'Bravo' is the first full length by Berlin electronic music artist Sascha Funke. It follows many 12inch singles and compilation appearances. 'Bravo' is the mellowest album Ellen Allien's Bpitch Control label has released so far. There are eleven tracks. Four have vocals, and seven are instrumentals. Some of the instrumentals are electronica with beats, and some are minimal tech-house, similar to the sound Kompakt Records is known for.

My personal faves: 3, 5, 7, 10, 11 and the bonus track after song 11

1. Now You Know With lyrics and vocals by Fritz Kalkbrenner. A song from his Funkt 12inch. I don't like this song. It reminds me of the Echo & The Bunnymen track Broke My Back, as I said in the original 'Funkt' review, and I'm afraid I continue to tie the two together in my mind.
2. I Just Can't Wait To See You Electronica with beats. This track sets the tone for the rest of the album to come. Sascha Funke puts a lot of variation and subtleties into his tracks.
3. Forms & Shapes With lyrics and vocals by Fritz Kalkbrenner. Right in league with the best material from Borneo & Sporenburg or Closer Musik. This is my favorite of the tracks with vocals.
4. Stassenttanz Similar to the second track, Stassenttanz has a sound best described as electronica with beats. To me, the track doesn't grab hold of my ear or imagination. It is just there.
5. Bravo This is the sound I (and many others) were expecting Sascha to fill his debut full length with. Bravo is an instrumental with hard beats and an insistent pulse. It will remind people of the tracks he has released on the three 12inch singles he released on Kompakt.
6. Twingo Another electronica track. If you like that sound, you may enjoy this one a lot. If IS my fave of the three pastoral electronica tracks so far, though this is not my sound.
7. Saso I think I like this track best on the whole record. It has the same keyboard sound I was trying to find words for on the Ellen Allien tracks Sensuckt and Open, from the 'Berlinette' CD. Is it an italo-disco sound?
8. 3:1 für die Liebe The most mellow track on the record. Strummed acoustic guitar floats on a bed of ambient synth. During the uplifting chord change, the track is only a step away from a becoming a power ballad (it is disqualified because it has no vocals).
9. Quiet Please With lyrics and vocals by Sascha Funke. As with Forms & Shapes, I am reminded of other bands with soft spoken male vocals conveying a 'lonely in the city' feel over tech-house music.
10. Semi An instrumental that makes use of a three note melody. The timing of the melody varies, and becomes the focal point of the track for your ear. It works really well!
11. Halloe Hurra Starting off with another three note melody, as in Semi, this cut moves into a sound like a steam valve releasing. Not only is this track a joy, but after it ends, there is a bonus track. If you let the CD continue to run, at 7:52 another track starts. I enjoy the bonus track a lot. Maybe it is a song from one of his 12inch singles? The track has vocal phrasing that reminds me of New Order. The lyrics are "give me one more chance, I would like to dance, just for you and me, no publicity." Anyone know the title of this track? Does it appear on another comp of 12inch?

'Bravo' is a record I was looking forward to quite a bit. This is not quite the dazzler I expected, but there are enough tracks I like on it for me to advise you to have a listen if you have a chance. I suspect that the bonus track at the end of track 11 is a CD exclusive. You might want to consider this if choosing between the vinyl and CD form of the record.