1989, the third Kompakt full-length by Kolsch, is meant to evoke the year the Danish techno producer started going through puberty, as well as the period when his parents were divorcing. It was a highly emotional, difficult time for young Kolsch, and this music represents some of the stormiest, most dramatic music he's ever made. As with predecessors 1977 and 1983, this album's steady, lengthy tracks build up toward surging progressive house climaxes, but the youthful euphoria of Kolsch's previous material seems to have been obscured by clouds of uncertainty. Past collaborator Gregor Schwellenbach contributes string arrangements, which are delivered by the Heritage Orchestra this time, blowing up Kolsch's dancefloor dramas into widescreen proportions. On an updated version of "Grey," which previously appeared on the Speicher 93 12", fluttering flutes and sharp horns dance around the thumping beat, bathed in ethereal echo. The end result is like a more club-tooled version of something off Carl Craig's Versus, possibly with a pinch of DJ Rolando's "Jaguar" thrown in. "Liath" is perhaps the album's emotional peak, with rich strings resembling an intergalactic disco version of Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy," pausing in the middle for a teary-eyed violin solo by Kate Robinson. As with the first two thirds of this album trilogy, Kolsch limits himself to one vocal number on 1989. In this case, it's the ambient tech-house track "In Bottles," featuring guest singer Aurora Aksnes' catchy "down your spine" refrain and a sprinkling of lush strings. "Push" injects a bit of aggression, courtesy of some spiky synth arpeggios and brash horns, but the orchestral arrangements smooth it out and keep it from boiling over. 1989 is nothing less than a techno coming-of-age story, and judging by its ambitious scope, it wouldn't be too surprising if the artist made the leap to the big screen to continue telling his tale. ~ Paul Simpson

Rovi