Ostgut Ton Germany At Juno Download

Review: Luke Slater is a survivor. Not in the physical sense, even though he has lived enough for three people, but because two decades after the UK producer started putting out music, his latest album features moments where the listener is forced to admit that it follows a path that few others have dared to venture down. The main reason for Slater's ongoing artistic relevance is down to him opting for a new approach. Whereas during the golden age of UK techno he was writing his own rules as he went, gifting the world "Booster", "In From The Night" and My Wise Yellow Rug", in his modern-day incarnation he has learnt invaluable insights from the output of those he influenced, absorbing their nuances as a starting point. However, he then applies his own wonderfully skewed thinking, which explains the panning, whiplash rhythm of "Bell Blocker", a track that sounds both familiar and utterly alien, or "Wriss", which - unusually for Slater's techno productions - features a vocal snippet. Invariably, comparisons will be made to other Ostgut artists, but it's hard to imagine any of them daring to even imagine a track like "Rip The Cut". In true PAS form, the beats sound like they're exploding from the speakers as the bass patterns build and build to the point of distortion, tempered only by reverberating claps.

Review: Dettmann's latest EP may refer to lingustics in its title, but there is no danger that what the Berghain resident wants to achieve will get lost in translation. With the exception of the spacey soundtrack and "Apollo" samples on "Barrier", this release is all about dance floor functionality and is as stark as the imposing architecture in the club he built his reputation on. That said, "Planning" owes a great debt to Robert Hood's visceral minimalism, as Dettmann sprays shards of percussion over jarring beats. The same incessant percussive approach is audible on "Translation One", but in this instance, it's the basis for a stab-heavy, filtered rhythm. Finally, Dettmann plays tribute to a Berlin artist on "Translation Two", with its spaced out but cold bleeps reminiscent of vintage Sleeparchive.

Review: Reactions to the news that Marcel Fengler was going to mix Berghain 05 focused on the fact that he is the club's most overlooked resident. This is to do Fengler a disservice and to understand the club in the narrowest context possible. If anything, the trajectory Fengler follows here defines the broad brush strokes played out in the Berlin club. There's the eerie intro which moves from Dettmann's vocal version of Emika's "Count Backwards" into Peter Van Hoesen's spacey, bleeping "Axis Mundi". Classic sounds always form an integral part of Fengler's approach and this is evident on Octogen's widescreen yet menacing electro reshape of Terrence Dixon, the wiry 90s minimalism of Ratio and in the alternate version of Secret Cinema's chord-heavy early 90s classic "Timeless Altitude". In between these sounds, Fengler proves his technical prowess, moving effortlessly from the drones and broken beats of Dr Walker's take on Byteone and the Regis version of Tommy Four Seven's "G" into straighter, albeit bass-heavy techno and house from Duplex - remixing Gerd- and LB Dub Corp, who delivers a new, multi-layered take on Fengler's own "Thwack". Put simply, Fengler has that rare talent that most DJs lack - he can put together seemingly disparate tracks without losing the flow. The club he resides at provides Fengler with a blank canvas and this mix is his masterpiece.

Review: One of the greatest things about Berlin club Berghain is that once you make your way past the autocratic glare of the door staff, you are free to act as you want. There are no rules and everyone is treated the same. This sense of egalitarianism may be fleeting, but the club's residents have succeeded in applying a similar aesthetic to their mix CDs. Well-known producers appear beside unknowns, while artists lauded for a particular sound veer off into new, uncharted territories. This approach is audible on this sampler for Marcel Fengler's forthcoming mix. Belgian producer Peter Van Hoesen is known primarily for his bass-heavy, heads down warehouse tracks, but on "Axis Mundi", there's a palpable change. Van Hoesen's usual deft production touch ensures that the arrangement features razor-blade percussion and a lithe rhyhtmic sensibility, but "Mundi" is all about the woozy, trancey melodies filtering their way to its centre. Likewise, Jonah Sharp and Move D's "The Labyrinth" marks a departure of sorts, with the duo's tasteful, jazzy keys teased out over a rough, glitchy backing track. Vril's "UV" is the most obvious sign that Fengler and Ostgut want to maintain the same egalitarian approach as Berghain: this artist, who hasjust two EPs to his/her credit on Giegling, drops a slamming, dubby techno track that simultaneously challenges the bass power of Shed's Wax project and the loose, echo chamber tones of Modern Love. Like Berghain, once they past the litmus test, every artist is an equal.

