I've recently and quickly become a big fan of Oliver Huntemann's DJing and production work. I've been digging around online looking for mixes and buying albums when I can find them for less than outrageous prices. I purchased his Fieber album on Ebay for $8.99. It was coming Hong Kong and I was eagerly awaiting its arrival. Unfortunately I was rather disappointed after giving it a listen. It's a 2006 release but the tracks are very subpar and sound a lot older. The synth samples and especially the drum samples sound terribly dated. I'm not sure if Huntemann was going for a more retro sound or if he just didn't have the right studio equipment (I seriously doubt it). But whole album except for one track is terribly mediocre with some tracks bordering on bad. Here are my track ratings;
1. 37 Degrees 8/10 (solid minimal techno)
2. 50.1 5/10 (average minimal techno with some bad 80's sounding drum sequences)
3. Black Ice (With Stephan Bodzin) 6/10 (minimal techno track with an old school sound)
4. Cracker Capers 6/10 (techno with a bit more substance and originality, but still really bad drum sequences)
5. Radio 5/10 (a scratchy distorted track with more bad drum sequences)
6. Orient Express 5/10 (more average techno)
7. Scary Love (Feat. Chelonis R. Jones) 2/10 (A weak vocal track, easily forgettable)
8. Rubin (With Stephan Bodzin) 7/10 (old school sounding Detroit techno)
9. French Fries 6/10 (more average techno with an old school sound)
10. Flesh 7/10 (average minimal techno)
11. Matchbox (With Stephan Bodzin) 7/10 (techno with a bit more substance and originality)
12. Rotodrom 6/10 (average techno)
Happily Huntemann's recent works are far superior to this previous album. Fieber feels like Huntemann was still learning his way around the production studio with limited access to computer/sound equipment. If you're a diehard fan of his work then it's worth picking up. However if you're a casual listener/DJ there's only a few tracks worth your time. If only all of the tracks on Fieber were the caliber of "37 Degrees" I would have been a much better release.
