Oliver Deutschmann - Final

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  • Oliver Deutschmann is one of those artists you don't think about until you see his name in front of you. He's a regular in Berlin clubs, but he's not a scenester like some of his more internationally popular peers. Still, Deutschmann has amassed a sizeable catalogue over the years, including an underwhelming LP last year. His functional take on house and techno has always worked better on the 12-inch format, however—check 2012's "Darkroom Tales" for an especially good example. Falkplatz is as underrated a label as Deutschmann is a producer, and now his imprint comes to an end with its tenth release. It arrives with "FINAL" stamped in big letters on the sleeve, but in typical fashion, there's nothing grandiose about it—it's merely Deutschmann throwing it down in three different ways. "The Blocks" is svelte and strutting, wound up in synths and sitting on a powerful, strikingly warm bassline. The latter does a lot to make an otherwise droning track feel dynamic. "Tribute," meanwhile, is dub techno polished to a slippery shine, a competent genre exercise that benefits from Deutschmann's subtle touch. And then there's "Michigan," the ten-minute focal point that comes off tongue-in-cheek. After all, how can any producer get away with a techno track in 2014 where the main hook is a voice intoning "Detroit"? Rippling klaxons, a take-it-apart-and-build-it-back-up-again breakdown and one absurdly epic chord all combine for one of the biggest tracks in Deutschmann's discography. And though there's nothing terribly distinctive about it, there's satisfaction in its familiarity.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Michigan B1 The Blocks B2 Tribute
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