Oliver Huntemann: H-3

Olivier is old school. He got interested in turntables during the formation of hip-hop in the late ’70s hip-hop, and has been a part of the techno scene since the late ’80s. Trained as an electronics technician by the German naval forces, he released his first record in 1992, and hasn’t looked back since. That can be both a good and a bad thing when it comes to producing albums. While one gains experience, it can also be easy to get stuck in one’s ways.

Olivier’s third original full-length H-3 exemplifies this predicament exactly. There is no doubting that this is a top-flight progressive house record. The breakdowns are choice and the sounds are rich and broad, from static pads, bold leads, warm sub base, punchy beats, and atmospheric field recordings reconstituted into melodic building blocks. H-3 is totally pro stuff, full of worthy deejay selections for placement next to Extrawelt, James Holden, or DJ Hell. It just doesn’t break the mould and deliver anything above and beyond itself. As such, no one who is not already into this music will ever hear it.