Klartraum – E2

E2 is the second part of a quarterly EP series from German duo Klartraum, with the following two instalments due to follow later this year. The E stands for Enneagram, a model of human personality that allows you to describe or to find out through which lens you see your reality. Author Stephen Wolinsky has written a book on the subject and it is something that permeates the work of Klartraum.

Helmut Ebritsch and Nadja Lind are Klartraum, the duo that has defined many different shades of house & techno music on a number of labels but mainly their own Lucidflow, which has been active since 2009. Here they offer up four more conceptual tracks that follow on perfectly from the first chapter.

The opening track here, ‘Sky Fall’ was created from scratch when Felix Baumgartner jumped from the stratosphere in his famed stunt last year. The club mix version of it is a liquid and funky bit of house that is all off balance and wavy. Warm synths, spacious atmospheric pads and great panning effects all make for a bit of pensive tech that also manages to make you dance. 

Next up is ‘Celebration’, the free flowing and beautifully synthetic tech track with loopy percussive sounds, rattling hooks and a slinky sense of groove that makes you want to shake your limbs.

‘Tree of Life’ steps away from the dancefloor to explore slowly unfolding rhythms, lumpy drums and atmospheric pads that all sound like alien life forms floating in deep space. There’s a sense of tension as things unfold which keeps you locked throughout, revelling in the fantastic sound design and sonic invention.

The cinematic mix of ‘Sky Fall’ is a little more tripped out, with its lazy piano notes, buried deep riffs and intricate details all placing you at the centre of the beguiling track.

This fascinating conceptual series continues in fine form, then, and proves Klartraum can do both dancefloor dynamite and cerebral sonic sketches alike.

Tracklist

1. Sky Fall (Club Mix)
2. Celebration
3. Tree Of Life
4. Sky Fall (Cinematic Mix)