DJ Koze – Kosi Comes Around (Kompakt)

Judging by his ubiquitous presence on any number of Kompakt compilations, mixes, and EPs, the Cologne empire certainly seems to regard DJ Koze (Stefan Kozalla aka Adolf Noise) as the latest star in its ever-expanding firmament. His previous Kompakt collection, All People is My Friends, revealed an eccentric sensibility at work but, being a mix, didn’ offer listeners much of an opportunity to hear Koze’ own music. That now changes with the release of his hour-long Kosi Comes Around which extends the one-note DJ mix it might have been by including contrasting moods and broad instrumental colour, an intent rendered clear at the outset when a simple vibes theme colours a burbling dub-house groove in “Estrella.”

Koze’ club persona is amply accounted for by tech-house slammers like “Raw” and “Don’ Feed the Cat”; repeating relentlessly, the former is the kind of synth-squelching techno Koze probably can do in his sleep while the latter’ hammering ostinatos and aggressive synth patterns churn with the pummeling precision of a massive machine. In similar style, Kosi Comes Around reprises from past releases the bruising techno clubber “The Geklöppel Continues” and Koze’ oft-featured bell-ringing epic, the almost 10-minute “Brutalga Square.” He wisely alternates such repetitious fare with less predictable material like “Barock Am Ring,” a gentle interlude of music box patterns and piano sparkle, and the dreamy acoustic coda “Chiminea.” Perhaps the best song isn’ techno at all but an acoustic-jazz shuffle entitled “My Grandmotha” whose melancholy organ lines, panning harp swirls, and voice samples present Koze as an equally eccentric but rather more coherent simulacrum of Daedelus. Distinctive pieces like “Estrella” and “My Grandmotha” transform Kosi Comes Around into a much more impressive outing than it would have been had it showcased his techno style only.

Ron Schepper