The title of dentalplan's new album, limerence, is as it turns out a real word. Limerence refers to "an involuntary romantic infatuation with another person, especially combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated". I had never heard that word before, but I can certainly relate to the notion. It's a rather miserable place in which to find oneself emotionally and in a way I guess this relentless longing does come across in the music, which combines slow, pensive, at times melancholy synth atmospheres with a rapid onslaught of chopped-up Amen breaks and '90s-'00s electro beats.
I am picking up hints of the influence of UK electronic classics like Underworld, Leftfield and Orbital, notably in the minimalist synth loops, but there are some clear German vibes too: some chord progressions evoke Moderat and we hear Neu!'s archetypal motorik rhythm at the start track #3. I'm also hearing echoes from further North in there, some inspiration from Trentemøller or Röyksopp in certain choices of bass lines or synth textures.
There is something about the proximity to the North Sea which conjures up this type of brooding, overcast sonic landscape. I am in fact writing this review in Denmark, very close to Hamburg in northern Germany, where this album was produced. The grey season has now settled in and heavy clouds can be expected to remain a quasi-permanent fixture until spring, not unlike the synth pad holding down a Gmin add(4) chord for almost the entire duration of the opening track, "pharmacokinetiks". I guess the the semi-random breakbeat fragments can act as stand-ins for the wind and rain rattling against my window.
Tracks 5 & 6, "maladjusted" and "oblivion overdrive" kind of stand out from the rest as more aggressive, high-tempo and raw-sounding. "maladjusted" features an ominous atonal plucked synth sequence, coupled with distorted breakbeats and dark drones, a combination which reminds me a bit of Haujobb's Solutions for a Small Planet, a landmark album which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. These harder tracks are stimulating but unfortunately I feel that the production on dentalplan's drums still leaves a bit to be desired and that these stormy breakbeats don't quite get the punch and clarity that they deserve. Compared to the wide, sprawling synths, the drums feel very mono. The overall impression I get is that of a younger producer with a great ear for atmosphere and song structures, but who's still learning to balance the mix when it comes to the rhythm section: the bass, in particular, is much louder on certain tracks than others, which becomes rather distracting and can cause one to reach for the volume button. Other than that, this is a solid little album that grows on you with repeated listens.
