Once in a generation or so, a chance collaboration between musical geniuses occurs that changes the rules of the game for all who follow in its wake. Not content to merely sit on his throne as one of the founders of Germany’s world-renowned minimal techno powerhouse Kompakt, Michael Mayer has mingled with his humble disciples and formed a connection with fellow Cologne resident Aksel “Superpitcher” Schaufler. Performing together as the obvious Supermayer, Save The World lands a huge question mark on the forehead of a label whose signature sound is almost becoming its curse.
Perhaps they figured things were becoming a bit stale and predictable or maybe they just got some good drugs and put their iTunes on shuffle, but whatever the reason, they made a veritable Trojan horse for the Kompakt cannon. Save The World runs the gamut through glitchy ambient, absurdist pop, hard-chugging microhouse, and post-rock, while creating new genres whenever deemed fit. “The Lonesome King” even takes a Mexican horn sample, old Roland synth squeals, and the bassline from Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” for a space case downtempo ballad unlike anything off the Immer mixes. Right off the bat, “The Art Of Letting Go” pumps the weird mash-up with a house beat, chimes, horns which melt into a Theremin like sound, cowbell, a dance-punk like bass guitar loop, and indie pop vocals to create whatever the hell that makes.
It’s not solely about the genre bending, though. “Saturndays” and “Planet Of The Sick” rock the Kompakt house movingly deep and quirky bad-trip old school respectively. And the lead single “Two Of Us”... hoe-lee sheeeeeit! That rambling stomper is so epic I can hear the little German ravers’ heads exploding all the way from Canada. On their own, these tracks are in the upper echelon of recorded house music, but in the context of this wildly artistically satisfying full-length concept creation, they’re next to godly. Save The World is insanely good enough that it just may deliver on its promise, lest we forget the Wyld Stallyns.
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