Paul Brcic
Reflektion EP
Kriemhilds Nachtkuss/Ger/12
Veteran producer Paul Brtschitsch rolls out his Paul Brcic alias again for a three track EP of lush, funky techno on the new German label Kriemhilds Nachtkuss. This is only the second vinyl release for the German imprint, the first being the “Shizzle Trax” EP by Andomat 3000, aka German producer Andreas Wiegand. Brtschitsch’s Reflektion EP is a colorful, entertaining and highly danceable collage of technoid ideas and influences old and new.

The title track is a tough, but melodic, fusion of computer bass tones, a churning and chiming arpeggiated mid-range melody and drifting and slicing synths. It breaks down to gruff voice samples and is overall a really effective DJ tool, perfect for mixing in and out to create a hovering sense of tension and fun.

Track two “Nachtbus” is my favorite. It’s a shifiting and shunting techno funker and chunker with gruff voice snippets, a chewy bassline and searing synth tones that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Larry Levan remix. Other compelling and futuristic synthy sounds wheel in and out of the mix and an android flutey melody line drapes over everything, bringing to mind the robot rainforest feel of cuts by Marshall Jefferson and Mike Perras. It’s not retro but retools classic textures for a modern floor.

“Whistleblower” finishes things off with a very odd amalgam of male opera vocal samples, clicking, rattling and funky percussion, a Detroitian melody and a Reese-like bassline. It drives and hovers all at once and displays perfectly Brtschitsch’s adept talent at combining the past and the present without sounding nostalgic. This is a handy little platter, investigate further if you have an ear for the fun, funky and futuristic and you play to a crowd that likes a journey rather than a snooze. Christopher Orr