Berlin-based techno label Tresor landed in 1991. The label was born out of one the city’s most-respected underground techno clubs, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Founded by Dimitri Hegemann, Tresor has been ‘forever re-defining techno as it contorts and manoeuvres around contemporary pressure and technological flux’. From deep, entrancing journeys, to rough, militant stompers, Tresor has released forward-thinking productions from the likes of: Cristian Vogel, Surgeon, Drexciya, Pacou, Mike Huckaby, Marcelus, James Ruskin, Joey Beltram, Robert Hood, Sleeparchive and more.
Review: Is the 'green light' in the title a reference to the Northern Lights in the sky over Iceland, where Exos resides? While only the artist himself is likely to know the answer to that question, there is no ambiguity about the impact of this release. "Dark Light" and "Radabrugg" both resound to lean rhythms, funk basslines and white noise-led drops. In contrast, the title track is powered by dense, steely drums, while "Everyday" is a captivating analogue techno bleeper. While Green Light is often as primal and relentless as the environment where it was created, that doesn't mean Exos doesn't occasionally let his hair down. In particular, the tunnelling, hypnotic "Fire Chant" has echoes of Aphex Twin's classic "Digeridoo", re-imagined using a frosty Nordic aesthetic.
Review: Tresor resident IMOGEN delivers a hard-hitting debut release for the Berlin club's long-running label. Reflective of her own personal challenges, it starts with the brutal kicks and splurging acid of "The Way She Moves". That track slows down in the middle before picking up its break neck pace. "Summer Kiss" is more measured, but still has an edge, thanks to its slamming rhythm and heavy drums. "Tired Bones", whose title also documents her travails, resounds to a rolling groove and interference-led bleeps, while "Growing in the Dark" is a twitchy, high-octane workout led by psychedelic tones and dense claps. Meanwhile, "Breathe Again" resounds to robust break beats and mysterious synths, and closing track "Melancholy Flower" is an atmospheric ambient piece. Like all the best music, Metanoia is a true journey.
Review: Hold on tight, DJ Stingray 313 is back on Tresor with a mind-bending exploration of the future called "INDUSTRY 4.0." This EP ain't your average dance floor banger. It's a full-on assault on the senses, a sonic reflection of the ever-evolving world of automation and its impact on who we even are anymore. The opening track, "Large Language Model," throws you headfirst into a chaotic soundscape of jagged bass and robotic pronouncements - "machine learning" echoes in your ears, a stark reminder of the ever-present AI lurking in the background. Things don't get any smoother on "Multi Functional Robotics" and "Sensor Data." These tracks are like malfunctioning assembly lines gone rogue, spitting out wonky melodies that feel like a techno fever dream. It's the kind of music that makes you wonder if the machines are starting to think for themselves... and maybe it's not such a good thing. It's dark, it's intense, and it will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the future.
Review: As its title intimates, Fireground's latest release on Tresor starts with a paean - to 90s rave. "The Element" resounds to dramatic hardcore riffs and a galloping break beat backing - evocative and euphoric, albeit with a contemporary production flair. "Riva" also mines the 90s for inspiration. However, the duo looks to a different source, with a focus on the free-flowing bongo drum-led deep house sound. In contrast, the title track sees Fireground deliver a more modern sound. Building on a wiry, snaking groove, they layer in disco filters and woozy synths. The melodic, esoteric techno of "Etereo" concludes this fine, eclectic EP.
Review: Echoing the approach of the seminal Tresor 90s compilation, Berlin Detroit - A Techno Alliance this collection showcases the common musical bond between the two cities. Model 500's "I.D.L.E." is an understated electro jam. Led by a warbling bass and outer space blips and bleeps unfolding over a wiry groove, it's a classic piece of underground electronic music. On "Searching (Live at Globus)", Ectomorph channels a similar energy, albeit with a mysterious twist, as chiming tones are wrapped into steely 808s, while AMX's "Your Body" is a deeper affair. DJ Stingray 313 picks up the pace on "Dynamic Instability", an industrial strength, peak time electro banger. Representing Berlin is JakoJako with the skeletal rhythm of "Metal Goat", and Erik Jabari on the coruscating rhythm of "Screamore".
