Kölsch - Now Here No Where

September 25, 2020 - Kompakt

Now Here No Where is the fourth album by meticulous techno wizard Kölsch, and it’s a wide variety of emotions from start to finish, a cinematic soundtrack to the year 2020 that runs the gamut from tragic death march, to sentimental nostalgic dreams, to midnight in Gotham City, to the escapism of sci-fi and fantasy realms, to ethereal space rock operas, to some straight up dark minimal techno, all in impeccable high production. 

Crunchy synth swells, chanting voices, endless echoes, jazzy trumpets, the heartstrings of collaborator Gregor Schwellenbach—each corner you turn as you journey through this album is unique and shaped differently. Listening is like roadside cave attraction where they light up the cavern walls with a variety of colors in time to music. Or like a carnival funhouse maze where the scariest ghosts are actually your distorted reflections. 

Kölsch seems to have his heart on his sleeve more than usual with this body of work, and at times the melodies feel a bit awkward inside the song compositions, innocent, especially in the early tracks. The second half of the album presents ideas that are more clearly realized than the first, with less big-screen musings and more of the meticulous minimalism of Kölsch’s comfort zone. Overall this album isn’t my favorite, but I do admire that he’s leaned into something he isn’t completely at ease with, especially this far into his career. There is a surprising amount of optimism in Now Here No Where, despite the fact this year is about as far as we can get from the good times of the dance club. Maybe it’s the optimism and fearlessness that has me, an old-souled cynic, bristling. ☔