Run Away by DEFTR

While this is their first official release as DEFTR, the duo comprising Answer Code Request (Patrick Gräser) and Jan Wagner, actually released three EPs together in 2021, under their own names (Yes I, Out of and Kreuzberg 05). Answer Code Request is best known for his forward-thinking Techno albums Code and Gens, while Wagner, in his role as mixing engineer for Osgut Ton, brings deft technical nous to a variety of collaborative roles with other artists like Tobias Preisig, Rosa Anschütz and aint about me (check his long list of credits). Importantly though, Wagner is an accomplished pianist and composer in is own right (in particular check his solo albums Energie Braucht Zeit and Kapitel, both beautiful Downtempo affairs with piano and quietly uplifting electronics).

With eight tracks spanning just 27 minutes, Run Away is a brief dispatch. And while no considerable ground has been broken since their earlier EPs (with perhaps the exception of a vocal on the title track, which closes the album) it proves an engaging listen. Opening with The Call, a murky mix of spoken word and broken beats, is the perfect foil for the upbeat tracks that follow. The thumping Pop-length Techno of Part two and the Disco-indebted driving rhythms of A Farway are superb. Shade Off packs a rousing punch into its short two minutes. My fav, with it's subtle Dub Reggae swing, is no knock, no doorbell, with a building tension that erupts into frenzied breaks.

Closing a largely instrumental album with a vocal track (vocoder no less!) can be a contentious move but they pull it off. And even though the only words are "tried to run away", it culminates things on a melodic high. (And if you read into the track titles, there's a narrative to be found.)