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Apr 30, 2018 Issue #63 - Courtney Barnett By Ryan E.C. Hamm

Maybe the best way to get an introduction to DJ Koze, the moniker of German electronic artist Stefan Kozalla, is to listen to his 2015 DJ-Kicks mix. In it, you’ll hear the disparate mix of disco, house, techno, R&B, hip-hop, tropicalia, and what seems like a million other sounds, that make up the influences he pulls from on his own full-length work. His latest, Knock Knock, is another tour of DJ Koze’s world of sounds, and a worthy entry into a terrific catalogue.

DJ Koze isn’t flashy or overtly sample-happy like The Avalanches or DJ Shadow-while shades of those artists’ work are on Knock Knock, the influences Kozalla uses gurgle in the background. Opener “Club der Ewigkeiten” is practically a hip-hop beat before veering off into DJ Koze’s world: a flute is laced overtop strings and a bracing vocal. “Bonfire” marries Justin Vernon’s haunting vocals into a warped four-to-the-floor beat, and standout Sophia Kennedy guests on two tracks that manage to incorporate cabaret, trip-hop, jazz, and Anohni-style electro-chamber pop. And yet, these songs all belong on the same album. The album has its lows (a few songs drift too close to dorm-room-hookah music), but the highs vastly outnumber them. DJ Koze has created another fascinating album out of a world of sounds. (www.facebook.com/djkoze/)

Author rating: 6.5/10