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I'd never heard of Arne Michel until Danke/Goodbye made an appearance in Ibiza-Voice HQ. In my defence, he has only released a handful of records, some years ago under his Thee Engineer alias. Quantity is no judge of quality, though, and this superb four-track single by the experimental film buff-come-DJ will leave music fans begging for more.

There is no apparent theme here, just three great records and a superb remix of the title track, Danke/Goodbye.

The original is as lovely a slice of deep, melodic techno as you're likely to hear between now and Christmas. It doesn't have any big moments or pull off any outrageous sonic stunts, just gradually builds in satisfying layers to create a warm, sensual end-of-the-night tune that oozes real emotion. The remix is by Chat Noir, the solo alias of Pan-Pot's Tassilo, so it should be brilliant; and is. His interpretation introduces bleepy lost-in-space sounds and sharpens up the percussion, adding a tang of cosmic Detroit style for additional dancefloor oomph.

The flip side boasts two more tunes that each more than justify forking out for the vinyl. First up is Ignore a watertight cut that weaves together sparse percussion, ghostly moans and a skeleton-worth of rattling effects. At first listen it sounds too languid, too soft, to rock a club yet it has a subtle, powerful propulsive effect. One for discriminating DJs and audiences.

Ending the package on a high note is Osmose. Built for the club, it retains the intricate, intelligent feel of its counterparts. The beats are tough, the effects sharp, the sounds compelling, but it's much more than the sum of its parts. Michel plays with sounds like the Impressionists played with paint; frankly, you should just step back, admire and soak it all in.

My only question is: why such a lean discography? Talent like this should be taken out and exercised regularly. If Mr Michel needs encouragement I'll start the email campaign myself...

Like this? Try: Arne Michel - Halbzeit (Lan Muzic)