After a Fabric-issued mix of original material inspired by his touring adventures, Kölsch returned to Kompakt for his fourth proper album. His first three full-lengths were named after pivotal years in life, starting with his birth year, 1977, and increasing by six. Instead of delivering a set of paeans to the 1990s rave scene, he skips right to 2020 with Now Here No Where, documenting his feelings at the time of the album's composition rather than continuing to reflect on the past or tell the story of his youth. Fundamentally, the record isn't a huge departure from his previous ones -- he still specializes in sweeping, melodic techno with widescreen orchestrations courtesy of regular collaborator Gregor Schwellenbach, and his tracks are as club-tooled as they are emotional. However, this one is certainly more urgent, whether in response to the political or environmental climate or relating to his own personal experiences, and it's his most refined and rewarding work to date. Opening with the throb of acoustic strings joined by fluttering harps and steady, rhythmic pianos, the album hits its stride with "Shoulder of Giants," a mixture of rich strings and a sharp, resounding synth hook. The jazzy "Remind You" is more exquisite, with brushed drums, seductive trumpet, and an inquisitive vocal sample ("I hear you found someone else, does she remind you of me?") over a Jeff Mills-style techno base. Kölsch strikes a pleasing balance between the string-laden drama of past anthems like "Grey" and festival-ready uplift on tracks like the Orbital-esque "Fandango" or the electro-trance of "Romtech User Manual." "While Waiting for Something to Care About" is a late-album highlight, with passionate violin playing taking the spotlight and a striking hook dissolving into echo. Ghostly International mainstays Beacon guest on two songs, contributing wistful vocals to the brassy progressive house of "Time" before returning at the end of the album for the reassuring lullaby "Pause." ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi

1		Great Escape
2		Shoulder of Giants
3		Remind You
4		Sleeper Must Awaken
5		Time
6		Traumfabrik
7		Fandango
8		Glypto
9		Now Here No Where
10		Romtech User Manual
11		While Waiting for Something to Care About
12		Pause

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