Review: Backwards is the album that veteran producer and former Boney M studio bod Tobias Freund has been threatening to make for many years and the work that so many of his peers aspire to but will never reach. It is clear that a huge amount of thought has gone into this album. From the static crackle of album opener "Girts" to the trippy, Eno-esque ambience of "Voices Told Me To Do That", the devil is in the detail as new ideas and nuances loom at every bar. From the insistent stabby techno of "Party Town" and "Skippy" to the glorious Drexciyan electro of "The Key", Backwards is steeped in 30 years of electronic music history but never sounds dated.

Review: Nick Hoppner is one of the key figures in the Ostgut operation, but isn't noted for putting out a lot of music. Clearly favouring quality over an excessive release schedule, the former MyMy member draws on the classic sounds of house and techno for Peck. The title track is the more current sounding, its heavy drum shuffled accompanied by weighty claps, a soft-focus filter and a lost 'aaaah' vocal sample. "She Parked Herself " is a totally different proposition; featuring the kind of emotional strings that featured on classic progressive house records by artists like Jaco and Slam, while its plunging bassline and rattling snares sound like the deep house of 90s producers like Jamie Read. "Swivel Flick" meanwhile is less derivative but also makes a play of that era's propensity for atmospheric pads and resonating bass riffs.

Review: As remix packages go, this is pretty darn hot. Of course, most punters will naturally gravitate towards current hot property Lone and his rub of "Arms". As you might expect, it's typical Lone, starting off on a Mr Fingers-ish vibe before exploding into rainbows of vivid colour. Like most of his tracks, it's a veritable orgasm. Staffan Lindberg provides an excellent Sound Factory-inspired take for fans of bumpin' mid-90s NYC house, while The Analogue Cops head for the afterparty on their tottering take on "You Own My Mind". Seriously sleazy and low slung, you could imagine it crawling along the dancefloor in order to gawp up girls' skirts.

Review: This sampler from Prosumer's Panorama Bar mix should dispel any doubts that the Ostgut stable caters exclusively to jaw-grinding intensity. Hunee's "Leaf for Hand in Hand" sounds like a return to UK house music of the mid to late-90s with a clubbier feel punctuated by a celebratory hook. Fused with a bleeding acid line, it nonetheless serves as a reminder of what a fruitful time that scene enjoyed. "Take U" by Soundstore a is more stripped back affair, focusing mainly on a buzzing bass, edgy beats and heavy claps - although there is some concession towards musicality thanks to some eerie synths - but "Sadness" by Steffi ensures that soul remains on the Ostgut menu. Over understated drums, Steffi lays down a sun-kissed yet somnambulant melody line and the kind of breathy vocals that Tracey Thorn would kill to emulate. These tracks make for one of the most uplifting house releases of 2011 - and reinforce Ostgut's reputation as a purveyor of the best contemporary electronic music.

Review: The German-Chilean producer and the label arm of techno Valhalla Berghain seem like uneasy bedfellows, so does signing Dinky herald a new direction for Ostgut? On the evidence of "Take Me", it does. The title track starts with breathy chords and loose, organic drums, before giving way to jazzy, filtered riffs and then moves into an undulating electronic disco groove. "Polvo" is of a similar summery disposition: filled with sensuous vocal samples and sassy Rhodes keys, it is underpinned by the same kind of loose beats as the title track. It's far removed from the world of chisel-jawed techno and suggests that Ostgut may be mellowing out.

