Delta Funktionen – Sun Storm
Is Niels Luinenberg the consummate multi-tasker? It’s a valid question because the young Dutch producer, much like his peer Conforce, appears to be adept at making a wide variety of styles without ever letting the quality slip. From the dubby grooves of his debut 12″ Electromagnetic Radiation to the harder, jacking Set Up series and the deep elements of his Traces album – which also contains tough acid-laced tracks – Luinenberg’s production, like his DJing, conveys an impressive level of depth.
This latest release in the precocious artist’s relationship with the Delsin/Ann Aimee axis is no exception. It begins with another new departure for Delta Funktionen in the shape of “Challenger”; the drums shuffle slowly but not sluggishly, spiky and metallic, but with enough force to provide a basis for the tapestry of chilling synths that hover in above. This is Luinenberg’s vision for electro, one that dispenses with robotic vocals and visions of ‘the future’ for something far darker and gloomier (the present anyone?). The title track meanwhile is a radically different affair, with Luinenberg revisiting the acid sounds he touched on during Traces. “Sun Storm” sounds like he has put more time and effort into this concept, with clipped beats and heavy claps underpinning a leaner, meaner series of acid arcs and builds. It makes for a far darker and malevolent approach than before and adds to the sense of barely controlled tension that prevails on the EP.
That said, Luinenberg has a serious rival when it comes to dance floor mood music. Delsin has commissioned Pariah and Blawan’s Karenn project to overhaul “Onkalo” from last years Traces album, though the original is absent from this EP. Speeding up the tempo considerably, ditching the shuffling 808s and replacing them with pounding wooden drums and a bass so gloomy it’ll dim the mood wherever it’s played, the remix is both raucous and emotionally draining.
The only question that remains is: how long before Niels Luinenberg tries his hand at something like the Karenn remix himself?
Richard Brophy
Tracklisting:
A1. Sun Storm
B1. Onkalo (Karenn Remix)
B2. Challenger