Fachwerk Germany At Juno Download

Review: Mike Dehnert is a firm fixture amongst the tougher realms of Berlin techno, not least for his Fachwerk label. This time around, the menacing lunge of EP opener "Montage" plumps straight for the awesome industrial, melodically-bled kind of techno that rattles Berghain on a weekend. "Isolateur" sparks even more interest with its housey refrain pinned down by a steady set of notes that seem positively musical in comparison. "Picon" is a surprise of ambient techno, with not a whiff of mixability about it. It's a pleasant reminder that, when he feels like it, Dehnert is capable of trying something different. An excellent and well rounded EP.

Review: Berlin producer Mike Dehnert's second artist album in as many years will probably not win any awards for its imaginative title, but once the needle drops, there is no end of surprises. The most remarkable aspect of Fachwerk 25 is that it sounds unlike anything else he has released. This is especially surprising given that he had come close to perfecting the art of creating grungy, Chain Reaction-influenced techno, but it is crucial that he did so as his releases had started to sound samey. Indeed, the greatest strength of this long player is that it sounds like many things, but the one thing that it only occasionally sounds like is a Fachwerk record. There are austere but brief codas on "Intro" (another great name!) and "STH", while Dehnert proves himself to be an unlikely fan of Italo and minimal wave with the pulsing grooves and eerie synths of "Fraction" and "Modulat". He also gets on board the acid train on "Resize" and "Slim" but thankfully doesn't attempt to recreate jack tracks, instead favouring a dalliance through rough rhythms. Speaking of underground techno, he shows his appreciation for the noisy, distorted end of minimalism once practised so effortlessly by Landstrum and Vogel on the wonky rhythm and analogue yelps of "Grundform", rather than the spacious dub rhythms of Basic Channel. But while Fachwerk 25 celebrates electronic music's past, it also sees Dehnert escape from his own musical inhibitions, and as the evocative ambient textures of "Courant" demonstrate, it is at times a painfully beautiful parting of ways.

Review: Having signalled his return to pounding techno on a rowdy Echochord release recently, Mike Dehnert ensures that rattling sensation in our eardrums remains with Placide, a four fingered assault on your senses through home stable Fachwerk. Apparently inspired by some spam email entitled "Give It To Me Raw!" Dehnert elected to record opening track "Drehimpuls" live in Paris for extra rawness, with suitable results; the track literally barrels through a thick wall of corrugated sonics. The remaining three tracks sound slightly cleaner in comparison, though the sheer sound design at play ensures the unpredictable serrated synth of "Charger" or booming warehouse groove of "Eigenzeit" prove just as memorable. Final track "Isolant" is undeniably funky too, trapping some lost female vocal deep beneath the mangled kicks and smacked out whistles.

Review: In the lead up to Fachwerk's quarter century milestone - an album from Mike Dehnert - the label's main players again share the release duties. Sascha Rydell's contribution is by far the most crossover, centred on a discoy loop and offering a housey version of Fachwerk's sound. Elsewhere, it's business as usual; Roman Lindau's "Plavix" is everything one would expect from the Berlin label, a stripped back techno groove, slightly stepping and swathed in razor-sharp metallic percussion. Dehnert meanwhile, drops the clunky drums and visceral hats of "Avec", which provide the backdrop for a typical chord build. But just as Rydell surprised, so does the label owner and "Traces Of" provides an unlikely mixture of distorted beats and a sassy double bass.

Review: Germany's Fachwerk stable drops a second collaborative EP from label heads Mike Dehnert, Roman Lindau and Sascha Rydell. Entitled, quite simply, Fachwerk EP 2, it follows last year's Fachwerk EP which included tracks from each of the three producers at the centre of the label's quite singular techno vision, which combines crunchy, swung mechanical rhythms with warm, rolling, dubby tones. It's one of several releases which will culminate in the release of the label's 25th release, which we imagine will be something quite special indeed. The EP is as brilliant as you'd expect, with the muscularity of Dehnert's "M10? augmented with vocals that sound like snatches of Arthur Russell, the metallic strings of Lindau's "Grow" and the manic piano groove of Rydell's "When You Play It" all offering solid entries into the label's formidable catalogue. This label is simply on fire at the moment - don't sleep.

Review: Roman Lindau has chosen the title of his new Fachwerk release wisely, as it is the most diverse release on the Berlin label so far. At one end of the spectrum there's "Slow Dope", a laid back shuffle that is briefly reminiscent of Plastikman's "Spastik" played at 33rpm, but which soon morphs into a mellow chord sequence. At the opposite end of the scale there's "Crasse", where a horror-rave bass and abrasive filtering create an intense peak time track. Finally, "Lyrica" is different again, a sparse metallic workout with glistening percussion and a detached, robotic undercurrent. If you're looking for a break from techno purism, then this release is for you.

Review: As far as Basic Channel-inspired techno goes, it sounds like Mike Dehnert has a new rival. Lindau may have a smaller catalogue, but like his other releases, Lot De Deux hits the target with unerring accuracy. "Avide" is subtler than is Fachwerk's wont, its pulsing rhythms and razor sharp percussion supported by swinging drums and a drunken vocal sample. "Sub Suggestion" is tougher and more toolish thanks to its relentless drums and firing percussion, but whatever inherent aggression features is offset by the hypnotic chord stabbing.

Review: Fachwerk signs off on an excellent year in the best way possible - presenting this collection of all new material from label bosses Dehnert, Lindau and Rydell. Roman calls shotgun with the brain matter scraping, gutter punch rhythms of "Hurt" that masterfully crafts the relentless motion from indecipherable vocal fractures. As finely poised as the track is, the A-Side is dominated by the subsequent collaboration between Lindau and Dehnert. "Sophia" is perhaps the most dementedly brilliant production to surface from the Fachwerk studios yet, with the dense swamp of bass and singular drum kicks in the opening bars not really giving prior warning to the thrilling rhythmic mess of saturated acid and panning vocals. Dehnert is in more familiar foundation-pummelling form on the flip with the caustic and unrelenting "Blattwerk" which explodes with colourful textures midway through, whilst Sascha Rydell has the last laugh with the pressurised percussive presence of "It Happened". Big tip!

Review: Fans of Mike Dehnert's label are used to being presented with heads-down, no-nonsense purist techno, but this time it's different. Sascha Rydell, one of the close-knit Fachwerk crew, gives full vent to his experimental side and the results are hugely impressive. "Matin" opens the release with washes of dreamy ambience populated by half-heard vocals. There's an ambient soundtrack of a more creepy nature on "L'eclair", where eerie, disturbing tones prevail, but in general the mood is dreamy and atmospheric. This is audible on "Alchimie du Verbe", where a shuffling rhythm is bathed in airy textures and "Hit The Bass Jack", where an acoustic guitar riff competes with clicking percussion and plinky plonk riffs for an unexpected but welcome diversion from Fachwerk's usual sound.