This is a concept techno album. But don’t run for the hills just yet, as Johannes Heil’s concept is relatively easy to make sense of! It’s all about the forces of light and dark (hence the title) and it explores these themes through music that is both minimal and effective, generating a lot of energy but still making itself suitable for home listening at night. The album is set out in ten ‘Scenes’, Heil deliberately evading the use of descriptive titles, possibly inviting the listener themselves to create their own impression. ‘Scene Three’ stands out for its driving beat, while ‘Scene 5’ employs a harsher sound, and ‘Scene Eight’ drives hard in the very best German techno tradition. Some of this music is very heavy on the lower end, but while this no doubt provides the darkness Heil frequently provides vivid glimpses of the light above, as though we are dancing in a very dark place with pinpoint lasers dancing on the ceiling. Listen to it in the right environment and you’ll get some vivid pictures to go with this energetic music. After two decades making techno music, Johannes Heil is still finding new ways of dazzling his audience.
4 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/johannes-heil-official/sets/johannes-heil-the-black-light-snippet-version}
