Some people care a lot about the things surrounding techno, such as artwork, good clubs, being famous, playing the latest records and being credible etc.
There are also a few people left who only, and I mean only, care about the music. There is nothing that can take away the attention, the energy or the vibe from them.
Some might say that releasing white label records with no information other than a label and catalog number might be some sort of marketing trick, that adds to the mystique and discussion rather than making an effort to marketing it the old fashioned way.
I’d like to think that Seldom Felt is making a honest effort in releasing music with no regard to anything other than whats pressed on the wax, just timeless techno. The first two releases were extremely good, featuring different styles and attitude mixed with lot’s of love.
The third piece here is the one with a more old-school sound, where ‘Terputine Sun’ is a reduced and subtle straight groover and ‘Face Value’ adds up to the energy with it’s raw acidic structure and melody. Both tracks are steadily growing and have different values to them.
Tracklist: 1. Coney Island 2. Goodly Sin – feat. Elif Biçer 3. Check For Pulse 4. Underneath 5. Gloaming 6. Init One 7. Cargo 8. OK – feat. Elif Biçer 9. In A While 10. Init Two 11. Gold Rush 12. Grip 13. Thirteen Rounds
Every day since I first read about Ben Klock’s debut album ‘One’, I’ve been extremely curious about how it would sound. Reading a interview with the man himself, where he states he didn’t want to make a entirely club oriented album, I got even more interested. I wondered how a resident DJ at Berghain would produce such a album, would it be techno tracks with no beats, just drones and ambient material?
Finally getting a listen to it, I was filled with all sorts of expectations and wondered how he actually managed to do what he said he wanted to do.
The thing is that all tracks on ‘One’ aren’t set for the club, but the same energy that Berghain has is transformed into something in-between club music and a unidentifiable atmosphere. Ben Klock has clearly put a lot of emotion into this album, a emotion that I’m certain he feels when he is playing at his residency, and that alone is a really remarkable achievement.
It’s hard to compare it to his previously released material, as it differs so much in so many ways from ‘One’, but since this album can speak for itself it isn’t necessary. The concept here was to create something different, which Klock most certainly managed to do.
Sound wise, the album has a very haunting structure. Dark pads and synths sparks off at the first track, merging different sounds and noises and continuing to excel even more with ‘Goodly Sin’ as the second track. Elif Biçer’s voice poisons the structure of the track, making the beat drown in it and adding to the dark flavour.
The album progresses slowly between different areas. In some tracks, such as ‘Underneath’, the beat is placed in the background with well produced subtle changes, a warm melody is introduced but has a haunting sound and adds up to the built up atmosphere and energy. The progression remains over the next three tracks until ‘OK’, also made with Elif Biçer’s vocals, which is for me together with ‘Gold Rush’, the best track of the album. Klock proves that he is absolutely certain of what he’s doing, creating a rough, industrial feeling but also not letting go of the haunted wall of sound – a good balance is created.
‘In A While’ would be the light of the album, creating a mystical Detroit techno influenced atmosphere – a beautiful piece with little reverbation and echoing going on, it fills your heart with warmth and is put at a perfect place on the album which leads on into a more dubstep influenced structure.
Reducing things into a core and more purist state, ‘Gold Rush’ introduces a much more raw side of Klock’s material. The last three tracks of the album is where all the highlight is, which I guess is not a accident.
The album is out sometime in February/March 2009, together with ‘Before One EP’ which features tracks in addition to ‘One’
As well as the previous two parts, some records that have been reviewed are also the best from 2008. Since these are previously reviewed I won’t write something about them, but rather link the reviews:
Tracklist: 1. Androgenous 2. Glob 3. Keys, Strings, Tambourines 4. Wake Me 5. You Are…Light 6. Drone 7. Computer Rain 8. Vibin’ 9. Bass Mode – Original Mix 10. Siren 11. Gimme 12. Cirque De Soul 13. Deja Vu 14. Wake Outro
Not being wholly made for the dance floor, Kenny Larkin creates a whole new dimension with his new album on Planet E.
