- Despite the name and despite the fact he records for Kompakt Extra, Rune Riley Kölsch isn't a local and isn't named after Cologne's famed brew. It really is this Dane's surname.
A year on from him fronting the 68th release in Kompakt's long-running sub-label, Kölsch returns with two wildly diverse cuts. Named after the German for granddad it may be, but "Opa" is no pipe-and-slippers techno. Instead it's a slightly nutty slab of wibbling acid house, with a spanking hardcore rhythm and odd expulsions of air that sound like a barista clearing the frother pipe.
The more trad-sounding "Der Alte," named after the long-running German cop series, hunts in even more epic territory. Opening out from a Cinemascopic string-laden intro, Kölsch introduces a raw Italo piano house motif (with more than a hint of Spooky's early prog breaks classic, "Stereo," about it) and a shimmering disco drum loop. From this disparate set of spare parts, Kölsch manages to stitch together something pretty and emotive. It won't be to everyone's tastes, but you can't help admiring its vision.
Tracklist A Opa
B Der Alte