Review: Berlin institution Ritter Butzke presents the third installment in their ongoing Triation series with more talented artists added to their exquisite gallery. Poland's Greg Ochman (Lost Miracle/Sirin) delves deep into the exotic on the slinky and hypnotic deep house of "Lunar Memories", Italian producer Bar.ba (Brise/Lukins) ventures into mystical territory on the meditative tribal groove of "Umoya" and lastly homegrown talent Maurice Mino goes out all guns blazing on the menacing dancefloor drama of "Kriszpy" nailing that Senso Sounds/Herzblut kind of vibe.
Review: Baal follows a series of EPs for Musica Autonomica with this release for Ritter Butzke Studio, the label arm of the club. As the release's name suggests, this is an elegant, luxurious take on the well-worn minimal/tech-house sound. The tempo is slower and the groove unravels gradually, while on the title track, an evocative trance melody line weaves its way between the bass-heavy backing. "Madala" follows a similar path and sees Baal strike a balance between powerful bass tones and melancholic melody lines. On the extended version of "Cashmere", a club-friendly but still understated rhythm underpins tear-jerking melodies. It's been a few years since Baal's last record, but clearly there has been no loss of expertise in the meantime.
