Detlef Weinrich recommends Stabil Elite’s Douze Pouze

Between his work with post-krautrockers Kreidler and proto-techno solo productions as Tolouse Low Trax, Düsseldorf-based Detlef Weinrich stays busy running the bar and performance space Salon des Amateurs. In the most recent issue of Electronic Beats Magazine, Weinrich recommends the debut album Douze Pouze by Stabil Elite

When I first met Stabil Elite two or three years ago, it was something of a surprise. Düsseldorf is a very small city, and it’s not very common that you have these young kids with such open minds about music. This open-mindedness, this diversity in taste is what makes them feel like such a refreshing project. When we met at my bar, the Salon des Amateurs, my program was a very eclectic mix of unknown and rare dance-friendly sounds, and I think that’s what impressed them.

You can hear it clearly in their music; ‘Gold’, for instance, has a more modern new wave sound, while ‘Milchstrasse’ feels rooted in the experimental synthesizer work of Tangerine Dream or Kraftwerk. Krautrock and new wave as genres are pretty well established, but the potential to create new variations from the old is enormous. Maybe that’s the point of music anyway, to bring together similar minds with compatible yet diverse ideas that advance music somehow; or keep it fresh and exciting.

As a whole, Stabil Elite’s new album Douze Pouze can be described as very elegant pop. I think that the challenge of all young artists is to create something that sounds contemporary, speaking to their influences both past and present. When I listen to this album, it creates a connection for me to my city, and to my own history as a musician. Certain parts of Douze Pouze are very typical of the Düsseldorf sound, and some have their roots in the more eclectic sorts of things you might hear played at the Salon. This familiarity is charming; it makes their music feel like an old friend that you haven’t seen in a while. Suddenly you find yourselves together again, with so many new things to talk about.

It’s somewhat startling to hear such a connection of self in a debut album, but then I’ve felt this connection to the band since the day we met. We’ve played together as well, but it’s maybe even more of a pleasure to watch them create their concentrated blend of guitar work and synthesizers, especially live. It’s a different generation with a different approach, but still something recognizable at its artistic core. The music is timeless because the music is free. That’s one of the most important things a band can realize: when making music, there are no rules.

Stabil Elite’s Douze Pouze has already been released via Italic Recordings. Watch our in-depth Slices video feature (taken from Issue 3-11) below.

Published June 02, 2012.