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Sep 15, 2016 Trentemøller By Charles Steinberg

Anders Trentemøller has always been a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants producer. He pays attention mainly to atmosphere and the instruments of his design get revealed in the process. Like many who immerse themselves in instinctual sound production as lifeblood, the only thing that matters is letting his gut take the lead, following later with studied execution for refinement. This philosophy has always served as a beacon in the course of his adventurous career. This eccentricity can be at turns delightfully surprising and frustrating. You never really settle into a familiar place with his eclectic and random decor.

Trentemøller has thus eluded categorization, travelling comfortably and inconspicuously through a variety of habitats, stopping to converse in the language of alternative dance then just as fluently whispering in ambient phrase or giving warning to tread lightly down the alleys of deep techno. If others feel the need to shelve it in a genre case, that’s their concern. On Fixion, you first get the Slowdive guitars and factory ambience echoing from the U.K. in the ‘80s and ‘90s before it turns into more claustrophobic quarters. One of the few consistencies of his recent full album recordings has been invitation of contemporary female vocalists to animate his moodscapes. “One Eye Open” breaks the ice with the cold hush of Marie Fisker before yielding to the seductive snarl of Savages’ Jehnny Beth, who in teaming with Trentemøller’s production style here has some of her irrepressible ferocity sapped. By the time “Complicated” finally lifts off with Beth piloting, the skies have been clouded over anxious and there are uninviting swerves into Trent Reznor territory.

Overall, the ambition and freedom of earlier work found on The Last Resort and Into the Great Wide Yonder is reigned in, and the melodic palette is less variegated and more darkly shaded, leaving you a little uptight. Though Trentemøller’s output is never dull, on Fixion it may be a little dour. (www.trentemoller.com)

Author rating: 6/10