Ambient drones and structures combined with sonic explorations creates a stunning wall of sound in every single track. Sometimes filled with beats and percussion, a emotional expression and a playful attitude shows that Kenny Larkin is really a part of the present with a musical history very few can be compared to.
The energy that blasts off every sound, note and key, seems to be infinite and combined with the warehouse anthems of ‘Wake Me’, ‘Androgenous’ and all versions of ‘You Are…’ it is transformed into excellent club numbers. Maintaining a experimental side with what “works and don’t work” style makes this album unique and very interesting.
I recommend you to look up Kenny Larkin’s previous work as well and you’ll be set with some really good music.
My favorite tracks are:
Androgenous Glob Wake Me You Are… Light Gimmie You Are… Original You Are… Dark
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Various Artists – Berghain 02 – Marcel Dettmann
Label: Ostgut Tonträger Catalog#: OSTGUTCD05
1. Tobias – Balance 2. Norman Nodge – Native Rhythm Electric 3. Pied Plat – Double Trouble 4. Planetary Assault System – Kat 5. Tadeo – Reflection Nebula 056n – Substance Remix 6. Risqué Rhythum Team – The Jacking Zone 7. Samuli Kemppi – Vangel 8. Kevin Saunderson – Just Want Another Chance 9. Clatterbox – Press On 10. Redshape – Plonk – Original Mix 11. Shed – Warped Mind 12. Tadeo – 4 13. Kate Simko – She Said – Ryan Elliott Edit 14. Deetron – Let’s Get Over It – Marcel Dettmann Remix 15. T++ – Mo’ #1 16. Radio Slave – Tantakatan 17. Luke Hess – Believe & Receive – Shedsdeepanddubbydub 18. Strand – Zephyr
Letting Berghain resident Marcel Dettmann do the second Berghain mix CD on Ostgut Ton was quite expected. Even though, it’s a really good mix!
The Ostgut Ton people asked Dettmann to do the mix in 2007, so he had a lot of time to prepare and arrange it, and the result is very eclectic. Ranging from subtle and jagging Berlin techno, to classic US house and to calmer electro-ish beats.
It also features a exclusive track from T++, as well as at the time unreleased tracks from Norman Nodge, Tobias, Shed, Samuli Kemppi and the man himself.
I’m not such a big fan of mixes on CDs in general (unless it has some unreleased tracks or made by DJs I know about), but this one’s been played a lot actually and always seem interesting every time I play it. As I’m a fan of darker grooves I would rather see Dettmann do a mix that would suit me better, but his choice of tracks and the way he play them in this mix really is something special.
Absolutely one of the best mix CDs of 2008 and I think it will suit almost everybody who gives it a listen.
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Sebbo / Moritz von Oswald – Watamu Beach
Label: Desolat Catalog#: Desolat 003
Tracklist: A: Sebbo – Watamu Beach AA: Moritz Von Oswald – Watamu Beach Rework
Sebbo is a producer that keeps distance between every release, but this time he took things to a whole new level in a sound that was getting to be more and more of a “beating on a dead horse”.
During 2008, “everybody” was supposed to do tripping minimal house grooves with ethnic percussion and keeping the track duration over 10 minutes. Nothing wrong with that at all, it’s a really good sound, but it’s a bit boring when it gets to be too much.
Sebbo on the other hand, took this sound that he had already tried out on his ‘Beirut Boogie’ track on liebe*detail, sampled Basic Channel’s Quadrant track ‘Q 1.2′ and created a fast paced, rough and heavy ethnic houseXtechno groove – and also threw in some chants to top it off.
Moritz von Oswald reworked the entire thing and created one of the best tracks of 2008. Removing most elements from Sebbo’s original, he redrew the entire soundscape with really deep bass and percussion, applying a new melody that just fits so well on top of everything else.
Two of my friends in our DJ collective showed me this release in the beginning of last summer, and I was instantly hooked.
From Hong Kong and Brazil comes one of last years most funky techno releases, featuring a well produced groove with sweeps that are exactly as good as sweeps can be, quirky and chopped up piano loops and weird vocal samples.
