After successful remixes for Oliver Koletzki, Niko Schwind and Animal Trainer, it’s Björn Störig’s turn to deliver the goods on his first solo EP, ‘Humming Top’. And boy, does he deliver: The fresh youngster presents high-calibre musical house, spiced up with funk, disco and jazz aesthetics.
Title track ‘Humming Top’ doesn’t waste much time: Crisp percussive elements are laid over a beefy bass-line from the get-go, while a progressive piano melody mingles with a distinctly vintage synth. Climaxing over a mysterious vocal whisper, this is mellow tech house of the finest sort.
Moving on to ‘Jazz Thang’, the title says all. Without catering to clichés, the track literally oozes jazz sounds. A big, chugging bass-line lends momentum with the help of a heavy kick and sharp hi-hats, while horns, strings and a beautiful piano arpeggio are left to do their jazz thang. An absolute late-night wonder.
On the flip, the bare bones of ‘Frizzante’ are similarly techy, yet decisively sexed-up by viscously funky bass slaps and pressing vocal samples. As if things weren’t hot enough already, a sax is introduced to drive things forward towards the apex, while an authentic percussive roll perfectly rounds of this highlight. Of course, nothing less is to be expected of an experienced drummer, who has proven his rhythmic abilities with The Koletzkis. Trust us, ‘Frizzante’ is one of the biggest groovers this side of the moon and a shining homage to boogie.
Last but not least, ‘Connected Ways’ shifts the mood from peak-time to more relaxed territory, finishing off the proceedings beautifully by fusing previously heard aspects into a deep groover that would be at home in warm-up sets and at Sunday afterhours alike. There isn’t much left to say other than ‘Congrats, Björn!’.Price: 5 €