Review: Who knew? Given his track record of making grainy, Mills-inspired techno, it's fair to say that the latest release by Berghain resident Norman Nodge ploughs an unpredictable furrow. The cold bleeps and grainy robo-rhythms of "Body 2 Body" reveal Nodge's previously undocumented interest in ebm and Belgian New Beat. The title track also maps out new possibilities for Nodge with eerie synths combined with stop-start rhyhtms, casting him as Ostgut's weirder answer to the Hacker. However, there is a link to Nodge's usual sound and the abstract minimalism of "Break Down" bears more than a passing resemblance to his last release on MDR.

Review: Newly ensconced down south in Auckland, Magik Johnson launches his new Neat Music imprint in a dust off with those twisted sisters from New Zealand known as MayaVanya. Echoing the current clubbing climate, "Don't Need No One" is an infectious post UK F rattler, chopping up diwali style handclap beats over layered bass undulations. Add vocals from Silva MC and Rugged Techniques and it's a perfect match. Johnson dons his Magik J alias for a rerub that transforms the track into Dirtybird territory whilst Nightshifters stalwart Rob Threezy adds his own futuristic Chi Town club angle to proceedings. Watch out for those hoover bass washes!

Review: Panoramabar resident and Klakson co-founder Steffi unveils her debut album, and as you’d expect from an Ostgut Ton release, it’s an enjoyable collection of high-grade house. The Dutch DJ/producer is known for her love of quality analogue tackle (as anyone who has bought Klakson releases will confirm), and it’s this jack-era ethos that’s at the heart of Yours & Mine. "Arms", "Manic Moods" and "Mine" all throb to a Chi-town beat, with the latter’s strings and percussion coming on like a lost TRAX flipside. Steffi also tries her hand at Motor City style machine soul, densely layered deepness and anthemic piano house - all with impressive results. It’s notoriously hard to make a good quality house album that hangs together well, but with Yours Or Mine, Steffi has succeeded.

Review: Berghain and its residents may be the epicentre of the techno and house universe right now, but they never forget to acknowledge who and what they have been inspired by. Indeed, while Ben Klock's mix CD for sister label Ostgut last year showcased new school European talents like Martyn and Roman Lindau, it also featured a long-lost Tyree classic as well as giving tacit recognition to Detroit's influence on modern-day Berlin techno with contributions from Rolando. While the "Knights of the Jaguar" creator has focused his efforts in recent years on house music, "De Cago" sees him re-explore the middle ground between these styles and fittingly, there's a solemn vocal intoning 'Detroit...Chicago'. This is a familiar trick and one that has gained currency as a lazy crutch in recent times. Thankfully though, in Rolando's hands it becomes an effective weapon as he filters it in DBX-style and it also helps that he underpins it with a dense, drummy groove and chilling, atmospheric chords. "Junie", which provided the outro to Klock's mix, opts for a radically different approach. Like Carl Craig's more introspective work, Rolando favours a mid-tempo arrangement, with the somnambulant pace providing the ideal backdrop for orchestral strings and a sombre bassline. The sum of these parts proves yet again that Detroit artists still have the ability to surprise and inspire, 25 years after the city birthed techno.

Review: Long associated with the harder side of techno - on the evidence of his recent mix and pretty much any of his longer club sets, unfairly so - this release sees Berghain Ben Klock attempt to show a more musical flavour. The first version of the title track sees airy, spacey Detroit chords copper-fastened to a typically dense Klock drum pattern, with both seemingly disparate elements acting in unison to create a climax that’s as epic as Berghain’s Gotham City architecture. A similar approach applies on the second version: it features the same snappy drums and crackling percussion underpinning Klock’s previously undocumented lush leanings, but despite this, it would be wrong to assume that it’s merely a continuation of the first version. Tellingly, there are also dark, droning tones and hints of the ruthlessly utilitarian approach of his colleague, Marcel Dettmann - and these nuances are also audible on the third and final track, "Static Test". Although there is a building chord sequence, it sounds like a distraction to the main event - a rolling, functional techno rhythm, powered by whiplash percussion and an underlying hint of menace. Top release.

