Dominik Eulberg: Bionik

Dominik Eulberg’s very atmospheric techno is either clacking and rife with gushes of air, or lush and at times overbearingly luminescent, with long, drawn-out key tones. All this aside, throughout its lengthy 10 segments, the overall presentation of the recordings is stellar, particularly in how the levels in each track were managed, and how each element is so distinct in the production’s mix. Eulberg gave the opening slot of Bionik to one of the strongest pieces in this offering — “Der Traum Vom Fliegen” shimmers for almost seven minutes. Its lengthy, chiming swells loom overtop the kick and what sounds like change being deposited into a soda machine, while field sonics that include locusts and bird calls are ushered to the forefront at a midway break. The lifting melody is reminiscent of “The Sky Was Pink”, a washed-out, shoegaze-driven tumbler from Berkshire, England’s Nathan Fake. “Der Traum Vom Fliegen’s” melody mirrors Fake’s only in how slowly the notes move; Eulberg’s sluggish tones have curled, rounded edges that counter the faux fuzzbox squeals in its bleary-eyed cousin, but the relationship makes sense. “Haifischflϋgel” is capped off with male and female choral samples, and “Lotuseffekt” is bouncier and slick — mild synth dabs meet a larger-sized arrangement of keys at well-placed breaks before re-entry.