On latest release “Refugium”, Harnes Kretzer dalliances with a graceful array of approaches which make him slightly difficult to pin down. Sometimes, like on opener Hymn, there are shades of Eno, or Stars Of The Lid. It isn’t a dense sound, but certainly absorbing and emotionally affecting, ambient in the truest sense. Sometimes lo-fidelity piano takes the lead, like Nils Frahm at his most tender and reflective. Other tracks – a highlight being the tricklingly delightful “Digital Rain” – are more synthetic creations, but no less preoccupied with describing a tender emotional space.

The power of music to grab your mind and your heart, to take you on an emotional journey less about the destination than the distance travelled is unrivalled. The neo-classical sounds of Germany’s Harnes Kretzer are an excellent example of how powerful quiet ones can sometimes be.

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Mike Phillips