Articles
Anile, dBridge, and Mako
Liam Singer's Arc Iris

Albums
Allison & Owen
Billy Bang
Barbacana
Tim Bass
Ben Lukas Boysen
Chasing Kurt
Deep Magic
Drumcell
Lawrence English
Esmerine
Ex Confusion
Fazio
Gideon Wolf
A Guide For Reason
Andreas Henneberg
Ikebana
Illuha
Jumpel
The Last Hurrah!!
Lazercrotch
John Lemke
Nektarios Manaras
Maps
Sean McCann
Melorman
James Murray
Sarah Neufeld
David Papapostolou
Personal Life
Ross, Oberland & Claus
Seaworthy & Deupree
Liam Singer
Wadada Leo Smith
Tonefloat: Ikon
Wenngren & Nästesjö
Sebastian Zangar

Compilations / Mixes
dBridge
EPM Selected Vol. 1
Friction
Kode9
The Outer Church
Michelle Owen

EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Andyskopes
Anile
Rudi Arapahoe
Rachael Boyd
Break / Detail
CKSNL
Ed:it / Mikal
Marcus Fischer
Full Intention
Gain Stage
Lullatone
Pillowdiver
Gail Priest
Skittles
Andy Vaz

Chasing Kurt: From the Inside
Suol

There's an interesting backstory to Chasing Kurt's formation. Having crafted tracks in their Giessen, Germany home base, long-time deep house lovers Pascal Blanché and Wojtek Kutschke felt the material needed vocals to make it feel complete. Then, DJing one night at a Giessen bar, Kutschke overheard Lukas Poloczek singing some phrases while closing the bar and asked him if he'd be interested in singing on the tracks he and Blanché had produced, a move that led to Chasing Kurt's 2010 birth. The release of five EPs now brings us to the trio's full-length debut (also Suol's fifth full-length release) From the Inside, fifty-seven minutes of vocal-heavy deep house tracks. It's an effective combination, given how seamlessly Poloczek's smooth voice blends into the outfit's polished arrangements, though it should be noted that Chasing Kurt eschews the ecstatic, over-the-top style sometimes associated with deep house for a comparatively cooler and more restrained delivery.

The album itself is on the whole solid if not free of imperfection. Opening From The Inside with the emotive, stripped-down ballad “Family Guys” turns out to be a not-so-great move, not so much on account of its lugubrious tone but because Poloczek's vocal, while suitably impassioned, is slightly off-pitch in a few places. A better choice would have been the second cut, “Lose Myself,” which offers an enticing introduction to Chasing Kurt's signature blend of soulful vocalizing and elegant deep house rhythms, even if its downtempo groove still feels a tad sleepy.

The album hits its stride with the floor-filling third cut, “Heavenly,” and it's here where Chasing Kurt truly shines. Accompanied by a high-pitched string drone and warm chords, the tune's infectious house pattern locks into place immediately, and the addition of a muscular bass pulse, disco hi-hats, and Poloczek's exquisitely calibrated vocal makes the song title seem entirely fitting. While his passionate, multi-tracked croon on “From the Inside” (“Emptiness…loneliness…disappear when you get by my side”) is as effective, the song's impact is as much rooted in the punchy synths-and-piano groove Blanché and Kutschke craft for it. Poloczek's agile delivery is also strong on “Running Searching” and “Money,” so much so that the tracks reveal just how integral his emotionally charged persona is to Chasing Kurt's identity. Bolstered by strong vocal hooks (“Blame it on the money”) and an aggressive uptempo pulse, “Money” also includes contributions from Suol label heads Chopstick & Johnjon and was previously featured on Maya Jane Cole's DJ-Kicks mix.

August-September 2013