Düsseldorf’s DJ Thommek released “A Little Bit” on March 27th, his follow-up to “Time Field” – the deep house track inspired by Klaus Rinke’s Zeitfeld installation that I covered earlier this year. This one draws from a different source: Edward Hopper’s “Morning Sun,” that quietly iconic painting of a woman sitting alone in a sunlit room, caught somewhere between stillness and longing. Thommek painted the cover artwork himself in pastel chalk – a woman seated, looking toward a window – his own visual translation of the Hopper mood rather than a reproduction of it. The dual identity as electronic producer and visual artist is increasingly central to how his releases work, each one arriving as a complete aesthetic package rather than just a track.
“A Little Bit” is cheeky with its title and lyrics because it’s about the opposite – it’s not about a little bit of something, it’s about that insatiable feeling when you feel passionate for something you can’t help but come back for more, just a little bit more, just one more hit. The contrast between the lyrical theme and the catchy lyrics and that somber artwork is great, like the silent moments between the exciting hits we keep coming back for, whatever that hit consists of for you.
Thommek keeps finding compelling entry points for his music in visual art, and “A Little Bit” is another clean execution of that approach. The Hopper connection gives the track an emotional frame without being heavy-handed about it – you don’t need to know the reference to feel the mood, but it rewards you if you do.