Lindstrøm – Where I Go You Go Too

Hans-Peter Lindstrøm is generally credited with the emergence of a slower disco/house hybrid, since perfected by many a good Scandinavian producer. With partner in crime Prins Thomas he affectionately pays homage to 1970s disco, slowing it down and adding in a generous helping of Balearic-sounding synthesizers.

Until now, that is – as Where I Go You Go Too takes his development of these styles and moves his music up to a whole new level. The title track, all 29 minutes of it, is neo-symphonic and would grace a Philip Glass concert – yet somehow manages to be that rare thing – a long, drawn out piece of dance music where the interest never flags.

The key is in its natural, completely unhurried manner. Subtle atmospherics bring the music in from the cold and gradually the temperature warms – then before you know it, you’re tapping your foot to a sure-footed house beat that seems to have come in from nowhere, a synthesized riff chiming out as the main material of the half hour.

Lindstrøm proceeds to develop this harmonically, though when it drops out of the picture the loops spinning around in the middle foreground easily hold the interest, so that when the main chime returns after some shape shifting a real sense of euphoria comes back with it.

Few dance producers have the ability to think of their music on such a large scale, and this suite is more of a DJ set with recurring themes than a simple track. It comes as a surprise to note how quickly the half hour passes – and even more to see that the second, Grand Ideas, is just as involving, darker hues contrasted against firmer beats and another subtle yet convincing riff. A mere ten minutes, this one, it easily works the dancefloor.

Completing the ‘suite’ is The Long Way Home, itself just as exquisitely formed with a riff that could easily find currency in Steve Reich‘s Electric Counterpoint, and as it develops so does Lindstrøm’s trademark loping beat, the feet back in tap mode once again.

Most three track albums are of a progressive rock bent, and overstay their welcome in the manner of a large plate of indigestible food. Lindstrøm manages to achieve a palatable yet ambitious record without ever resorting to indulgence, not forgetting in his view of large forms to look closer and focus on the minutiae. As a result he has produced an outstanding, forward thinking piece of work – and he’s not finished with us yet, as another collaborative album with Prins Thomas is due before the year is out. The pleasure is all ours.