Review: On her latest release, Kerrie unpicks one of the defining topics of this age - the relationship between humanity and machines. The title track represents a dystopian take on this issue, with waves of droning noise fused with a robotic, stepping rhythm. "Symbiosis" is similarly inclined. Focused on the dance floor, it sees Kerrie deliver a raw, pulsating groove shot through with repetitive, growling riffs. "Technopoly Dream" goes down a different route, as Kerrie drops a stripped back rhythm track peppered with hypnotic vocal loops. "Ode to the D" marks another shift in style - as its title suggests, it's a futuristic paean to the city where techno started.
Review: UFO95 is the latest producer to land on Tresor - and Backward Improvement packs a powerful punch. "Fragment" is a robust, ebm-themed workout. Led by a pounding bass, it shoots shards of spiky percussion through the speakers. On "Gargk", he changes tact, dropping a frenetic break beat track led by atmospheric synths and warbling synths. "Solar" marks another shift in sound - over a punishing groove, UFO95 rains down coruscating riffs. "Cogitor" is also a bruising piece, but with a different approach as steely drums prevail. Meanwhile, "Sexual Tension" sees intense tones and a vocal sample unfold over a relentless groove - the kind of track that will have the desired impact on Tresor's main floor.
An Accident In Favor Of Human Life - (6:53) 145 BPM
No Photographs, Only Memories - (5:56) 146 BPM
Wasteland I - (1:45) 138 BPM
Modern Phobias - (6:24) 146 BPM
Wasteland II - (1:22) 133 BPM
Unspoken Worlds Of Hope - (6:00) 145 BPM
Review: December follows the first Transform release from earlier this year with this fine EP. Veering towards electro and industrial influences, the second instalment starts with the title track's angular rhythm and brooding bass. A similar mood prevails on "No Photographs, Only Memories", where December factors poignant vocals into robust, menacing breaks. On "Wasteland 1" and "Wasteland 2", he departs from this style to deliver droning, neo-classical dirges. That focus changes again with the pared back techno of "Modern Phobias". And on "Unspoken Worlds Of Hope", December drops a near flawless fusion of industrial force and electro funk, as a marauding bass and rolling metal drums provide the backdrop for irresistibly dystopian synths.
Review: Waajeed's 2022 album, Memoirs Of Hi-Tech Jazz, was a paean to Detroit's musical heritage from techno to hip-hop and beyond. It comes as no surprise that this remix package is just as sonically diverse. The Yazzus version of "The Ballad of Robert O'Bryant" fuses frenetic jazz drums and percussion with a driving rhythm and an acid-fuelled tones. In stark contrast, the Jensen Interceptor x Assembler Code take on "Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz" is a stark electro workout, with a ferocious steely rhythm and murderous bass prevailing. Mark Broom's remix of "Right Now" is a more conventional techno track. Centred on a rolling tribal groove, it features dramatic stabs and a robust bassline.
Review: After a long hiatus, Juan Atkins resurrects his seminal Cybotron project. Thankfully, not much has changed since it first appeared in the early 80s. On "Maintain", similar, distinctive sounds prevail. Sleek synth lines and ponderous vocals are set to Cybotron's steely drums and brooding bass - a combination that still sounds as futuristic now as it did when Atkins and his then partner Rik Davis re-wired electronic music. "The Golden Ratio" does mark a shift of sorts, and sees Atkins go deeper. Shot through with subtle acidic pulses and dreamy melodies, it's close to the ERP school of electro, albeit powered by Cybotron's distinctive 808s. As comebacks go, it's one that really lives up to expectations.
