It may have arrived on the wave of ‘home listening’ techno that Warp launched with their Artificial Intelligence series, but David Moufang’s seminal 1995 album, Kunststoff, has a sound all of its own – one which owes as much to the house rhythms and jazz-infused chords of Larry Heard (there’s even a track called Tribute To Mr Fingers) as it does to the Detroit acts who inspired the likes of B12 and Black Dog. And while it has an armchair on the cover as a nod to its optimum listening environment, the sleek, modernist design – in stark contrast to the original Artificial Intelligence sleeve with its primitive computer graphic of a robot smoking a joint in a cosy living room – reflects the timeless, precision-tooled content.
After a few years off in the early 00s, Moufang returned to music in 2005 and quickly carved out a niche as one of the most consistent house producers and DJs in the game, but for me he’s never quite scaled the romantic heights of this luxuriously beautiful album. Originally released on Source, it later reached a much wider audience thanks to a repress on City Centre Offices in 2006, so it’s easy to get hold of – and every techno-loving home should have one. It’s hard to pick a standout, but 77 Sunset Strip is a personal favourite, and has a particularly nice YouTube video to boot.
Nothin' But Magic 