Very few electronic musicians leave what could rightly be called a distinct sonic stamp on the pro forma machinations of dance music, which makes Superpitcher all the more precious. From early singles like "Heroin" to mournful redirects like "Happiness," he's birthed a sulky, silky sound that broods inconsolably without shying away from the transcendent ecstasy of bad moods. That murky mixture has made Superpitcher a gateway to Germanic techno for listeners otherwise inclined—his epic new remix of the French rock band M83 has already become a hip mix-disc staple—while also rewiring the emotional circuitry of the techno he holds dear.
Superpitcher's unique sonic stamp translates achingly well to his work as a DJ, as evidenced by Today. Like others in the Kompakt label's prized collection of mix-discs (most notably Michael Mayer's Immer), Today makes a game of surveying moods rather than merely tacking tracks together. The mood starts thick with Lawrence's "Spark," a warm, patient swirl of distant pianos and glimmering rhythmic trickle submerged in a freshly dredged bog. The set amps up from there, slowly and methodically inching toward measures made to make feet move. DJ Koze's "Let's Help Me" builds epic tension from brittle minimalism dried to the point of crackling, while Oliver Hacke's "21:31" follows a robust round of a bassline over delicate pointillist clicks that never puncture.
A lot of credit goes to the tracks themselves, but Today is a mix likely to sway those skeptical of the notion that a DJ's touch can be equated to a saxophone player's tone—physically indebted, but ineffably mannered and handed down. Superpitcher's languorous mixing technique draws out in-between spots where tracks fade into others, and his sense of mystery maintains an air of portent and purpose. By the end, with strings smiling over teary drums courtesy of French pop maven Sebastian Tellier, Superpitcher has whispered a story full of sunspots and shadows, screams and sighs.