Berlin‘s Alex Niggemann is one of an exciting new run of artists to arrive on Steve Bug‘s established Poker Flat Recordings, bringing fresh, high quality house music to the world‘s dancefloors. Described in his biography as persistent and straight-ahead‘ his debut full-length album, marks the important next chapter in this dedicated producer‘s development.
The confidant, retro-meets-nu-school grooves of Niggemann‘s 11-track album ‘Paranoid Funk‘ fit perfectly to the man behind the beats. A classically trained pianist who gave up the ivory keys for a more technological dream, the young 26 year old producer joins a new wave of artists enjoying a steady resurgence in deep, groovy and indeed sexy house music. It‘s a mature, well considered achievement that will no-doubt find favor with club DJs and avid home listeners alike.
In his own words Alex set out to “create an album which is different to typical club or listening albums.... where songs fit together (even when having different styles) without being too similar“.
He also goes on to say that it‘s very much about “showing the full range of what I‘m able to, what I have done, what I like and what I will do.“
It’s not hard to believe him, as it‘s a rather eclectic 4/4 album packed with groovy, feel-good house that still offers more hypnotic and darker moments along the way. Niggemann plays with tempos and vibes, moving freely and easily from the future-classic of ‘Don‘t Wait‘ with its light-hearted and warm Chicago vibes, to super-deep and addictive midnight cuts like ‘The Sweetest Thing‘ and the 118 bpm ‘Curious‘ - a personal tribute to a ‘techno hymn”
Alex simply lives and breathes his music, something that’s clear to both see and hear.
All around underground star Florian Schirmacher joins Niggemann on the darker, club-ready ‘Easy Love‘ that could easily form the soundtrack to one of Berlin‘s notorious Sunday morning raves, while the stripped ‘That Is...!‘ sails smoothly through jacking modern house, punctuated by detailed fills and instinctive arrangements.
Niggemann‘s love for classic 80s and 90s beats is clearly represented with tracks like the boogie-inspired ‘Parentless Child‘ freaking and tweaking around night-drive synths and Italo moments, however it‘s clear the producer‘s head is aimed straight towards the future with super-sexy cuts like ‘Street Therapy‘ proving he can indeed hold it down with the big boys and rock it with subtle, hypnotic and underground precision. So there‘s a pleasing mixture of dancefloor weapons and more introspective home toe-tappers. Alex wanted the album to be this way, reflecting the social aspect of his music and its function not only to make you dance, but to form the soundtrack to our everyday lives.
As the versatile and solidly produced long-player draws towards its conclusion, the moving ‘Lovers‘ featuring vocalist Daniel John Rydell not only tugs on the heart strings, but shows off Niggemann‘s piano and songwriting skills in a blissful ode to dance music culture today.
