NU RAVE vs. POP RAVE The jokey term NU RAVE or NEW RAVE has been coined by the British press and basically defines guitar driven bands with an electronic background, such as THE KLAXONS, NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB or SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND. Of course, POPNONAME has nothing to do with it, but he literally turns NU RAVE inside out: first, he produces electronic club/rave music and later enriches it with live recordings of guitar and bass. The result is an album which can be defined as German POP RAVE and which POPNONAME self-confidently calls the WHITE ALBUM. Since the premiere at Le Pulp Club in Paris, POPNONAME not only starts his live sets with "No Doubt", but also his debut album. The beginning of "No Doubt" is rather laid-back and based on a cosy house beat with wonderful harmonies. The German GROOVE magazine writes: "POPNONAME seems to have a soft spot for minor based dance-floor anthems, for great drama and there is no doubt that with "No Doubt" he successfully achieved it. What starts as a techno ballad with Bernhard Sumner/New Order-like vocals ends up being one of the most euphoric rave hymns at the moment. You will never forget this extremely catchy, stuttering hookline. A real hit!" And there is no doubt that here is a young artist who has successfully developed a very unique style which is characterized not only by enthusiasm and euphoria but also by inwardness, reflection and melancholy. Musically, the album evolves into a hybrid between track and song with vocals and pop arrangements enhancing the song characteristics. POPNONAME skillfully combines pop song and Cologne minimalism.The result is a new sublimeness and a new version of techno that goes far beyond the usual functionality of club music. Even more remarkable is his attitude towards musical boundaries: POPNONAME confronts any musical context and genres of the last decade with a radical individualism he has lived out both as an artist and musician on labels such as FIRM and ITALIC. Yet despite their four-to-the-floor straightness and groove, all the instrumental tracks of this album are abstract images of both beat and melody. "Tremolo" is a deep Techno track, partly at half-time speed, sophisticated, but at the same time great for the club. "Still" is a summery indie-house track with a live recording of a bass guitar and very British pop vocals. It is cosy and soft and another proof for Popnoname's subtle way of dealing with sounds. Simply great, but seldom achieved! "Light" is about movement. Its synth hookline and vocals remind of old New Wave tracks. "Ferry Sponge" lives on classic harmonies and is the perfect background music for the club. The unusual way he is changing the beat from 119 bpm to 123 bpm results in a transcendental, abstract and deep house feeling. "Human One" starts with a smooth beat and constantly repeating strings until the vocals turn the track into something that can be called "ghostly". "Kapital" is an ambient techno track with a beat line and reminds of WOLFGANG VOIGT's GAS project. "Jasminstrauch" is a soft, slow, sweet smelling song. 110 bpm and that's it. "Mother Earth", probably the album's most serious track, has loads of white soul and almost reminds of a Gospel song. With "Taken", the album ends in good old Cologne style: a movie soundtrack-like ambient track and an elegant final for this album. POPNONAME says POP RAVE! Now.