Peter Schumann & Coss - The Islands (2024)

From the very beginning, Kiosk ID catalog no. 030 was destined to be a declaration of love to the city whose area code it shares and the vibrant culture that once planted the seed for our home at Kater Blau. For our anniversary release, veteran Kater Blau residents Coss and Peter Schumann put a melodically charged twist on the enveloping experiences that made Berlin the epicenter of electronic music. The Islands delivers a beautifully engineered long-player that takes the duos warm, chord-driven soundscapes to the farthest reaches of genre and emotion. The Islands is not the first venture for Coss and Peter Schumann as a duo. Across a string of groove-centric releases that merge Peters House-infused joie de vivre with Cosss blossoming soundscapes, the twosome developed a profoundly floor-focused melodic repertoire with refreshing dubby undercurrents. The Islands is the much-anticipated pinnacle of their artistic symbiosis: bringing together beautifully nuanced sound design and driving drum structures, Coss and Peter Schumann offer a journey through their deep and uplifting aesthetic, showcasing the forward-thinking eclecticism that happens when two storied producers fuse minds and sensibilities. Openers Arrakeen and T Step build on the duos signature shimmering harmonics and throbbing housey substructure reminiscent of the 2023 Kiosk ID smasher Baba. Resonant synth stabs and arpeggios ricochet across a dubby low-end, conjuring a driving floor-focused aesthetic with beautiful, weightless qualities. The Box and Reminder put a moodier twist on the duos synth work: ominous pads and darkly throbbing percussion weave mesmeric energy arcs, compacting their overwhelming harmonics into stripped Micro House smashers with razor-sharp build-ups and mangled synth eruptions. Maro Reef, Kitty Su, and Two Tree Island explore the twosomes introspective deep end. On Maru Reef, a warm field of cavernous pads, staggered piano chords, and brightly shimmering electric blips form a jazzy and glittering cinematic journey with subtle ethnic undercurrents. Set to a subdued trip-hop beat, Kitty Su unfolds feedback-driven atmospheres with electric strings, far-away vocal chants, and a resonating metallic arpeggio. Two Tree Island unfurls a powerfully anthemic hook, delivering an uptempo rendition with hymnal vocal chops and warm sawtooth pads. Mellum, Mercer Island, and Cuor di Mela venture into airy Techno and Fast House. Mellum unleashes a fluttering explosion of blippy synth themes across a throbbing staccato bassline and brightly pulsating chords. On Cuor di Mela, a powerful Techno groove and compact kick drum merge blippy chiptune synths and gated vocal chops into a beautifully cinematic dancefloor anthem. Mercer layers the duos cascading synth work with syncopated funkiness and a searing ride-driven groove, energetically supercharging their mesmeric harmonics across a driving Techno substructure. No one is an island, each a part of the main. Peter Schumann and Cosss first joint long-player is a beautiful representation of the magic that can happen when two artists spend years honing their joint vision. The Islands ends up being much more than the sum of its parts, unfolding a bright and melodic energy arc across ten genre-defying and emotional productions.