From the very beginning, Kiosk I.D. catalog no. 030 was destined to be a declaration of love to the city whose area code it shares and the vibrant culture that once planted the seed for our home at Kater Blau. For the label’s anniversary release, veteran Kater Blau residents Coss and Peter Schumann put a melodically charged twist on the enveloping experiences that made Berlin the epicenter of electronic music. ‘The Islands’ delivers a beautifully engineered long-player that takes the duo’s warm, chord-driven soundscapes to the farthest reaches of genre and emotion.
‘The Islands’ is not the first venture for Coss and Peter Schumann as a duo. Across a string of groove-centric releases that merge Peter’s House-infused joie de vivre with Coss’s blossoming soundscapes, the twosome developed a profoundly floor-focused melodic repertoire with refreshing dubby undercurrents. ‘The Islands’ is the much-anticipated pinnacle of their artistic symbiosis: bringing together beautifully nuanced sound design and
driving drum structures, Coss and Peter Schumann offer a journey through their deep and uplifting aesthetic, showcasing the forward-thinking eclecticism that happens when two storied producers fuse minds and sensibilities.
Openers ‘Arrakeen’ and ’T Step’ build on the duo’s signature shimmering harmonics and throbbing housey substructure reminiscent of the 2023 Kiosk ID smasher ‘Baba.’ Resonant synth stabs and arpeggios ricochet across a dubby low-end, conjuring a driving floor-focused aesthetic with beautiful, weightless qualities. ‘The Box’ and ‘Reminder’ put a moodier twist on the duo’s synth work: ominous pads and darkly throbbing percussion weave mesmeric energy arcs, compacting their overwhelming harmonics into stripped Micro House smashers with razor-sharp build-ups and mangled synth eruptions.
‘Maro Reef,’ ‘Kitty Su,’ and ‘Two Tree Island’ explore the twosome’s introspective deep end. On ‘Maru Reef,’ a warm field of cavernous pads, staggered piano chords, and brightly shimmering electric blips form a jazzy and glittering cinematic journey with subtle ethnic undercurrents. Set to a subdued trip-hop beat, ‘Kitty Su’ unfolds feedback-driven atmospheres with electric strings, far-away vocal chants, and a resonating metallic arpeggio. ‘Two Tree Island’ unfurls a powerfully anthemic hook, delivering an uptempo rendition with hymnal vocal chops and warm sawtooth pads.
‘Mellum,’ ‘Mercer Island,’ and ‘Cuor di Mela’ venture into airy Techno and Fast House. ‘Mellum’ unleashes a fluttering explosion of blippy synth themes across a throbbing staccato bassline and brightly pulsating chords. On ‘Cuor di Mela,’ a powerful Techno groove and compact kick drum merge blippy chiptune synths and gated vocal chops into a beautifully cinematic dancefloor anthem. ‘Mercer’ layers the duo’s cascading synth work with syncopated funkiness and a searing ride-driven groove, energetically supercharging their mesmeric harmonics across a driving Techno substructure.
No one is an island, each a part of the main. Peter Schumann and Coss’s first joint long-player is a beautiful representation of the magic that can happen when two artists spend years honing their joint vision. ‘The Islands’ ends up being much more than the sum of its parts, unfolding a bright and melodic energy arc across ten genre-defying and emotional productions.
Peter Schumann & Coss – The Islands is out now via Kiosk ID: https://kioskid.bandcamp.com
