Worth a listen: DJ Hell

Occasionally an album slips by me for a while, then eventually when I discover it, I wonder what took me so long. Such is the case with DJ Hell's latest two-disc (Night and Day) release Teufelswerk.

We start with the Night disc. It opens with U Can Dance featuring Bryan Ferry. Hell takes Ferry’s vocal and turns it into a trance masterpiece that is sure to be a huge hit on dance floors this year. After the opening salvo, the disc continues with the Kraftwerk-esque Electronic Germany, takes on a little dance floor trance with Bodyfarm2, throws in some 80's inspired acid house with Hellracer, and gets a throwback to early Chicago house with The DJ (which features P Diddy).

In stark contrast, the second disc Day opens with Germania, a beautifully paced ambient track, heavy in atmosphere and harpsichords that reminds me of Ulrich Schnauss. Germania sets the tone and leads us into the star attraction of the whole effort, The Angst & the Angst Pt. 2. This 13 minute epic opens up with acoustic guitars and builds with a slow, throbbing, techno baseline.

Carte Blanche and the edgier Hell's Kitchen continue to expand upon the eclectic sound of Day. As with all of his previous albums, Hell throws in a cover version to finish. This time it’s a cover of a Hawkwind track, Silver Machine. With melodic spoken lyrics this track provides the perfect closer to this fantastic disc.

Teufelswerk is currently available on Gigolo Records.