The True Sound Center

Out of the three producers who came from the occasionally brilliant Whirlpool Productions, Justus Köhncke gets a disproportionately large percentage of the attention, most likely because he's on Kompakt. Hans Nieswandt, while just as talented, has been recording for smaller labels like Ladomat 2000 and Mathias Schaffhauser's Ware, so he's often overlooked. Following 2000's Lazer Musik, True Sound Center, his second album, is short on surprises but happens to be plenty generous when it comes to memorable hooks, in addition to the combination of sophistication with fun. Nieswandt discards the dryness that often emanates from serious deep house and juices everything up with colorful melodies. He's never as campy as Köhncke, and he never takes big risks. As a result, the album is consistent while containing enough sounds to prevent your attention from straying. It's tailor-made for those who think a large percentage of house producers must take themselves too seriously and pat their own backs for merely existing.