Usually when things get this weird, it doesn’t fit the floors so well. Dropping this at a warehouse party and you’ll be surprised how well this one works.
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Kassem Mosse – Aqueous Haze (The World Dissappeared Into An)
Kassem Mosse delivers a swirling and highly emotional piece to Mikrodisko. Starting off with the A side (or the X side, to be more precise), he delivers a bit of a broken hearted slow paced highly technological techno track with concentration on the structure and atmosphere as the track progresses. A bit of dub also sees it’s way through on this one.
On the flip, ’578′ is a deeper piece with a great melody and with well executed twists and alternations in the ambient sounds. Both tracks are very dusty and has a highly analogue feel to them, bringing in a different depth to the tracks and making them a bit more timeless.
One of last years most dubstepXtechno defining releases comes from France and producer F. Heavy and rolling machine gun basslines and extremely well crafted synth sweeps makes this release essential.
‘Phase One’ is built around a heavy dubstep beat with percussion filled into the broken parts of the structure in the track, making it suitable in combination of techno tracks. A steady, building and massive synth crawls on top of everything else, filling up with reverbs and echoes and shifts in it’s presence over the progression of the track.
As for the B-side, ‘Icon’ is even more direct and with more attitude, following almost the same pattern as ‘Phase One’ but the sweeping synth is combined with a stabbing synth melody which is extremely raw and powerful. Together with the heavy hitting dubstep beat with well selected percussion and funky structure, it’s the best track on the release.
Extremely heavyweight production this one …
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Dusk + Blackdown – Kuri Pataka / Con/Fusion
Label: Keysound Catalog#: LDN007
Tracklist: A: Dusk + Blackdown – Kuri Pataka – The Firecracker Girl B: Blackdown – Con/Fusion
UK producers Dusk and Blackdown takes things into a global scale with their ‘Margins Music’ album out on Keysound. This is the third(?) single from the album and is a summarized piece of what to expect from the full length one.
Far east percussion and melodies mixed with rough British beats and tempo. It’s exactly as interesting as it sounds! The production on this one is really top notch, letting all elements from both styles merge in a really good way, it’s very balanced and has a deep feeling to it.
Farah from the disco label Italians Do It Better does the female singing on both tracks, mixing her calm voice with the rest of the production is really the big payoff on both sides, but I prefer the B-side because of the more sensitive take on the music as such.
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Len Faki – My Black Sheep – Interpretations 2/2
Label: Figure Catalog#: fig. 8
Tracklist: A1: Samuel L. Session’s Choice Mix A2: Samuel L. Session’s Bang The Drum Mix B1: Marcel Dettmann Mix B2: My Synthappella
Len Faki’s remix series of ‘My Black Sheep’ are really something. Radio Slave’s take on it was a milestone for at least my musical direction in 2007 with it’s no compromise, no bullshit sound. The Luke Slater (L.B. Dub Corp) remix was also good, but it’s the A side on the first one’s where the money is at.
This time, Samuel L. Session of Sweden and the one and only Marcel Dettmann transforms the rough original into a Detroit influenced hi-tech piece with killer pads and percussion, moving on into a transformed evil monster towards the end of the release.
Samuel is responsible for the A-sides and Dettmann for the B-sides (and the ‘Digital Mix’). Both sides have their special feeling, but I prefer Dettmann’s take in the long run, simply because it has so much energy and that special reduced sound that I love. In my opinion, the ‘Bang The Drum’ mix could’ve been replaced by the ‘Digital Mix’, it just doesn’t do it if you compare it to the rest of the tracks.
Overall, this is a eclectic and powerful release which is one of my most played one’s from last year.
Golden, pitched down R&B and dubstepping and rolling beats from Luke Blair (Lukid).
Taking a bit of everything and transforming it to something between techno or disco, Blair makes a really experimental piece. ‘BBQ’ is a bleeping monstrous downtempo-broken beat track with massive sampling and atmosphere giving a hint of old school hiphop and R&B.
