Somehow it happened: electronic is hot, again. Groups like Hot Chip, CSS and The Blow - bands that a few years ago would have only been listened to in the privacy of headphones - have now become the epitome of dance chic. Even darker, trance variant groups like The Knife or The Field have found critical success.

And now we have another addition: Supermayer's Save the World, a collaboration between two of Germany's top techno/house DJs, Michael Mayer and Aksel Schaufler, better known as Superpitcher. The album delves deeply into the far reaches of 21st century dance-groove music galaxy. Though some of the results are more polished than others, Save the World manages to produce some dingy, syncopated, trance-induced anthems that expand what can be done inside of the genre.

Part of the inevitable appeal of the super group is the diversity that comes from the backgrounds of each. Each successive track on Save the World makes a sonic jump from the previous, but in most ways, it's a refreshing wind in a world of consistency. "The Art of Letting Go" - easily the most accessible track and the most smoothly produced - starts the album with a punchy, groovacious bass line juxtaposed against the droning wails of "Let's get to it, relax, let me go." The added element of tinkling bells and appropriate cowbell plays out as a well-conceived indie-dance track.

But before being lulled into an album filled with similar ass-shakers, "Saturndays" redirects, opting to get into darker, deeper oscillations that scatter from speaker to speaker before heading into the hollowed-out house sound of the surprisingly short "Superbrane Transmission."

The same rings true for later transitions. "Two of Us," though about three minutes too long, struts along with a pulsating, grinding synth riff and background electronic gyrations before their interrupted by silky xylophone plinks. All of this is slowly sanded down to a halt with "Cocktails for Two," which features acid jazz undertones of fluttering guitar fade-outs and occasional electro-trumpet riffs, all held together by an epoxy of keyboard and bass rhythms.

But sometimes these sonic shifts come back to hurt them. Some are just too drastic, and Supermayer compensates by interjecting ludicrous sound dowels. "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" breaks two polar-opposite songs with wolf howls (?) while "Us and Them" trudges along with silly, useless vocals, smeared against a wall of keyboard boredom.

Despite, or because of, the varying experimentations with genre, Save the World holds together remarkably well. Whereas The Knife and label-mates The Field may shy away from poppier dance tracks, Supermayer embraces the concept while still inserting darker trance variants, never falling into monotony.

Supermayer

4 out of 5 stars

Save the World

Kompakt

Who is Supermayer?

Supermayer is composed of two of Germany's top DJs, Michael Mayer and Superpitcher (Aksel Schaufler). Both operate under the Cologne-based Kompakt label, known for its trance-induced acts including The Field and The Orb. Two of the labels most recognizable faces - in not just Germany, but throughout the world - both men have been stalwarts in the German electronic music scene for the past five years. Superpitcher has worked on producing albums for the likes of Dntel amongst others and has also released two of his own self-mixed albums. Mayer has also dabbled in producing and releasing numerous compilation albums of trance-inspired music.