- A man goes to Berlin and falls in love with techno—Daniel Fisher's story would be vanilla if his music were as such. But the New Yorker's idea of the city's sound is a more playful than usual. After launching Allergy Season with a collection of tingly techno last year, he returns with Million Years Crushed, the label's first real 12-inch. It shows off a neon-streaked take on steely German techno, and comes with a shot of Berlin cred thanks to Berghain resident Norman Nodge.
"Million Years Crushed," with its creepy vocal sample, is the EP's dingiest moment—the parts already sound as if they're echoing through a cavernous nightclub. Even this one brightens up with an unexpected dusting of piano, which also features on the flipside. Alternating between meditative and cathartic in "Val E Of The Dolls," the piano is paired with trance snare rolls and jackhammer samples. The more uplifting "American Cream" builds its own sugar rush, letting the piano frantically bounce around, filling in the space with shrieking vocals and letting it all fall away into a windswept breakdown that could've been lifted from a Scuba track. Unlike so many converts to Berghain-style techno, there's a sense that anything could happen in a Physical Therapy track.
Bringing the Berlin stoicism, Norman Nodge smooths out "Million Years Crushed" into a grayscale tool with an unassuming rhythm and vocals that reverberate like anxious whispers. Fisher originally commissioned the rework in a fit of excitement after seeing Nodge DJ at Berghain, but on Million Years Crushed he actually manages to outshine his idol.
TracklistA1 Million Years Crushed
A2 Million Years Crushed (Norman Nodge Remix)
B1 Vall E Of The Dolls
B2 American Cream