For me Studio Kosmische has always been a musical project built on curiosity and affection for sound. Dom Keen approaches music with the ears of someone who loves the past enough to keep asking fresh questions of it, and that makes this new 7 inch on Feral Child Recordings such a smart idea. ‘Caramel’ already carries real weight in kosmische history, first appearing on Cluster’s 1974 LP Zuckerzeit, where Hans Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius gave it that playful, slightly off-centre charm which still feels so alive all these decades later. What Keen does here is take that source material and treat it with care while also letting his own instincts shape the mood. You can hear the respect for the original, though you can also hear someone enjoying the freedom that comes with pulling an old piece of music into a new setting.
On the A side, ‘Crème Caramel’ opens things with a light touch that suits the title beautifully. Keen leans into the sweetness already sitting inside the composition and brings out its soft edges with a warm, glowing tone that feels intimate on first listen. The arrangement has a gentle pulse to it, enough to keep the track moving while still giving the melodic details room to swirl around. What I really like here is the sense of balance. Nothing feels overworked. Each sound is placed with care, and that gives the piece a calm confidence. If you know the Cluster version, you will recognise its bones straight away, though Keen gives it a smoother surface and a modern sort of warmth.
Flip it over and ‘Salted Caramel’ gives the idea a sharper edge. The sweetness is still there, though now it is being pushed against something more savoury and a little more mischievous. Keen introduces more bite into the textures and that change in flavour makes this pairing work as a proper two-sided statement rather than a simple alternate take. The rhythm feels a touch firmer, the atmosphere a little less cosy, and the whole thing has more eery tension running through it. You start to hear how flexible the original composition really is. One side offers softness and glow, the other brings a faint tang and a drier character. That contrast gives the single its shape and will keep you coming back for another go round on the turntable.
Keen has not chosen this piece at random. You can sense a real understanding of why ‘Caramel’ has endured and why it still speaks to musicians drawn to the kosmische sound. These reworks do exactly what a good reinterpretation should do. They send you back to the source with fresh ears while standing up on their own terms. For listeners already tuned into Roedelius, Moebius and that wider kosmische lineage, this will feel like a lovely nod. For anyone coming to the song for the first time, it works just as well as a small beautifully considered release that shows how much can be said in two short instrumental pieces.
Some singles are easy to admire once and file away. This one keeps you lingering over every last spoonful. Lip smacking good!
Caramel is out on Tuesday 31st March via Feral Child Recordings. You can check it out over on the Studio Kosmische Bandcamp page once it’s released.
You can follow Studio Kosmische on social media here…
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