I saw Jamie Welch (aka Seams) open a show years ago for Gold Panda and Dam Mantle, and though his debut album still retains an air of that UK glitch scene, the understated and wonderful electro heritage of Berlin – his current residence – is now well entrenched and by his own admission. Either way, off the back of two great EPs and a tantalizing assortment of remixes, it’s about time Seams decided where to plant his roots.

Taking cues from greats such as James Holden and unlikely ignorant of folk such as Moderat, Quarters is best summed up as a minimalist, melodic post-techno record (dare I say EDM?), one in which the focus is on tight builds and impeccable pacing. The record does borrow occasionally from the more industrial sound associated with Berliner techno, but it’s far from clinical here, resulting in an album that nails and accentuates the fundamentals without resorting to the textbook. Seams has a found a way to move effortlessly along old tracks.

The evocatively titled ‘iceblerg’ is satisfyingly indicative of this. After an intro that threatens absolute minimalism, a still-restrained but energetic beat underlines a Moderat-esque scuzzy bass, but more insistent, more single-minded, and when the intro drops into the rhythm proper and the almost abrasive body of the track, it’s enveloping. Second track ‘constants’ is of more accessible single-material, a slow-build into a gleeful, melodic bounce that doesn’t push any boundaries but pays subtle homage to its name-sakes whilst coolly and sensitively modernising them. Compared to the almost Memory Tapes-esque ‘Hung Markets’ from his Tourist EP, or the more kinetic ‘Punch’ from early EP Sleeper, most of Quarters is more mid-tempo and whilst the aforementioned are both back-catalogue highlights, they wouldn’t fit here and it’s reassuring to hear such a cohesive full-length that builds on everything Welch has learned whilst avoiding being too one-note.

There are moments when Quarters seems to stifle a need to break out into song for fear of being too obvious, but the flip-side is a subtlety that ensures future listens still hold an allure and a mystique. It’s a minor complaint and certainly not limited to Seams – for all the typically downbeat Berlin cool of minimalist breaks, sometimes records need a glimpse of euphoria to set them off. Final track ‘txl’ ends the record on a classy cadence however, rattling percussion and airy notes make for a track that could easily be elongated into a quiet epic, but Seams as ever doesn’t want to keep you hanging, although it does leave you wanting more.

Quarters is an album well-crafted. It doesn’t ask much of you but rewards familiarity, each closer scrutiny revealing tact and taste in the layering and quiet clashing of timbres. Seams, in keeping with his seeming predilection for exposing constituent parts and testing their symmetries and boundaries, is methodically building himself a super solid foundation from which to grasp at new heights. Quarters is a reference to Berlin and a statement of intent then, and like the city Seams is likely to be on plenty of cool-hunters’ lists from now on.