KI 024CD KI 024CD

Creating an album is a journey of self-knowledge through hindsight; putting together the tracks that will compose the oeuvre much like putting together a photo album. It involves reflecting over the memorable times that inspired each composition. That is the case for German electronic music producer and visual artist Fejká, who presents Reunion. Like with everything that involves hindsight, there is a great deal of nostalgia in the album -- and the nature of nostalgia is fluid. It can be at once sweet or melancholic, agitated, or mellow, airy or heavy, but it nonetheless invokes in all its forms a sentimental longing for something. In Reunion, nostalgia is primarily given shape in dreamlike soundscapes, soft atmospheres that nonetheless evoke strong contemplative feelings. This longing is carefully unfolded on "Youth", where a simple melody plays out over the sound of seagulls and develops effortlessly into a joyful tune. Since his EP Twilight (2017), the producer has been exploring sounds that are at once ethereal and dynamic, celestial but also very much grounded on the dancefloor. In a seamless way, Fejká crafts music that is equally suitable for introspective moods and wonders as it is for a club. But while Twilight explored this duality between dreamlike atmospheres and dance music, Reunion seems to delve into a much vaster range of emotions and approaches, cementing the young producer's eclecticism. "Untold", perhaps the most fast-tempo title of the album with punctuated beats and repetitive melodies, is not only a dance tune, but a highly emotive and contemplative song which plays out like a riddle, provoking feelings of quest and curiosity. The track couldn't be more different than "Reunion" which moves slowly and carries an ethereal melody of melancholy and insight. Another tool used on Reunion that hits hard on an emotional level, is the use of the voice. On "Reunion", friend and musician Marie Angerer contributes with haunting vocals. Putting together the album was a journey of self-knowledge, creating ten purely intuitive tracks. Having a visceral creative process means that inspiration could hit at anytime, anywhere; drafting sketches became an important way in which Fejká would capture those revelations. From then, Fejká would develop these sketches in his laptop -- a basic set-up which nonetheless permitted him to take his ideas far. The strength of the album's tracks is deeply tied to their ability to capture a mood, and convey it to the listener. Also features Rökurró.