Thomas Fehlmann – Visions Of Blah

this re version pro, are the titles on the label itself

just stumbled across this record, and: WHOA!! I'm not so much into the ambient stuff, but the other songs like Streets of blah, Superbock or especially Rotenfaden are quite simple, repetitive and sooo good!!

Thomas Felhmann makes the move from R&S subsidiary Apollo to Kompakt pretty much in one piece. VISIONS OF BLAH sees him playing even more with dub and reggae rhythms, all the while keeping his electronic sensibilities in place. "Streets Of Blah" has a head-bobbing perkiness to it, and "Superbock" channels that bouncy energy into a 4/4 beat. Meanwhile, "Rotenfaden" takes the rhythm deeper, but "Du Fehlst Mit" and "Seerosengiessen" take it back into the ethereal and "Rainbow over Stadtautobahn" into the abstract. Though the beats are certainly on-the-floor ready, Fehlmann seems much more interested in the melodic elements, such as the dub refraction of "Gratis" or the multifaceted "Luftikus." But it's "Making It Whistle" that sparkles the most: dub techno melded with Fehlmann's melodic leanings. Blah? Anything but, actually.

I really got my head around this album when listening to it walking around east Berlin last december, taking the tube and getting off at Potsdamerplatz, air freezing, surrounded by ultramodern glass towers and drinking glühwein... a pretty good match.
Into my opinion, a perfect instance of the current german electronic music scene, minimal (to some extent), but stylish above all. A pure modern gem, and for many years to come.

"To explain who Thomas Fehlmann is and what his contributions to modern music are would take some time. A few catchwords should be enough: Ex-member of German post-dada band Palais Schaumburg, worked together with The Orb, Eddie 'Flashin' Fowlkes, Blake Baxter, Moritz Von Oswald (Rhythm & Sound) and numerous others. This man obviously knows some things about good music and other people know that he knows. There are not many musicians out there who still have an impact on the current club scene after so many years in the business. Thomas Fehlmann has, as his new album Visions Of Blah impressingly proves. After several succesful and highly acclaimed 12'es and compilation contributions (not only on Kompakt), Thomas Fehlman explores the possibilities of the minimalistic yet pop-fueled Cologne Techno/House sound at full length. The styles on Visions Of Blah range from groovy Ambient tracks to clubby Techno smashers, all spreading soul and a deepness that many club records just don't have. To put it simply and short: Visions Of Blah is a fantastic dance album you should't miss, your life would be poorer without it." -- Source Unknown [please post citation if known]