Listen: Forget Justice and Stick With Justus

WHO: Justus Köhncke
WHAT:Safe and Sound
WHY: For all of German dance music's rigidity, seriousness and dark underpinnings (here's looking at you minimal techno), Cologne's Justus Köhncke has always produced more lighthearted, disco-infused fair. On his first two albums on Kompakt, 2002's Was Ist Musik and 2005's Doppelleben, Köhncke bred quirky dance grooves with vocal-driven pop, winning over music heads with his wonderful sense of wonkiness. Thus Safe and Sound, might come as a surprise to some fans. Nearly vocal-free, most of Köhncke's latest record is designed specifically for the dance floor, where hypnotic 4/4 bass beats — not traditional song structures — reign supreme. The German, however, handles the transition into more sleek and "serious" sounds deftly. Tracks like disco-homage "Parage" and late-night haunter "$26" are sure to lay waste to any dance floor they sink their claws into, while the subtly soulful "(It's Gonna Be) Alright" proves Köhncke's just as adept at seducing hips as he is at shaking them. But Safe and Sound isn't all seriousness and sexiness; the kooky Kraut still carries a torch for all us awkward revelers who unabashedly get down like a web of interlocked pistons. The shape-shifting "Molybdän," for instance, sounds like a Transformer come to life, thanks to a catchy concoction of laser-guide synthesizers, wheezing accordions and tick-tocking alarm clocks, while ambient tunes like "Tilda" have enough grace to calm any spastic dancer down. A fine record for sure ...