Sturm - Sturm

It seems that Reinhard Voigt is following in his brother's footsteps with this record, and the results of this Cologne artist's evolution continue to improve, particularly here. Much like when his brother, Wolfgang Voigt, began producing atmospheric ambient techno for Mille Plateaux as Gas after gaining recognition for his experimental techno tracks, Reinhard has done the same, moving away from the sometimes dissonant rhythms he released as Pentax and Sweet Reinhard on Profan. As Sturm, Voigt still seems occupied with constructing uncanny rhythms, except here he uses more sedate sounds for his songs, making his often odd rhythms oddly mesmerizing rather than jarring. For these eight songs, he steers clear of beats, favoring deep dub basslines that loop endlessly like waves on a shore and surreal sounds that swirl with tranquility around these towering basslines. The motifs are dark, and the aim seems to be aural mesmerization. The modest yet enduring track lengths aid in Voigt's crusade, while his focus on a variety of sounds keeps this debut from being the yawn-inducing homogenous album of blandness that would serve as his follow-up. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide