Sovran Star

German electronic innovators Dominik Felsmann and Patrick Tiley, professionally known as Felsmann + Tiley, have unveiled the second installment in a curated series of reimagined tracks from their debut Mute album “Protomensch“, which translates to “proto-human”.

For this latest release, the duo handed the reins to Lambert, a contemporary classical pianist and composer based in Berlin, Germany. Known for his delicate touch, he deconstructs the already minimalist original, laying bare its raw, emotional core.

“It was so much fun to build a piano arrangement from scratch around this tune,” Lambert shared, reflecting on his unexpected creative direction. “I don’t know how it happened that I became Pink Floyd and Crosby, Stills and Nash during this process. I didn’t know I had that in me.”

This new drop arrives on the heels of a previous rework by Costa Rican pianist, vocalist, and composer Sofi Paez, who tackled the album standout “Reset.” She transformed the track’s core melody into a fragile refrain before expanding it into an atmospheric, high-energy piece that honors the original’s spirit.

A Pantheon of Remix Talent

“Protomensch”, which arrived earlier this year, has already garnered massive critical acclaim. High-profile producer Flood lauded it as “an epic-scaled work of atmospherics and mounting tension” while The Big Takeover hailed the duo as “vital architects of a new electronic frontier”.

The new rework series perfectly amplifies the album’s core mission: serving as an invitation for listeners to pause, escape the noise, and reset. Turning the spotlight over to other artists is a natural progression for Felsmann + Tiley, who first exploded into the cultural zeitgeist via their own viral reinterpretations. Their take on M83’s “Solitude” and The Irrepressibles’ “The Most Beautiful Boy” have collectively surpassed 200 million streams, securing high-profile sync placements on hit series like “Top Boy” and “Young Royals 2”, as well as runway soundtracks for fashion houses like Acne Studios.

Fans can expect an impressive rollout of future reworks in the coming months, featuring contributions from Meredi, Echonomist, Jamie Irrepressible, Silver Panda, Sensu and Lysten.

From Trance Forums to High Concept Art

The creative chemistry between Felsmann and Tiley traces back to 2003, when the Stuttgart natives met on a German music production forum, MyOwnMusic.de. They quickly bonded over a shared sonic DNA, finding themselves drawn to the depth, melancholy, and inherent darkness of trance pads and breakdowns. Before long, they were releasing heavy, club-driven anthems across five different aliases—including their notable 12-inch Ghosts under the moniker Kamui.

Today, that club-tested foundation underpins “Protomensch”. The album seamlessly blends shimmering synthwave, driving trance, and introspective IDM with vocal-driven synth-pop. To bring this vision to life, they collaborated with an eclectic roster of guest vocalists, including London alternative act Pet Deaths and Australian solo artists Woodes, Laius, and The Kite String Tangle.

Ultimately, “Protomensch” functions as a grand conceptual exploration of the friction between humanity and technology. This theme is woven tightly into everything the duo touches—from a narrative manifesto detailing a highly intelligent yet tragic “proto-human” character, to a chimpanzee wearing a turtleneck on the album cover, to avant-garde music videos and seated live performances developed alongside dozens of visual artists.