If you check out the photos at Super Flu’s website as well as the intro of their debut album
Heimatmelodien, which is comically opened by a man attempting to clear his phlegm-filled throat, you can perceive a sense of playfulness in this German duo’s style. Yet it will be wrong to think that this album on their own Monaberry imprint is all about fun and humour – indeed, there are some delightfully serious moments on it as well.
After the short intro mentioned above,
Bukkake Beyonce gets down to business by supplying a festive vibe, with the meaty bass, snappy beats and loopy vocal snippets rendering a rolling tech house groove.
Didschn then further enriches the tech funk flavour with not only its catchy and playful synth hook alongside the undulating bassline, but also the vox-infused tasty breakdown.
Bude Baun lowers the tone a bit with its tough and driving percussions, constituting a proper big room tech house vibe. It is contrasted with
Poppycock, arguably the most surprising cut on the album – starting with some Charlie May-esque blissed-out melodies, it evolves into a delicate and delicious electronic pop tune with the tender, elegant female vocal. It is featured on the DT Round-Up Podcast 031 ).
(listen here)Things then get darker and techier with the pulsating tech beats and hissing cymbals of
Pölsewoggn, followed by
Oktavlachs’ driving synth riffs and undulating bass. After that
Nickeltoe probes even more deeply with the trippy and melancholic female vocal, rendering an atmospheric soundscape in sharp contrast to the first few tracks of the LP. The metallic leads, male vocal and chunky tech house percussions on
Yours, Opa restore some strength and momentum, before
Postludium (Schön War's) rounds off the album with its mellow and emotive synths, as well as the goodbye from the man on the intro.
Overall it is a tasty debut album with some really interesting cuts from various electronic terrains. But whilst It showcases the duo’s ability to produce both playful and more ‘serious’, deeper pieces, perhaps it could have been ended with a couple of tracks that capture the cheerful, celebratory quality of the first few tracks, which are comparatively more enjoyable. Or is it the duo’s trick to make the listener listen to the album again?
Check out
Super Flu (Live) in London at the What If warehouse party for tickets go to - http://www.dtsmall.co.uk/events_view.aspx?eventID=4162