THE ESSENCE
THE ESSENCE Album ∙ Dance ∙ 2025 Paul Kalkbrenner It doesn’t take long to realise what Paul Kalkbrenner’s THE ESSENCE is about. As soon as opening track “ NINETY – TWO ” kicks in, with its evocative piano sequence, beat and soulful vocal, memories of ’90s British rave culture come flooding back. Kalkbrenner is aware of the legacy of the music he plays and, as one of dance’s driving forces now, that he’s repeatedly giving it crucial updates. What is the essence of this work? “For me, it’s about honesty,” Kalkbrenner tells Apple Music. “I try to make music that feels real—without tricks.” Created over a span of several years, THE ESSENCE distills the best from the genre, blended with the peaks of his own musical biography—skilfully weaving together expansive structures, classic techno and sounds rooted in ’80s electro-pop. “ DREAMING ON ”, with its Depeche Mode sample, points most clearly in this direction. But none of the tracks are purely retrospective, as a lin...