The Following Aesthetic Reasons

As denizens of the techno subculture, we are skeptical of celebrity. The luminaries who emerge are often more dark than bright, but the most intriguing incarnation of techno anti-star is he who is practically undetectable, he who is totally anonymous.

There have been a number of releases in 2008 which could fall into this category, for instance the recent Wax 100001 which was released out of Hardwax in June. Some have speculated that it is the handiwork of Shed, a rising star who also happens to work at Hardwax, because of its unique, dynamic and hard-hitting style. Either way, it received a lot of attention and has been featured in the playlists of a number of dj's (Simon Flower, Swayzak). Another well-hyped record was Sons of the Dragon, on the record label of the same name. This record is coming out of the US and is highly influenced by the classic Detroit house sound, lending itself to the rumor that it is the work of two legendary Detroit producers under the SOTD alias. There were only 300 white vinyl records made but the rumors were widely distributed in the chat forums.

Though this isn't anything new. The unknown artist who releases under the Pom Pom moniker has produced 32 records, the most recent of which (Pom Pom 032) was released this month on CD for the first time ever and is probably my favorite to boot, with dark textures and lots of surprises. The artist is believed to be one of the guys that works at the Space Hall record store in Berlin. Another major talent who has been releasing under the radar for awhile is Stephan T. Laubner, also known as STL. His label, Something Records, and his alias are mysterious and difficult to figure out from the interweb, he has no myspace page, and the releases are vinyl-only. Still, he is one of the most admired producers out there, especially among his peers.

Finally, 2008 has seen the creation of a label that shuns labels. Story introduces itself with the following: "Say hello to a label, run with passion, and witness the birth of a beautiful and deep house imprint. You won´t find any artist names on our records, we do not feel the need to let you know who did the record and so do the artists who contribute tracks. The only important thing is, they produced these tracks, full of understanding and with a great love for house music. Let the story begin and let us tell you something about our history." The first EP release, Story 01, uses the artistic alias CB Funk and is called Subway to Cologne. It was also on heavy rotation with dj's this summer.

Thoughts/feelings on this phenomenon? If you're reading this I hope you'll contribute your opinion, anonymous or not...

Bodytonic Podcast
November 11 2008. More jacking techno than Berghain 02.


I love Techno Belgium
November 15 2008. Liveset from Bruges (it's in Belgium). No tracklist.



Berghain 02 Mix
June 09 2008. Charting new territories in the deep dark...

01 tobias. – Balance
02 Norman Nodge – Native Rhythm Electric
03 Pied Plat - Double Trouble
04 Planetary Assault Systems - Kat
05 Tadeo - Reflection Nebula 056n (Substance Remix)
06 Risqué Rythum Team - The Jacking Zone
07 Samuli Kemppi – Vangel
08 Kevin Saunderson - Just Want Another Chance
09 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 - (previously unreleased)
16 Radio Slave – Tantakatan
17 Luke Hess - Believe & Receive (Shed's Deepanddubbydub)
18 Strand - Zephyr

In 2008, Marcel Dettmann has seen his stock rise exponentially. He has done a handful of remixes (Scuba, Substance, Deetron, Len Faki, etc.), produced the moody MDR04 EP and shared record space with Pigon on their dual release Kamm/Plain (on Beatstreet). It's not that these accomplishments are prolific, it's that they are prophetic. Outside of the studio, Dettmann is a resident at Berghain, possibly the best club in Berlin. He is part of OstGut Ton Records, presently one of the most widely admired in technoland. He is best friends with Shed. Basically, he is homecoming king and we admire his crazy-square jawline from a distance...a distance especially expansive for those of us in the USA, for whom the internet is our best chance to get close to whatever revolution in electronic sound is happening in Berlin, the now (I can't exactly say new) hub of techno. That having been said, Dettmann is not shy to name classic Detroit house and techno among his influences; his particular brand is dark, jacking and with powerful restraint. The Berghain 02 Mix was huge this summer and was called "a defining moment in techno" by Resident Advisor. The newer Bodytonic mix is more jacking techno and I added the I Love Techno Mix from Belgium for the sake of comparison.

Finally, we got word that Shed had a good time at his US debut in Boston, and so Dettmann is being booked in Boston early next year. Look forward to THAT, why doncha ;)