[Pampa Records]

Stefan Kozalla’s peculiar take on modern forms of house and techno has shaped a career helmed by unique, inimitable productions. Last year’s Mrs. Bojangles/Dr. Fuck 12″ skirted around house precepts, though these were not tracks caught up in the wave of fashionable deepness, rather the atypical kind of house music that could only come from Koze. His latest release perhaps more firmly adheres to a house music aesthetic, but don’t be expecting anything too straight forward or run of the mill from the German. On his own newly launched Pampa label, the two tracks here are full of Koze’s familiar playfulness, though each without question packing the required weight and feeling to move a peak time crowd.

Judging by the intricate notes employed on “Blume der Nacht,” it sounds like Koze has been exploring some classical music in his down-time. The virtuoso keys that lead into the A-side arrive with a flourish and recondite posturing that soon settles into a looped familiarity. The long, drawn out sequence of comb filtered percussion contrasted against the bright piano eventually gives rise to intermittent bursts of swelling pads and a syrupy vocal imploring that “it’s time to get it on.” Slight additions to the drum tracks provide perceptible punctuation to one of Koze’s more subtle productions, yet one that succeeds like so many of his others in immersing you fully in its cocoon-like embrace. No Koze track would be complete though without tearing up the script at some stage throughout a track. In this case it happens with a few minutes to go, your mind telling you that there is a horrible cue burn affecting your minted, fresh piece of vinyl. Trouble is that can’t be a needle wiping the record because you’re playing an mp3, but in a darkened room full of sweaty dancers, Koze’s reference of the much maligned, dusty DJ’s terror will cause knowing grins all round.

“Rue Burnout” similarly toys with piano fueled house, though in this case the keys are out of tune; slapdash, busted notes relentlessly repeating their out of place mantra against a rising tide of dramatic strings and pulsating, rhythmic bass. As the track progresses those keys get more deranged, loosely falling and rising in scale, never quite hitting the right notes. But then such is Koze’s ability to make you dance to things that shouldn’t quite work, the unpalatable made desirable. It’s one of the things that keep his work fresh and leaves you waiting with anticipation for his every release.