Between his third and fourth
Kompakt albums, 2010's
Gute Luft and 2018's
Los Lagos,
Thomas Fehlmann was typically immersed in one project after another. Among them were numerous
Orb adventures, a smattering of short-form solo releases, and the
Terrence Dixon collaboration
We Take It from Here -- the latter released fittingly on
Tresor, home to the Berlin-Detroit connections
Fehlmann instigated in the early '90s as part of
3MB. Always open to creating in tandem,
Fehlmann reunites with old comrade
Max Loderbauer on
Los Lagos, but it's for only one track, a slightly nutty blipping contortion suitable for a third
Schaffelfieber compilation.
Los Lagos was otherwise made in solitude. Although its title refers to an informal friendly greeting, its literal translation, "the lakes," is reflected in the natural continuous motion the tracks evoke, not unlike the majority of
Fehlmann's output since the mid-'90s, marked as they are with titular references to water and motion. For listeners accustomed to
Fehlmann's work -- his diverting, gently shimmering dub techno grooves in particular -- nothing on
Los Lagos will seem novel. However, some of these tracks skim and sweep with a heightened level of ease, as if
Fehlmann devised a generative music system and subtly reshaped some of the results on the fly. Fluidity notwithstanding, pronounced elements streaked across the tracks prevent
Los Lagos from merely washing over, distinguished with elements that jut, spangle, and gently ring in configurations that vary from
Fehlmann's prior output. The slyest twist -- what sounds like a wisp of a recording from a certain late jazz guitarist -- is applied on "Neverevernever." ~ Andy Kellman
