Following on from her exciting first contribution to the label’s catalogue (the excellent ‘Twee’, part of our 2022-released compilation ‘Rising’), up-and-coming German producer Lisa Kaufmann, better known as Kaufmann, returns to Stil vor Talent with her eagerly awaited debut, ‘Banter’. Comprised of three cuts bridging the gap between “minimal techno’s laidback and grim attitude with psytrance’s trippy high-definition soundscape” as she defines it, her new transmission pulsates with a distinctively sophisticated signature, combining aggressive energy laced with some tongue-in-cheek moments that’s sure to not leave any dance floor cold. A truly adaptable palette of tracks cut to trigger off maximal response from the ravers, whether in a natural-like festival environment or in a more clinical concrete-and-glass setting.

Mostly a product of in-box, ableton-assisted wizardry, ‘Banter’ starts off to the sound of its anthemic title-track. Kaufmann’s taste for contrast and movement elegantly shines through, propelling us straight towards climactic heights with its opulent bass drive and unflinching 909-emulating throb steadfastly leading the charge. Dipped in a thick gravy of squelchy acid FX, ‘Banter’ is the epitome of a fearless all-road destroyer, ready to take on the most muscular sound system with a grin on the face and infinite ammo in the bag. From a moving intro centered around poignant cinematic strings and neatly textured synth flights, ‘Safe Travels’ rapidly hatches into a proper unstoppable juggernaut, ripping through the club with a vengeance of frantic bass manoeuvres and razor-sharp synth seesaw slicing and dicing everything up in its wake. An understated number headed the more funkier side of Kaufmann’s affinities, ‘In Control’ tops off the journey on a further minimal note, engineering a balanced mix of mid ’80s disco sampling and heavy-duty bass traction, here again heavily tweaked and processed to deadly effect. Top-tier wares from a producer right on the brink of massive, massive things. Don’t sleep.

Catalogue number: SVT337