[Live At Robert Johnson]

Though far from formulaic, many of Roman Flügel’s records are consistently similar: house, with impeccable FM synthesis and a good dash of quirk. Cookie Dust, Flügel’s latest for Frankfurt’s Live At Robert Johnson, more or less follows this game plan. On the A-side, “O.T.H.” sounds like a much more subdued version of last year’s “Bahia Blues Bootcamp.” Ghostly harmonizing carries soft metal drums to the mid-section, where whizzing, firefly-like notes take over and speed daintily back and forth. “Thank You Jack” is the record’s biggest deviation from the aforementioned guidelines. Flügel has employed samples before — in “Brian Le Bon,” for instance — but rarely in such an obvious manner. Typically, he does so masterfully, using just the briefest slice of vocal and caressing guitar to forge stunning instrumental hip-hop after a long intro of his usual fare. It’s a surprising transition, to say the least. So too is the track’s final minute, though I’m loath to ruin that patch of unexpected beauty by describing it.

On the B-side, “Cookie Dust” and “Girls With Status” look towards electro while still keeping themselves firmly grounded in house. The title track is all about impacts. Its pretty bells aren’t played, but violently shaken or struck. In the second half, Flügel seems to get bored with this tack and interrupts it with destructive slaps of delay and reverb before plunging us right back to gorgeousness. “Girls With Status” is achingly beautiful, but retains the inimitable mood of playfulness which infuses so much of the German producer’s work. It’s also incredibly simple, consisting of two slow, distinct arpeggios ducking over and under one another, the notes gradually widening or contracting as they go. Like most of Flügel’s 12″s, it’s incredibly tough to pick just one stand-out track from Cookie Dust, because they’re all possessed with individual charm and executed to perfection. Impossible as it may seem, the record prolongs the flawless run that began with How to Spread Lies, all the way back in November 2010.