In Brief

** Holger Hiller, “Holger Hiller,” Mute. German techno a la Kraftwerk is alive and, if not quite well, at least as uncompromisingly noncommercial as ever. Hiller’s first release in some time finds the former Palais Schaumburg member embracing his musical ancestry with cabaret-style vocals and retro synthesizer bleeps and blips. There are occasional patches of ambition and creativity here, but ultimately Hiller’s vision will only interest fans longing for the Berlin club scene circa ’79.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.