A lot of techno and house folks dismiss Stephan Bodzin's productions as being the height of plebeian house. Ronan Fitzgerald, for example, has said that he doesn't think he could take a whole album of Bodzin on an I Love Music forum about the new album, Liebe Ist. Admittedly, Bodzin's sound can be a bit heavy-handed and he is a slut for collaborations, but despite these issues, I think that Bodzin's output is overwhelmingly stellar.
His new album aside, Bodzin has been keeping busy in 2007. One of his newest releases continues his relationship with Marc Romboy, a match-up that created last year's sentimental sleeper hit, "Phobos." This newest collaboration is along the same lines-- there is an obvious love of melody and simple, pleasing harmonies in the tracks. However, the pair's newer work shows more of Bodzin's influence in certain areas: the harmonic bass-line is higher in the mix than in previous efforts, and the excellent panning is more in line with Bodzin's recent solo releases than past works with Romboy. Worth mentioning that the mixing is also much less dry than on "Phobos," for one.
What remains especially similar to the two's past efforts, though, is that there is an overwhelming tone of sadness to these tracks. They tug at the emotions in the same way that a track like "Dexter" does: by repeating phrases and utilizing major/minor shifts in chord progressions to create an atmosphere that caresses in a most melancholy manner. The track below, then, is a good night-ender-- it allows for some swaying, some hands in the air, some lolling of the head with one's eyes closed. It feels regal and holy, yet in a completely different fashion than other recent tracks like "Feuervogel," which is almost too clean to be earnest. "Callisto" sounds earnest.
Stephan Bodzin & Marc Romboy- Callisto (Original Mix)
Tomorrow: look forward to a fine new minimal electro remix by Miami DJs Maurizio and Danyelino.
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