[Karmarouge]

The other day I was reorganizing some of my records when I came upon one I’d not yet heard. Being that I don’t typically own releases that don’t get heard — this one got lost in the shuffle between two better known records — I put it on and was soon disappointed I had taken so long to do so. Daniel Mehlhart’s Karmarouge debut, “Am Anfang War Es Minimal,” first hit shelves in May 2007 but was largely overlooked (though you might remember his track “Kamasutra” on the same label). The Swiss born, Frankfurt based producer got his start with a few net labels in 2006 before landing on Manuel Music and then Gabriel Ananda’s Karmarouge. His latest is out on Neuton and, if the samples are correct, is pretty decent as well.

Though the A side boldly proclaims, “Am Anfang War Es Minimal” (“in the beginning it was minimal”), you would be hard pressed to describe the track that way. Its unusual interplay of a sunburned melody, lulling bell hits and swinging house beat suggest a dance floor on desert plateau or somewhere equally cinematic. But the clincher is the oddly named “Der Tonkopfreiniger” (“the clay/tone head cleaner”), a bustling tune which refines the A-side’s gesture’s by pairing a toothy and domineering bass line with gliding chime runs. The end result sounds like a poppier Dominik Eulberg track, if not one of his collaborations with Mr. Ananda. In retrospect it’s not altogether shocking that “Am Anfang War Es Minimal” (which is now close to, if not completely out of print) made such a small splash upon arrival, considering the huge pool of competing tracks and Mehlhart’s low profile. A bit late, but now he has my attention.