Review: Amnes and Lula share a penchant for hard-edged techno, but Synergy is the first time that they have appeared together on a release. Amnes' "Our Bodies" is a dense roller. Led by grainy kicks and firing percussion, evocative synth textures envelop the arrangement. "Timeshift" sees Lula opt for a different approach. The pace is slower, but she uses robust break beats as the backdrop for atmospheric sound scapes. Lula's other contribution, "Together", picks up the pace. On this occasion, she deploys a pounding, ebm-style bass and a steely rhythm to devastating effect - even if the dreamy sounds are never too far away.
Review: Transparent Sound, established in Bognor in 1994, is among the UK's most enduring electro acts. This dynamic collaboration between Orson Bramley and Martin Brown has solidified Transparent Sound's reputation as one of the most influential electro duo with a discography boasting a collection of highly acclaimed releases that have garnered significant recognition within the electronic music scene. This retrospective album "Accidents 1994-2023" compiles a fortunate selection of 13 awe-inspiring electrical mishaps. This comprehensive collection features dancefloor anthems like "Punk Mother Fucker," which once graced the sets of Villalobos, and "No Call From New York," as heard on Helena Hauff's exceptional 2017 Essential Mix. Additionally, the album includes the unreleased white label track "Windows To Your Sole" from Transparent Sound 007, exclusive unreleased tracks, special 2023 edits, and a digital bonus of six additional tracks.
Review: Robert Hood, the renowned techno producer, is set to reissue one of his most influential albums to mark its 30th anniversary. Originally released in 1993 under his alias, The Vision, "Waveform Transmission Vol. 2" encapsulates the raw techno sound that has come to define Hood's music. The album was created just as Hood was leaving his hometown of Detroit and moving to New York with Jeff Mills, his cofounder of the Underground Resistance label. Tresor, the German record label, has delved deep into its archives to bring a fresh release of this classic album to fans. With funky techno drum foundations and mind-bending details, "Waveform Transmission Vol. 2" set the bar high and has aged incredibly well. All hail Robert Hood!
Review: This compilation was released as part of the overall "Kotti Island" artistic project - whose origins lie in artists exploring the Kotbusser Tor in Berlin. The area's communist-era architecture is captured well on the brooding ambient soundscapes of Zettka's "cS?n?r D??" and project lead Cecilia Tosh's grainy techno stomper, "Blend". On "Walking In Circles", Jon Hester reimagines this part of the German capital in a different way, with the hum and whoosh of the S-Bahn and busy streets set to a drum-heavy, hypnotic club track. Meanwhile, on "Berlin Speed Drive", Vril drops a throbbing, ominous bass; combined with firing hi hats and a driving rhythm, it brilliantly sums up the ups and downs of life on Kotti Island.
Review: Celebrating its 350th release, Tresor delivers a compilation with a difference. Instead of the steely techno that has defined the club and label, Yet is all about left of centre sounds. There's the ethnic chants of Nandele & A-Tweed's "Deserto", while on "Lovesong" Nadia Struiwigh combines woozy sub-bass with mid-tempo drums. Ryan James Ford's "Totes (Bath mix)" does steer the compilation back towards the dance floor, but it's with a twist, as clattering break beats provide the backdrop for introspective synths. It's only a temporary divergence though - "No Longer Human" is a moody stepper, while DJ Sotofett and Kavadi's "Kandhan Karunai" sees the pair drop a frenetic, fragmented rhythm that defies categorisation.
Review: LNS and DJ Sotofett last appeared on Tresor in 2021 with their debut album, Sputters. Now they're back with a fine two-track EP that takes in a range of distinctive flavours. "Reform" is a deep electro groove, with the pair adding in glitchy tones and solemn piano chimes. It makes for an atmospheric, distinctive take on a well-known sound. "Plexistorm" inhabits a similar territory. On this occasion, it's all about the bass, with a plaintive-sounding low end providing the focus for dreamy strings, bleepy tones and spiky percussion. It's testament to the pair's talent that they can tease new possibilities from the electro canon.
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