Dominik Eulberg's music has always reflected his passion for nature. A full-time biologist and ecologist, his productions are as intricately detailed as a forest landscape, and they're nearly always titled after a species of flora or fauna. Mannigfaltig, his first full-length for !K7, features 12 pieces named for numerically titled animal species, from "Eintagsfliege" (mayfly) to "Zwölfgepunkt-Spargelkäfer" (spotted asparagus beetle), with various moths, butterflies, insects, birds, and a dormouse in between. Compared to ...
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Dominik Eulberg's music has always reflected his passion for nature. A full-time biologist and ecologist, his productions are as intricately detailed as a forest landscape, and they're nearly always titled after a species of flora or fauna. Mannigfaltig, his first full-length for !K7, features 12 pieces named for numerically titled animal species, from "Eintagsfliege" (mayfly) to "Zwölfgepunkt-Spargelkäfer" (spotted asparagus beetle), with various moths, butterflies, insects, birds, and a dormouse in between. Compared to his other four albums and dozens of singles, Mannigfaltig is less club-centric, with more downtempo tracks and a more reflective mood. The first two tracks are laced with crystalline chimes similar to Pantha du Prince, and the second (the vocoder-tinged "Zweibrütiger Scheckenfalter") blooms into a sparkling melody, buzzing bass, and intricate beat patterns. "Dreizehenspecht" continues the subdued atmosphere, and it sports one of the album's poppiest, most new wave-like melodies. "Sechslinien-Bodeneule" is a gorgeous piece of rained-out, sad-world drama which would've fit perfectly in one of Sasha & Digweed's classic Northern Exposure mixes. "Siebenschläfer" is considerably more playful, with bright melodies and clattering, echo-heavy percussion dancing around a slightly goofy bassline, yet somehow there's a shade of melancholy detectable deep inside. "Neuntöter" is soul-searching but hopeful, and perhaps the most club-ready track on the album. Elsewhere, tracks like the unabashedly sentimental "Elfenbein-Flechtenbär" express Eulberg's unwavering devotion to the natural world without using lyrics or incorporating field recordings (except for some birds audible during "Vierfleck"). ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
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