Johannes Heil - Loving

Seems a lot of the UK press generally didn’t “get” this wonderful album from the German techno veteran on Sven’s legendary label. More fool them, as we think it’s a right beaut. It’s a varied, warm album with plenty of different shades and moods, and a very on-point production aesthetic.
 
Hallelujah gives no hints as to where it’s heading, slowly building through heavy hand claps and ethnic vocals to blissed-out, chunked-up take on Balearic ambience. Booming bass, crystal clear sounds and a hip-hop aesthetic assure that it’s far from your average coffee-table groove, however. So far, so interesting. We’re soon into pumping electro-techno territory: the elasticated bass and driving melody of The Ace, the ethereal tech of Seeded, the rolling and bouncy organ groove of Big City Nights. But it’s not at the expense of subtlety or musicality, as each track ticks with densely layered percussion and melodies to marvel out. Glockenspiel matches a tribal rhythm to wintery glocks, and there’s a tangible step up in gear as the uplifting, retro chug of Freedom Of Heart pumps into life.
 
Twenty Three again reveals Heil’s joyous side, sounding like Jaytech at his classiest – twinkling pad sounds, subtle slap bass and shimmering percussion elevating your brain to an altogether more heavenly sort of state – and the album continues to delight until the last minute. Could This Be somehow marries early ‘90s tranciness with a crisp and snappy groove to make something really tripped-out, and Loving makes for a simply sublime finishing moment, all glistening, dub-tinged house with a feel-good sheen and epically beautiful strings. Wowzer.