Schlammpeitziger is customized German for "...a little mud living (creature)...which can breathe through both its mouth and anus..." It's also the name of Jo Zimmermann's extremely silly and entertaining electro-disco-weirdo project. Like most electro-people these days, Zimmermann seems to have his digits in a number of different pies; he's been known to work with other Cologne-based artists, notably Mouse On Mars' Jan St. Werner. Schlammpeitziger, however, is a solo project for which fish-obsessed Zimmermann records at home, accompanied only by his aquatic friends. Collected Simple Songs of my Temporary Past is a compilation of Zimmermann's tracks released on various German labels since the early 1990s.

Lest you tune out now with a cry of "Oh lawks-a-mercy, not another crappy CD full of boring squiggly electro noises from some anti-social knob twiddler?", let me assure you there's some really fun music on this disc. The whole package has a certain simple-but-smart-but-good-natured vibe that's really attractive; even the packaging's strangely organic bio/space characters give off a slightly goofy, but always intriguing aura.

One of the oldest of the thirteen tracks, "Keine Sitar", is from 1994. It shows early evidence of Zimmermann's knack for taking simple (and not terribly interesting) synth sounds and using them to create absorbing rhythmic and melodic textures. Zimmermann's astro-lounge alter-ego makes an appearance on another simple but endearing early track, "Spaceagent Zimmermann".

There's a clear progression in these songs from a heavy reliance on prefab synth sounds in the early 1990s to a much more nuanced and personalized sound palette on the most recent tracks. "Quietschquarklaute", for instance, uses all manner of crazed flutters and clangs and backwards robot squeals to create a manic android dance party. That progression is really the key to the success of this collection; by adding timbral depth to his structurally accomplished songs, Zimmermann manages to make this more than just a collection of clever MIDI sequencer tracks. There's some similarity here to harder quirky electo-glitch people like Squarepusher, but the hard edge that characterizes that work is replaced by a friendly, open feeling that's just as engaging.

Apparently Zimmerman wears a special "disco helmet" when he plays live. Here's hoping he brings the show, and the happy feelings, to our neighborhoods soon.