Munich is kind of my spiritual home. My dad went to university there, it’s the capital of Bavaria, home to all of my family, and it’s home to the football club I’ve been supporting since I am able to think. I’ve never lived there and up until I finished university and started working, I had only ever been there twice (the first time with my grandparents when I was really young. The second time with my aunt, uncle and cousin when we visited the „Deutsche Museum“ and ended up not going to the cinema to see Me, Myself and Irene). But there seem to be places you are or feel connected to, no matter if you’ve ever been there before and no matter how much time you’ve spent there (Portland is another city that comes to my mind).
Occupanther is the moniker of Munich based producer Martin Brugger. And Chimera is the title of his new EP. 5 tracks of wonderful electronic synth sounds, tasteful guest vocals (on Hermit and the title track) somewhere between danceable and dreamy but always as close to perfection as they come. When I first took notice of Occupanther via an email from his label Humming Records(really sorry guys), I must admit that I neglected it. I must not have been in the mood for electronic music that day. But oh boy how ignorant I was! Skip forward a good few weeks and I am mesmerized by the sounds. The low but constant bubbling beat of Hannah just makes my head nod every time. The vocals by Claire on Chimera baffle me. The synth line that drops into opener Down might as well find its way on the new Apparat album. Hermit has that great video that makes the track even more remarkable. And then there is Color that plucks and clonks away in anticyclical rhythm patterns until there’s only a bubbling bass left. Every song is a highlight!
Burgger shows what he learned from composing film scores and music for commercials, adds some complexity to his compositions and then makes them danceable altogether. Occupanther is not music for the big dance temples of this world. It’s music for headphones, music for the sundowner at the beach or the raindrops falling onto moist forest floor. If the ultimate goal of music is to move the listener, is making him feel and dream, go no further than this EP. It will be the best 15 minutes you’ll invest all week (or month, or year)!
Chimera by Occupanther is out now via Humming Records.
Buy your copy here and listen to it in full below.
