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ARTIST
TITLE
The Traveller
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
OSTGUT 014CD OSTGUT 014CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
8/31/2010

This is the second full-length release for Berlin-based DJ/producer, Shed. The Traveller is not the perfectly planned-out escape into the safe haven where perfect tools worship the primetime DJ, but an ode to the heart of electronic dance music that still pumps loud and vigorous. For Shed, that very heartbeat was never clearer, more concise and genre-defining than in the UK in the early '90s. Detroit, Chicago, Berlin: get in line, you've had your time. Needless to say, Shed is not in this to become the copycat of some of rave music's perfect key moments. The Traveller is not another chapter in the ongoing history of the "anything goes" cult, not an overcooked stew praising the power of eclecticism, but simply an example of untamed fascination for sound. Frankly, Shed masters this almost naive approach perfectly and slaps the guards of the status quo right in the face. Again and again, Shed pulls little melodies from the depths of his studio and lets us discover our enthusiasm for the moment anew. He applies breakbeats bearing more history than the 909 bass drum where the 4/4 attack would have been the obvious choice, grants grandpa acid only a brief yet overwhelming guest appearance and deals with minimal dance music's heritage in a completely new, unexplored way. Always present: euphoria. With The Traveller, Shed manages the intangible and translates techno tracks into a shorter, yet crisper format, playing with tempi and moods. And yet each and every beat is right where it belongs, helping to merge every ingredient into an adventurous trip through a night one always dreams of and yet hardly ever gets. The album resonates from start to finish, is full of ideas, speaks dubstep and chooses radical approaches where other producers opt for the emergency exit of the lowest common denominator. The Traveller is the perfect base for everybody still willing to take a chance.