Thomas Fehlmann: Honigpumpe

Label: Kompakt

Reviewing a Thomas Fehlmann record at this stage in his glorious career can seem pointless, even a bit insulting. Of course it’s great. Would you expect anything less from one of electronica’s legends? An artist of Fehlmann’s stature doesn’t just throw out junk. So intergral to the growth of electronic music since the 1980s, from his work with Palais Schaumburg to Teotonic Beats to the Orb, Fehlmann has always released music of the highest quality; it’s only a matter of how great, and on Honigpumpe, his second full-length for Kompakt, we have one of his very finest works. The album’s opener, “Strahlensatz,” is vintage Fehlmann, warm and inviting, blanketed with sheets of sound both hypnotic and melodic. “Soziale Warme” has more of a straighforward beat that never overwhelms, anchored with a buzzed synthesizer hook. One of the album’s highlights is the dub-inflected “Schaum,” beautifully filled out with mysterious echoes and sounds. Honigpumpe takes you on a spectacular electronic landscape, from Detroit-techno soul and lush ambience, featuring a giant at the top of his game. (James)