Viola Klein is a remarkable DJ even when she’s in the studio. Across her ten releases in the past eleven years, the Cologne- and Dakar-based has followed a curatorial approach rather than presenting herself as a producer. Often, her tracks are based on other people’s compositions or field recordings, allowing Klein to weave different musical aesthetics and traditions together just like she does when she is behind the decks. On »New Chapter,« the tables turn at least somewhat: five of the nine tracks are remixes based on source material from last year’s »Confidant« EP. Whodat’s »Confidence Mix« is a masterful exercise of Detroit house done right, Kassem Mosse drags out his soulful »Snooze Mix« for eleven delirious minutes, and Nídia’s »Love in Life Mix« displays the Príncipe mainstay’s penchant for making more out of less. That alone would make for a stellar remix package, but there’s more—a lot more.
Klein herself radically reworks »Snooze« twice, once using the Korg X5D digital synthesizer to abstract the track’s vibe into the sound of crashing waves, and another time using it as a hazy sound bed for stuttering rhythms and birdsong, presumably culled from the same field recording presented under the title »Picci Bis Bi Ci Dakar.« Besides another equally short e-piano reverie, »New Chapter« also includes two original tracks credited to the Sabar Ensemble Diop, who have contributed mbalax rhythms to Klein’s split EP with Julion De’Angelo in 2020, and a certain 808—apparently Klein’s weapon of choice for adding some extra oomph to the drummers’ intricate grooves. It is telling that Klein, unlike another certain German producer, wouldn’t put her name next to the ensemble’s: She is both a teamplayer and a DJ who this release and her platform more generally to showcase other people’s talents.
New Chapter
