Berlin-based producer Siriusmo has been on the peripheries of the electronic scene for many years now, charted and supported by heavyweights such as Boys Noize and Modeselektor, and remixing for the likes of Ed Banger's Breakbot, but why then do we know so precious little about him, and why is Mosaik only his first album? This simple answer is that music, remarkably, plays second fiddle in his life, his main love has always been artwork. What makes this so difficult to comprehend is his obvious talent at producing music, with everything he's put out even before his album, like Simple, released on BNR, and his sensual remix of Baby I'm Yours all genuinely excellent productions, certainly not the work of someone with other things on their mind anyway. But maybe this is what gives Siriusmo's music all that billowing freedom and fun that makes it so charming, and his first album is plenty more of the same- free from categorization, free from the will to impress, and free from expectation.

Released on Modeselektor's Monkeytown imprint, you always expect a dizzying array of drums, sub-bass and untidy synthlines, creating the usual hybrid of electro chaos, ravey techno and dirty dubstep. The opening track, Einmal In Der Woche Schreien is far more melodic however, with some sweetly distorted robotic vocals to complement the jagged beat that breaths beneath it. That's as easy as it gets though, and from thereon Mosaik is a 16 track kaleidoscope of bass heavy mutations with seemingly no coherence of any sort holding it all together as an album. This is its greatest success though, and what is so stylistic of someone like Siriusmo. Good Idea and Idiologie are totally carefree and quenching, and undeniably Ed Banger at heart, much like Mr. Flash's Flesh from last year. Nights Off is the album's most cosmopolitan, set-friendly entry, a harmonious blend of sickly synths and a steady, dance-easy bassline puts it on the album's mantle-piece. But while Signal is more classically Monkeytown, with it's aggressive, intense character, my favourite has to be the 12 minute Red Knob, which breaks halfway through into a second part, but the first is where all the fun is. More Ed Banger touches, with pianos, stomping basslines and abrasive synths making it all pretty compelling stuff.

The rest of the album continues in the same fashion, ducking in and out of party-hot electro and filthier, ear-splitting techno/dubstep, the kind of stuff we raved relentlessly to when Modeslektor, Moderat and Siriusmo landed at Motion a few months back. It's a peculiar style, and one that's certainly gaining popularity as we head further into 2011, but if Siriusmo began prioritizing work like his on Mosaik, then he could well find himself one of the leaders of the movement. Not that he cares...

Siriusmo - Signal


Siriusmo - Red Knob


Siriusmo - Einmal In Der Woche Schreien


Mosaik is out soon on Monkeytown Records, availiable on Beatport