Sebastian Mullaert – Direct Experience (Traum V184)

The link towards this promo has been fermenting like Kimchi in our mailbox for almost 2 months. We already had a good listen to this sublime release from Sebastian Mullaert. Actually several times and it keeps getting better every time we play the album. So you better head over to your record store as it’s been pressed on vinyl!

We feel this album perfectly fits in the Traum catalogue. That emblematic sound that you recognize from several artist in their catalogue can be found on ‘Direct Experience’ as well. Yet Sebastian Muller creates his own sound.

You all might recorgnize the man from Minilogue but with this release Sebastian Mullaert drops his own mark on the label.

Who ever has seen Minilogue play live, they will hear the feeling Sebastian captures during those show shows on this recent work in a highly authentic and breathtaking way.

Two very different versions of a techno soul. You can virtually feel him putting hands on knobs and twisting and bending the theme in his delicate and hypnotic way.

“Direct Experience” in its original version is an 11 minute trip into Sebastian Mullaert’s art of shifting and moving frequencies gently from one place to the other without ever loosing touch. It feels like pulsating rhythms get injected into your veins. The music is trippy and demands an appreciation for a hypnotic state we happily accept. You’ll press repeat at the end for sure. What an amazing track.

The flip side contains a dub version of the original starting with a dry pulsation beat and a monstrous sound that is coming near like a flock of grasshoppers. Talking about trippy, this will get you off the ground.

For the digital release two remix versions have been added. One remix comes by the hand of one of our favorite producers that has a fantastic skill in doing remixes. Scottish artist Nick Dow’s version is a post Detroit techno interpretation that is uplifting and dramatic. When you press play it feels like a sample of Soulwax’ ‘NY Excuse’ is being sampled. But when it moves on, you’ll year that typical fantastic Nick Dow sound.

Hannes Rasmus who has released the high acclaimed “Musik Für Fünf Machinen” on Traum moves the track towards a glitter ball of disco! Guitars are slashing and sounds are clashing. Hannes at his best when he has melodies embracing themselves without any reluctance.