Minimal House/Tech House preorders

Review: Cologne's Jonathan Kaspar has a rare talent for making techno feel emotional without sacrificing power. On this latest pair, he brings the same intensity and balance you'd expect from someone fully in command of his sound i a producer with roots in Germany's fertile minimal scene, but an ear turned towards something more transcendent. 'Yah' is an absolute hypnosis engine, with spectral sirens gliding above steadily rolling percussion. The track breaks and bends but never falls apart i there's a sense of near-chaos that's tightly held in place by Kaspar's meticulous control. On the flip, 'Silver Lines' arrives like a whisper before slicing the calm wide open. A swelling filter turns a simple synth sequence into something emotionally urgent, anchoring the track's shift from lull to lockdown. Kaspar, like a certain Vegas-showman r&b titan, knows how to be theatrical without losing himself i and here, it shows.