricism typical of ecstatic bliss. Romantic; German; electronic. Fundamental - just like the title, indeed.
Not readily grasped by all but appreciated by everyone, much like the world at large.