Amazing album! Love it; a classic for me in every sense

Its been a long time since Sven released his last Album "Fire" wich is still for me a lovely album, quite original in every way, very powerfull and something to re-listen for many decades. This album includes musics that express Dark, ambiental, sci-fi and dance melodies, but overall this album seems to tells a story mainly about ghosts and their artistic expressions. "Heisse Scheibe" is my favourite Music, this music is soft, relaxing and has its mystery, itReminds me a old house with green fog inside running lower in the corridors and passing below the doors to invade the rooms and release some curious ghosts to wander around the house compartments. This is definetly a very satisfying Album. Its a pity that after this release Sven Väth decided to put aside his artistic talent just to play trash for the junkers at Ibiza, probably he won´t get back to the studio.

I’m reviewing this album by Sven Vath, one of the legendary German techno DJs/producers of the last 20 years, from a fairly unique perspective: by all appearances, “Fire”, released in 2002, is a lesser known album by Sven, yet so far it’s my first and only exposure to his music, due to a chance encounter with this disk in a European record store. I originally became interested in Sven through his collaboration with Richie Hawtin, and was happy to find his music as infectiously kinetic as the Plastikman’s, albeit with a more playful and musical aesthetic. He’s produced a diverse selection of tracks for this release, so I’ll discuss them individually.The extended 9 minute build of “Design Music” opens the album, pushing a thick techno rhythm with an open progressive trance soundspace. The bassline is formed from distorted fuzz, yet EQ’d nicely into smoothness, taking cues from the polished yet aggressive production style of drum & bass. The track layers subtle, percolating percussive riffs and micro-melodies, but never comes to a hook or memorable lead. It’d be easy to say this track is too long, but the production sounds marvellous, and right after I heard the first throbbing, rhythmic filter on the bass (whilst listening in the store), I bought the album.“Mind Games” introduced me to Sven’s goofy vocals and lyrics, full of sing songy rhymes and cliched vocabulary, and uttered in a pseudo-sultry deadpan speaking voice. After a little while, it’s clear that Vath has no real interest in being taken seriously. His real goal is to heighten the party atmosphere, something these kinky drug mantras accomplish marvellously. “I’m flirting with madness / I’ll make my brain spin”, he intones, and there is masterful processing of his voice. His granulated, pitch shifted muttering is like a horror film serial killer over the phone.“Shock Ralley” is a let down, 6 minutes of aimless and untuned analog sounds which appear to be operating outside the tempo of the percussion track. Analog synths always sound pleasant, but I fail to see the point of this composition. Its dissonance is empty, as there’s no grimey or dirty vibe to this track, and no discernable emotion, either. The naked, similarly arrhythmic filter sweeps in the latter half of the song do little to help.“Ghost, Pt. 1″ is a great track with some real swing to its pulse, accomplished through clever delays and stuttering programming. A deep dirty bass enters after a minute or so, and when the kick drops in, I can’t help but move. Sven’s monotone appears again here, in similar rhythm and spirit as in “Mind Games”. “Talk to your ghost / find out who you are”, he commands, as a blaring 9 note lead works its way into your mind, sounding like a Depeche Mode line detuned into hideousness.“Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus” is a reprieve that splits the album in two, truly sounding like music from an anime children’s program with its candy coated melody. The cheerful and bubbly acid bass is a pleasant sound, and Sven’s vocals are a hilarious attempt at suave romanticism, not to mention melodic singing! It’s a fun song.Title track “Fire” is somewhat redundant by this point in the record, sporting the least memorable lyrics yet with “Come on take me higher / Set my heart on fire”, and synths that sounds like a cross between “Shock Ralley” and “Design Music”. The beat and bassline are powerful in combination, though monotonously straight and unadventurous. The bizarre filters and delays on Sven’s voice are the best thing about the song. Sven’s production never loses its perfect balance and hallucinatory organization, but this a b-side quality track, for sure, and I’m bored before the end.Luckily, the final 3 songs are the most abstract, odd and mind expanding on the disk. “Cala Llonga” is a futuristic, mechanized chillout tune, like Monolake but with more ear-catching and upfront timbres. Breathy chords diffuse slowly into the soft distance, and the loping kick pattern carries us gently along. Muted electro bass stabs are replaced with deep, undulating long tones and the track feels like a night time drive on the highway.“Steel” is actually quite alarming, channeling the brain smashing terror techno of projects like Matthew Dear’s Audion. The music itself seems bent on destroying the listener’s mental coherency. The kick is consistent, but the swirling, tight ostinatos around it follow a contrasting rhythmic logic, and clash with dizzying effect. As a fan of dark psychedelia, I loved this track, and since it’s the only one of its kind on the disk, I think few could argue that it’s tastefully placed.“Heisse Schiebe”, the epic closer, is a fitting return to chillout territory, beginning as a muffled exercise in sub bass not dissimilar to Plastikman’s “Consuming” record, unsurprising as Sven’s collaboration with Richie emerged only a year after this album’s release. Trebley, crisp snare hits are subject to long, rhythmic delays, and shimmering infinite reverb creeps up from the backdrop, as do subtle wisps of dissonant, alien chords muted into an unintrusive goo. This track is an intense and cerebral experience.I don’t doubt that Sven’s classic albums will likely surpass this one in my mind once I’ve heard them, as other fans have said, but considered on its own merits “Fire” is a treasure trove of beautiful sounds and diverse, undeniable grooves sourced from a variety of genres and influences. His passion for the musical style and culture is palpable. I’m excited to hear what else this man has done. 4 stars.

In my opinion "Fire" is really the weakest of Sven Väths albums so far. The tracks are not such bad but they don't fit together and the record suffers from a lack of concept and seems to be a loveless compilation. I think many tracks like "Shock Ralley" or the title track "Fire" are too boring and can't reach the classics on the former releases, I would expect such tunes on 12" but not at an artist album. The single "Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus", a Serge Gainsbourg cover featuring Miss Kittin, is very funny, but it definitly don't fits to the rest of the tracks. Tracks like "Cala Llonga" or "Heisse Scheibe" are not bad but not really exciting too. I sadly have to say that there is no crap on this record but also no highlights like I expect from releases of this man.

From the three Sven Väth albums I currently own ("An Accident in Paradise", "Retrospective 1990-97", and this one), "Fire" would be the least interesting to me. I bought this mainly because of the first two tracks, which are quite good. Nevertheless, unlike the title suggests, even those tracks feel rather "cold" to me.