‘Genie’ is my favorite on this one. Resembling a bit to 1980′s electro grooves, this track reminds me of Man Parrish and Cybotron. Rough and focused groove with high pitched keys makes ‘Genie’ something special.
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Levon Vincent / DJ Jus Ed – These Games EP
Label: Novel Sound Catalog#: NS-01
Tracklist: A1: Levon Vincent – These Games A2: DJ Jus Ed – Don’t Answer The Phone B1: Levon Vincent – Deeper B2: Levon Vincent – Sync Jam
The excellent skill of Levon Vincent is truly getting a righteous space with this release. Reduced and experimental house with a large spectrum of sound structure that seems to be infinite. Setting off his new label with relationship drama, I hope Levon Vincent will continue to pave the way in 2009.
‘These Games’ is a vocal concentrated track with a heavy but slow paced beat and with a ambient progression. Excellent choice of subtle eruption of noise and effects, Vincent creates a unique sound that brings this lead track to a whole different level.
DJ Jus Ed speeds things up with ‘Don’t Answer The Phone’. A reduced New York house attitude with sparse use of elements creates a rough but minimalistic piece that makes you nod your head from the first beat.
On the flip, ‘Deeper’ brings things down to a dub infected atmosphere. Reverbed echoes and percussion, small melodies combined with a metal drenched synthline brings in the heavy stuff but keeps it on a house oriented level. ‘Sync Jam’ takes things back to the faster route, adding to the introduced sound of DJ Jus Ed, Vincent makes use of the Roland machines to create a very stylistic piece.
One to pick up on sight …
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Various Artists – Edition 1
Label: Metrolux Music Catalog#: mlm 004
Tracklist: A1: Atheus – Side Effex A2: Arne Weinberg – Midas Touch B1: XDB – Jet B2: XDB – Rising Sun
Finest dub techno of ’08 comes from the first various artists release on Metrolux Music. Raw and extremely present dubbed tunes from four of the scene’s finest producers.
Elements of a faster paced groove are present in every track, making it hard to define the emotions on both sides of this release. Swirling and subtle changes in atmosphere and melody keeps you sharp while the track progress, always making unexpected turns and elevations.
IN RECENT MONTHS Stockholm has had a tremendous increase of ‘illegal’ clubs, raves and events. Several different groupings of people have held numerous nights at different locations – often switching location after each party.
Due to the fact that there’s not a decent club in Stockholm for either techno, house or dubstep, the community have moved into a new direction with a “do-it-yourself” attitude. Creating a constant atmosphere of what people want often involve in long hour sessions of clubbing, a commercial-wise non-selling music and supplying a space for people to do what they want – the different obsolete laws in Sweden regarding “night clubs”, corrupted sanctions of how long a location can be open and also the misunderstanding about electronic dance music create a empty space for clubbers and music lovers in Sweden in general, and Stockholm specifically.
photo by Per Löv - per@jornlov.se
As irritation becomes innovation, people are now getting together and hosting parties in the outskirts of downtown Stockholm, often taking money from their own pockets, getting everything together and working all night as ‘bartenders’, DJs, doormen and as cloackroom attendants themselves. Some of these groups of people want to remain anonymous, naturally, for both security and personal reasons. Others tend to bend a bit on what’s low-key promotion and how frequent they run, thus risking a lot more.
Having some participation in the scene gets you involved, so I thought I would interview one of the most (if not THE most) interesting underground producer from Stockholm that I know of – PATTERN.
PATTERN is a low-key producer, who is from somewhere in Stockholm, creating Detroit-inspired techno. Using only hardware and some software in his productions, he creates tracks that are so groovy and funky you wonder why he isn’t revealing his identity – well, not yet anyway.
Tell me what made you want to make techno, was there an experience or a special track that got you started?
Music has always been in my life, so it was natural for me to start producing. I was also always very curious about how things work, especially when I was a teenager and listened to electronic music a bit more seriously. I often wondered “how did they do that?” The feeling I got from electronic music was like a cartoon, everything is made possible even if it doesn’t fit in reality, you are your own limitation. I’d like to say it’s music built on fantasy, at least for me anyway. I don’t think there’s any special “moment” that got me going.
