Since achieving worldwide recognition with their stunning reinterpretation of M83‘s “Solitude”, electronic producer duo Dominik Felsmann and Patrick Tiley (aka Felsmann + Tiley) have steadily built a deserved reputation for their bold, mainly beatless approach to neoclassical, synthwave, and cinematic music.
The follow-up to 2018’s Tempura album, Protomensch, is their most realised and engaging piece of work yet, both musically and thematically. The pair craft emotionally resonant electronic music built around textured synths and spacious soundscapes. Cinematic in scope and sound, it balances moments of genuine unease and anxiety with warmth and comfort. All of this frames a very simple idea: the absurdity of human existence, and explores it in their own unique way.
That extends to the brilliant album cover created by Stefan Alt. A Chimpanzee is pictured, poised, in a black turtle neck. It’s a representation of the Protomensch character, which translates as ‘proto-human’: sentient beings capable of extraordinary things but ultimately sabotaged by their innate shortsightedness. The chimpanzee represents our attempts to appear sophisticated and advanced, yet remains essentially driven by our primal instincts.
“Open Fields” serves as a subtle, minimalistic first peek into the Protomensch psyche. Over melancholic piano notes, Australian electronic artist the Kite String Tangle’s soft vocals weave amongst the gradual swells of sound. Lyrically, it addresses that very real human urge to seek light and create meaning even in the most hopeless of situations. “Memory” echoes the eternal links between past and present, opening with dreamy, wavering synths that tease it forward. It’s a spellbinding, captivating example of their ability to craft intricate, textured soundscapes that bloom into a glorious panorama.
“Opioid”, featuring Pet Deaths, is a far darker proposition. As the track title is spelt out like a demonic mantra, the duo build a haunting, nightmarish sonic bed, with industrial synths and siren-like sounds. Musically, it’s an intense but intoxicating listen as the pair tighten the sonic screws before the whole thing becomes almost unbearably oppressive. Thankfully, “Reset” eases the tension. Much more meditative, the track narrows its scope, with the listener encouraged to follow the light, nimble movements of a singular sequence.
“Always You” is the perfect marriage of the analogue and the digital. Australian singer Woodes’ sweeping ethereal vocals breeze through the intricately designed acoustic landscape. It’s a reassuringly human moment as the vocals detail the album’s overall themes of love, loss and hope. Like the music, Woodes articulates how love has always been a constant, central to our understanding of humanity, but can also evolve: “All our love / Turning into / Something new.”
The immersive “Seeker” becomes increasingly potent, delving deep within itself, pulling at its brooding core while also finding room to burst outwards. With its glowering, deep synths and cinematic electronics, it comes across like a trance remix of a Tangerine Dream soundtrack. “Warnung” is more unsettling. Showing their ability to build atmospheric tension, it evokes the feeling of being trapped in a situation with no obvious exit. That continues with “Gabriel” as the music twists and bends, straining for release.
“Kind” brings Protomensch back down and serves as a companion to the earlier track, “Memory”. As arpeggiated synth notes fall like warm summer rain, sounds orbit each other at a respectful distance, each given its space to beguile. Thematically, it fits the idea of the central innocence of the human experience before our growing reliance on technology shapes it. “God Is Lonelier” is the direct counterpoint, suggesting that as we become more intelligent, we stop remembering the importance of life as a shared experience. The track features the spectral vocals of Ry X, whose hushed syllables entwine themselves around the textured synths like a ghost lost in the machine.
Lead single “Warum” is central to the Protomensch‘s overarching themes. Translated from German as “why”, it is a proclamation on the puzzling duality of human existence. On the one hand, we are capable of creating things of almost unfathomable beauty, while on the other, we can destroy the most delicate of things. Musically, it’s a mesmerising example of the pair’s innate understanding of how to be economical with sound. “Neuzelt” ends the album in haunting fashion as protomesch finds themselves standing at the cliff edge, questioning whether the quest for technological advancement has left us forever mortally compromised.
On Protomensch, Felsmann + Tiley cement their reputation with a rich, immersive album. Over expertly crafted, textured synths, palpitating rhythms and intricate soundscapes, the music sounds both introspective and jaw-droppingly expansive. By weaving in vocals, the themes of desire, longing and regret are brought sharply into focus as the pair gently smooth down some of the sharper abstract edges. It also taps into what is central to our understanding of who we are, whilst acting as a stark warning not to forget where we come from.