Squama Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: Even in its sparsest moments it's impossible to hide from the funk that 'Runden' seems to have been built upon, a bedrock of toe-tapping, head-nodding groove that's infectious as hell, making for some real ear worm tracks that take hold and refuse to let go - whether that's the laidback 1960s espionage movie score-worthy 'Mikado', the sparse plucks and stabs of 'Horch' or sexiest of the lot, 'Parallellen'.

It's hard to really put your finger on genres here - this entirely instrumental collection owes a debt to jazz and funk yet isn't really either. Its arrangements often follow the patterns set out in more open-mined and freewheeling electronica, but it's entirely organic and natural in sound. Perhaps oxymoronic, then, despite the obvious contradictions the recipe makes for a coherent and incredibly intelligent whole.