What do you think about all the software produced techno, for example the music made only on computers?
I don’t see anything wrong with it really, humanity and technology always move forward and they probably affect each other. I make a lot of music on software myself. The best approach is to use everything, because then you get the best of both worlds. It doesn’t matter how sound is created, in which way it’s created, the important thing is how the result sounds when it’s finished. One must find an environment in which you feel comfortable and safe, because then you’ll do the best work.
How is it that you chose to make music produced solely on hardware?
PATTERN is a project of mine. The idea is to make music solely on hardware in order to experiment with new sounds. I think it’s very important to allow yourself to experiment and just play around with sounds and equipment. That’s how you learn. Making sounds on hardware often take more time for me and the sounds get more personal because I know that I’ve put in a lot of work into creating and tuning them. So it’s a slower process naturally.
What do you think about the outlook of hardware produced techno in the near future?
Hard to say, I think those who work with hardware today are older producers who started with it and that’s what feels best for them. Hardware also has a special sound that doesn’t sound like anything else. But hardware is probably fading away. Now that you have thousands of software’s anybody can create techno / music. So in one way it’s good that there’s a new generation that’s interested. Who knows, maybe the computer will be a piece of hardware in the future, because who knows how we will make music in the future, hehe.
Stockholm, if not entire Sweden as such, has a strong connection to techno. Foremost with Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch and those involved within and around Drumcode. What is their position in the techno scene today? Do they have the same position today as they had before?
I actually really don’t know, I don’t think they have the same position in regards to all the new DJs and producers that show up all the time. It’s probably hard for them to stay put and “fight” against the new generation, but at the same time they’ve always done their thing which is respected because that’s what music is all about. We are probably thankful to them in many ways because they’ve put Swedish techno on the map and they’ve been into it from the start. I’m a big fan of both Adam [Beyer] and Cari [Lekebusch]. Both their labels are legendary and after all fantastic releases over the years it’s phat that they’re still rocking it.
The underground clubs are crawling in Stockholm. After the closure of Esque, there’s really no alternative than the underground clubs. How do you think that effects the scene?
I don’t think Stockholm is such a good clubbing city at all. We live in the wrong country for those things. Despite that, Stockholm has a great amount of good musicians in regards of being such a small city. The only real club that’s been in Stockholm in my opinion is Docklands, but unfortunately the 90’s are over. It was a brilliant time and I’m grateful that I could take a part of all the wonderful years of fat techno parties there
You’ve just gotten a digital release on Naked Lunch, ’No Subject EP’. Do you think that vinyl releases is dying out to make way for digital releases?
I love vinyl and I will always love it. I always fight to get my music on wax if it’s possible. Or if it’s both a digital and vinyl release, there’s no problem with that. But yes, vinyl is expensive and a hassle, not even the big labels care to bother with 12”-es nowadays. With Beatport it’s simple and quick and more people has access to the music. But personally I think it’s shit. What did one make before Beatport? Yeah, vinyl and in some cases CDs. I think it’s sad because the sound of vinyl is the fattest, it can’t be compared. I also feel that I don’t want to put in time, love and soul in my music if it’s going to be released digitally. Even if many clubs run with CD nowadays, I want to contribute to the world of vinyl to both wax lovers and collectors, because I know how much vinyl means to me.
Since you produce solely on hardware, what’s your opinion on the digital development as a whole?
As I said, I use both soft- and hardware. But I have a quite positive view on the digital development, because with software you can do things not possible with hardware, and if you can, it’s a thousand times harder and more work. Maybe the ‘things’ that make you appreciate good music is made only on hardware but it’s impossible to stop the development, so it’s just to go with the flow and smile I presume. And to do your thing without regard to what people think about it. There’s pros and cons to everything.
Any last words for our readers?
To always be yourself, do your music that you like and enjoy. Music should be something personal. Take your time without stress and create your world, then people will appreciate who you are for what you are.
