DJ Koze – “Illumination” (Feat. Róisín Murphy)
This spring, DJ Koze, the German auteur of spacey and architectural dance music, is coming back with Knock Knock, his first full-on studio album since 2013’s great Amygdala. When he announced the album last month, Koze shared two new songs, “Seeing Aliens” and the non-album B-side “Nein König Nein.” They both ruled. Today, he’s shared a third one called “Illumination,” and it also rules.
“Seeing Aliens” was actually one of the few Knock Knock tracks without a guest vocalist. The album features contributions from an impressive and wide-ranging group of guests, including Bon Iver, José González, Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner, and Speech, leader of the once-critically-beloved early-’90s boho-rap crew Arrested Development. (I cannot wait to hear that last one.)
On “Illumination,” Koze teams up with Róisín Murphy, the Irish singer who used to lead the trip-hop group Moloko and who’s been releasing sharp and forward-thinking solo music for a long time. It’s an inspired pairing. Koze’s swirling house burble and Murphy’s subtle take on house-diva vocals make perfect sense together. And it’s thankfully not the only time we’ll hear them together; Murphy also appears on another Knock Knock track called “Scratch That.” Listen to “Illumination” below, via Pitchfork.
Knock Knock is out 5/4 on Pampa Records.