Twentyfive years after Der Dritte Raum’s first release on Sven Väth’s Harthouse and Eye Q label, Andreas Krüger aka Der Dritte Raum locked in his studio again to create Electric Friends, an album ostensibly meant to make up for his previous album Aydszieyalaidnem and it marks a shift to a more pop direction. Though Krüger is lumped in with all other electronic music producers, on Electric Friends, his approach is to create a meeting place for techno rhythms and sonic experimentation from the perspective of the dancefloor, and a song-friendly one at that. Befitting the club setting, the tracks are long (twelve on CD and seven on double vinyl ), but they’re crammed with interesting stuff. This album is not a clinical exercise in the textural possibilities inherent in static; Der Dritte Raum is tracking pop hooks and disco beats, and he even throws a couple of trance influenced tunes into the mix of the album. The first - and title track on this excellent album is called ‘Electric Friends’, a brilliant tune that highlights a smart way for listeners to approach the record. It showcases an extremely catchy lead synthesizer melody, underpinned by a sharp electronic backing. The track is suitably catchy without ever approaching raucousness. “Electric Friends’ reflects the wide range of Krüger’s musical interests, and there are some homages. “Command Line” has the odd distinction of being an Front 242 influenced track (in terms of beats and synths). ‘Wasserstoff’ is laid-back, starting with house-chord sounds, before getting all running noisy.Uptempo, danceable instrumental techno dominates the album, but the detours are frequent enough to make “Electric Friends” works as a varied, complete document with feel-good body music. So why is it called ‘Electric Friends’? Well. Krüger apparently named it so because he thought that all friends who are involved in the D3R production like live co/pilot Ralf Uhrlandt, Booker, Management and Graphic designer as well