Âme

Âme and the surrounding Sonar Kollektiv/Innercityvisions field undoubtedly triggered a true revolution in Deep House a couple of years ago, not only through their own productions but also thanks to the refreshing records they (and other people such as DJ Dixon) discovered and played. A very warm and melodic sound was brought to life, sometimes stripped down and dry, sometimes heavily orchestrated and emotive. Deep House, whose image had been somewhat suffering in Europe among younger people, suddenly changed from being reputedly boring "lounge" muzak that many people just smiled at - to utterly fresh and funky dance music, grown up and serious yet forward thinking and playful.
But not just that - looking at their playlists and compilations you will notice that also many an obscure Disco, Ambient, Modern Classical or Old School House track has experienced rejuvenation through these people and perfectly integrated into the current Deep House scenery. Everybody who's heard Kristian Beyer or Frank Wiedemann DJ will probably appreciate their sets' contemplative side where plays of Steve Reich compositions are nothing unusual.

Brief, these guys are icons. Yet I am slightly concerned about Âme's future: their sound is already perfect and maximally elaborated, all of their tunes are massively popular and more or less classics. What else is there to express in their current style? Well, in my opinion: nothing. Their last major studio release (which on a side note is already eight months old) was a simple and beautiful, slightly melancholic remix of Dennis Ferrer's and Jerome Sydenham's "Timbuktu" and would be the perfect final anthem for such a splendid musical chapter. Whatever it is Âme decide to do, I hope it does not involve settling down on their current success and sound, i.e. starting to produce formulaic material. That would be the easy way that many a talented artist has fallen for. Instead I hope they try and start something new. How about a more experimental Ambient album for example? Or, hell, why not give it a shot with a more mainstreamy project, maybe with a vocalist? Anyhow, those are only a couple of personal thoughts and I have no serious doubts that this fantastic project will live on and enrich us for many years to come. Big up!

These guys have seriously done some amazing music. "Shiro" and "Kuma" are two of the best tunes that we have heard in a few years and are seriously classic as well as timeless. Very talented individuals with a higher musical vision.