On his debut long-player Bricks Collected Volume 1, long time 12" fiend Stefan Tretau settles himself long enough for electronic fans to get a good look. In fact Stefan has long favored singles, issuing slabs for Fortek & Sounderground among others, that feature some combination of minimal and house. Bricks Collected Vol. 1 is an amazing collage of deep techno music and flouts the conventions of his 12"s, offering some of his best remixes and some of his original works. This first episode of Bricks Collected takes mammoth amounts of dedication and its rewards come mostly in the form of dark, room-shading atmospheres, no matter the tempo. Stefan Tretau has always seemed a little bit playful -- check his profile www.myspace.com/tretau or listen to the cheeky synth-work on his "Nskrd" track-- but Bricks Collected Vol. 1, apart from its weirdly mesmerizing cover art, plays things fairly close to the vest. The first part of this compilation is the kind of tech-house Stefan Tretau fans have been waiting for, and it seeks weedy, murky terrain. It leans heavily towards modern minimal, unleashing deep bass concussions that leaving chalky, muted imprints. Tretau ups a notch with every track and the second part of the compilation features some of his most energetic tracks to date. Bricks Collected Vol. 1 is a distended exploration of known and unknown sounds and moods. This album is sure to drive some tech-heads bonkers. Enjoy the whoosh when Stefan Tretau releases the pressure and hope he's got more big surprises up his sleeves.