[Sound Stream]

Whether as Soundhack, Sound Stream or half of Smith N Hack with Errorsmith, Frank Timm’s steady hand with an editor’s razor has been in great demand since the late 1990’s. But like a surgeon, Timm knows it’s not the number of cuts you make, but how well placed they are. His house/disco moniker, Sound Stream, has only two remixes and four releases to its name, the majority of which transcend their source material to take on dazzling and simple lives of their own. “‘Live’ Goes On,” his latest (and first since 2006), finds Timm taking more stylistic risks than on previous platters. But the plangent payout is plentiful and casts it as perhaps Sound Stream’s most accomplished release to date.

With the exception of tunes like the piercing “Love Jam,” much of Sound Stream’s work is born from irresistible sampled grooves shifting just enough to keep listeners’ attention. Where lead cut, “‘Live’ Goes On,” differs is in its construction: Stammering piano chords ring out almost disorderly before landing in a bed of likewise shivering samples, which vibrate together to release sensuous, deep melodies. When everything locks in place it’s like the first rush of frigid air after a sweaty evening out — refreshing and wholly different from what you’re used to. The B-side returns to more standard Sound Stream fare, though it’s still a treat. “Rainmaker” rides a plunging funk bass line and resonating piano chords into a well worn groove dessicated further by a strangle sizzling noise. Bubbly and glimmering, “Dance With Me” builds bits of Two Tons Of Fun’s “Do You Wanna Boogie, Hunh?” into a celebratory tune studded with sax stabs and criss-crossed by the pair’s soulful call to dance floor. Frank Timm’s latest as Sound Stream is a near masterpiece of editing prowess and innovation — a must purchase 12″ already snapped up and charted by DJs as stylistically diverse as Marcel Dettmann and Prosumer. Don’t miss out on one of the year’s best.