[100% Pure]

While I can’t say I know the man personally, Tobi Neumann strikes me as a social animal, one for whom collaboration trumps solitude any day. He earned his stripes producing for electroclash pioneers Chicks on Speed, Peaches, Miss Kitten and 2Raumwohnung before moving on to more techno/house-oriented pastures. There he teamed with Ricardo Villalobos as Gucci and Thies Mynther (a Chicks on Speed alumnus himself) as Glove. Even his solo activities — DJing and remixing everyone from everyone from Ladytron and Dinky to Robag Wruhe and Dominik Eulberg — are responses to other people’s ideas. Now he’s collaborating with his pal Onur Özer, the hotly tipped force behind last year’s minimal murk fest, KaÅŸmir, and owner of techno’s greatest bowl cut, as Sensitiva. If the pairing is hard to wrap your head around, take a seat before hearing “Mimosa,” their debut 12″ for 100% Pure.

To try and categorize the duo’s kitchen sink approach to production is impossible and unnecessary, as both tunes climb across genre tags, sound palettes and even types of beat several times throughout their 11 plus minutes. “Mimosa” shifts from the glowing, tribal optimism of the hand percussion-dappled opening to driving techno beats and echo-exploring clangs and glitches as if it were merely crossing the street. The twists and turns continue and loop back through previous sounds before coming to an exhausted halt. Equally adventurous, ambitious and enjoyable is the B side, “Together,” a monster of a track which caresses dancers with one hand while grinding them into the floor with the other. Its bass-heavy trot and assorted live percussion (laptop DJs beware) set an overcast tone which only grows lighter as buzzing synth pulses clear the way for the ethereal breeze of Ilhem’s vocals and hazy strums. It’s one of those tracks which as to be heard to be believed. Ozer and Neumann’s lush and constantly mutating tracks are fantastically compelling, so much so Villalobos is probably jealous he didn’t get to sit in. Further proof that when Tobi is involved, together is far better than apart. (post by Steve Mizek)