Review: The fascinating (and wholly appropriate) concept behind Ostgut Ton's fifth anniversary compilation was conceived by British born, Berlin based artist Emika. On a night out at the label's legendary affiliate club Berghain she noticed the walls were moving and giving off their own frequencies, such was the ferocity and energy of the music and revellers within. And so Funf was born; with Berghain and Panorama Bar's extensive family of artists given four gigabytes of field recordings taken from within the club after hours - be it humming fridges, creaking doors or unseen footsteps - and asked to make a track using these sounds as their foundation. The results are absolutely stunning, with a disparate yet inexorably linked selection of tracks that range from subtle soundscapes (Emika's "Changing Room") to experimental dubstep (Fiedel's debut production "Doors To Manual"), minimal house (Dinky's "Twelve To Four") and banging techno (Shed's "Boom Room"). Split across seven 12"s, this is an absolutely unmissable slice of contemporary techno history.

Review: Martyn and Roman Lindau are first up on this series of EPs to coincide with Ben Klock's impressive Berghain 04 mix, and it's a must have for fans of deep techno steppers. "Miniluv" sees Martyn delve into the traditional rhythms of 4/4, with an infectious chime groove sounding out over a shuffling etheral techno beat as lasers shoot out from the depths of the prodduction. Roman Lindau gets all moody on us with the industrial "Keppra" the subtle patter of pads barely audible below the shuddering growl of the bass line. One of the best releases so far this year.

Review: Berlin's Berghain / Panoramabar is now one of, if not the most infamous club in the world. Although spending the entire of this review discussing the club would not even begin to scratch the surface of its impact on clubbing culture, this release is about its label offshoot, Ostgut Ton. Andre Galluzzi (one of the club's residents) set the imprint on its way in 2005 with his pivotal, dark and edgy Berghain 01 compilation. Five years later, the German returns to the label for the first time to deliver a two tracker of cutting edge, percussive techno. Joined by close colleague, Dana Ruh, the pair dive deep into dizzyingly hypnotic territories to bring a slice of the notorious club?s dancefloor to record. Dana, who runs the Broquade platform, highly respected for exploring elegant sound inclinations, is already poised for further collaborations with Galluzzi.

The title track is an understated cut whose attitude and personality lies within the strength of insistent drum patterns, long rolling arrangements and its straight forward approach to the task at hand. Flourishing relentlessly forward, fluttering, tribal-like vocal utterances smear the top layer of sound, adding to the exotic and mysterious vibe. On the flip, "Mauersegler" continues the highly percussive journey but delves deeper into wild terrain, carving itself out a much more urgent path. Tripping delay effects and soft voice manipulations drag the listener further down into this undulating slice of next wave minimalism. Lost in a spinning world of drums and deep grooves, spell-bound listeners are reminded once more what Galluzzi, and his resident Berlin club for that matter, can do to even the most fortified minds.

Review: Marcel Dettmann drops one of the most anticipated albums of 2010, with his eponymous debut on Ostgut Ton. And it's everything you'd hope for (and expect) from a Berghain resident: dark, cavernous, atmospheric - utterly brilliant. The highlights are numerous, from the thunderous, atmospheric electrical storm that is "Argon" to the Basic Channel-esque hiss and crackle of "Drawing" and the looped percussion on "Reticie" that sounds like Dettmann has been dragging a bag of marbles around one of the unused rooms at Berghain. Techno, welcome to 2010.

Review: Steffi and vocalist Elif Bicer make a big impression with this charming, slightly old-school deep house tune on. The fun and playful vocal reminds one of 90s acts like St. Etienne, matching sweet-as-syrup female vocals with house grooves. Released on Ostgut Ton, the label behind the infamous Berghain/Panorama, this is definitely a groove for Panorama, where Steffi is a resident DJ.