Release Date:
17th June 2022 (digital)
September 2022 (vinyl)
Format:
vinyl, download & streaming
Tracklist: 01. Reka We Are The Future
02. SDBX Moon Flight
03. Ellen Allien Reality
04. Francois X Toxic Angel
05. Wallis All You Had, You Wasted
06. Thomas P. Heckmann Contagion (BPC Edit)
07. Crystal Geometry Eyes Closed (VA Edit)
08. Matasism Mind Control
09. ASEC 2001
10. Uncrat Choco Krave
11. Karl Kave This House is Burning
12. Dollkraut & DJ Europarking MSB4000-06
Press Info:
Ellen Allien and the We Are Not Alone collective are back with a second edition of the We Are Not Alone series. A 36-track compilation split into 3 parts, each consisting of 12 cuts, dedicated to the infamous We Are Not Alone event series and the best of Berlin’s underground techno talent.
Ellen Allien’s innovative party series We Are Not Alone was launched in 2016 and remains committed to inviting an exciting crew of artists to perform at the 36 hour events, now in a new home at RSO.BERLIN, where they returned with bang over 36 hours and 3 floors in May.
The We Are Not Alone compilation features artists that have played at the parties, as well as those who will join the line-up for future events. The 4th, 5th and 6th parts include music by Ellen and established names such as Thomas P. Heckmann, Dollkraut & DJ Europarking, Francois X, Phase Fatale and Etapp Kyle. Rising stars Nene H, Nur Jaber, Stephanie Sykes, Wallis and Métaraph. BPitch signings include Rosa Anschütz, Shaleen, Matasism and Uncrat.
For this instalment of the series, Ellen Allien collaborates with esteemed director and photographer Stini Roehrs for the multidisciplinary project ‘’AFTER DARK – Emotional States of Techno’’, consisting of a virtual rave film, book and exhibition produced by AKKURAT Studios, and the We Are Not Alone VA, which is to be released physically and digitally via BPitch.
The next We Are Not Alone parties take place at RSO, Berlin in July, August and October of this year. 22nd July, CSD weekend, is set to be a single night event on two floors. 20th August a We Are Not Alone floor during the RSO Club Festival and then we’ll be back for over 30 hours on 15th & 16th October. Watch this space.
Press Info:
“I follow the golden stream…” sings Rosa Anschütz in the title track of her new album, in a cold, clear, determined voice: “And now, I am following the golden stream. And I follow the golden stream.” Underneath, golden interference buzzes and splashes at first, while cold light lies over the “thick water.“ Followed by powerful beats setting in as the trumpet fanfares of the chorus herald victory over the elements. “Goldener Strom” is about the desire to drift; to surrender to the moment and about the movement of life. Simultaneously, the music portrays the will to resist the world and its currents – the currents that want to drive one somewhere they don’t want to go. How does one become an island in the current? How does one find the self-confidence that allows them to drift and enjoy the movement of life without being exposed to those currents? On the cover of the album, we see Rosa Anschütz in the vastness of a gray shimmering sea – in a blue dress, sitting on a blue Panton chair: symbolizing modernity that has now become historical – sovereignty over history and over art.
“Goldener Strom” is without doubt the most astonishing album of the season. It plays with hardness and tenderness, it narrates of the beauty of losing one’s self, as well as the happiness of a self-determined life and creation. It can be danced to, but one can also listen to it as a conceptual album; it is as full of beats as it is full of thoughts. Rosa Anschütz reinforces her enormously versatile vocals -ranging from a pleading breath to a cold New Wave speaking voice – with a relentlessly marching four-to-the-floor techno; but underneath it all, lay polyrhythmic deviations again and again. Clattering and trembling, deep basses digging into the ground, while shimmering veils of sound blow from above. Rosa Anschütz follows the traditions of Dark Wave and Postpunk, but carves deep notches of sound sculpture and romantic smoothness.
Rosa Anschütz was born in Berlin in 1997. She grew up in a secluded lake house with an enchanted garden. Her first instrument was the piano, later she learned the flute and trumpet and played in a Bigband. She listened to jazz and DJ Krush and started playing music in various rock bands while still at school, but she soon realized that the best way to pursue her artistic visions was on her own. She experimented with Garageband and uploaded her tracks to SoundCloud. That’s how she came to the attention of Max Kobosil, among others, the young DJ star from Berlin’s Berghain, who later also remixed her song “Rigid.“
Rosa Anschütz found her musical awakening in the world of electronic avant-garde and techno clubs. At 15, she went to Atonal Festival at Berlin’s Kraftwerk for the first time, she immersed herself in Berlin’s post-punk and industrial avant-garde scene, and later on, she danced at Berghain. Dancing in dark spaces, she says, had a mind-expanding effect on her: she loves letting herself drift and the moments when everything dissolves and boundaries shift. But she also quickly sensed the dangers inherent in this drifting: How does one come to create a good relationship with one’s own body when, in the crucial years of youth, one’s body consciousness is expanded and manipulated by all too many means? She left Berlin to study Transmedia art in Vienna. Most importantly, it was there that she began working with modular synthesizers – instruments which open up possibilities primarily by imposing limitations. Her first EP “Rigid” and her debut album “Votive” from 2020 were significantly influenced by her work with modular synthesizers.
On “Goldener Strom“, she has freed herself from this. She supremely uses all means of electronic music production and combines them with analog instruments, the flute, trumpet and guitar; in addition, she sings, speaks and breathes with her cold and confident voice. As on the previous albums, she recorded the songs with the Berlin producer Jan Wagner. It was important to both of them that everything they recorded was finished as quickly as possible.
They wanted to capture musical moments; if something worked, it was finished quickly; if they got stuck somewhere, the track was left and discarded. When producing, says Rosa Anschütz, this is the most important thing: that you don’t get slowed down. And that’s how it is in her art in general: it is about gathering and amplifying energy; it’s about condensing experiences, making a point, finding a conclusion for an image comprised of sounds and words, however fleeting they may seem. The stream of which Rosa Anschütz sings, and which she ignites in her music: that is also the stream of consciousness, the stream of experience; and what one experiences, is already over in the next moment. It is about catching the moment – and in the next moment, however, already not to look back.
“I follow the Golden Stream,” sings Rosa Anschütz, meaning: she follows the becoming and passing of things; but at the same time she offers – like an island – a resistance to the drift of time. “Goldener Strom” is a great pop album, full of melodies, aphorisms and beats that immediately catch your ear. At the same time, it is a manifesto of artistic sovereignty – precious and wise in our times of streamlined art.
Press Info:
A uniquely vibrant and multifaceted artist, Rosa Anschütz is perfectly aligned with the future-facing ethos of BPitch, where her new album finds a home. Rosa Anschütz’ professionalism and visionary outlook permeates through her broad catalogue of work.
Their Blood is driven by a gnarly riff, the cut juxtaposes Rosa Anschützs distinct vocals with a rugged instrumental. It represents the delicate balance between emotion and a visceral workout.
A stirring preview of whats to come on Rosa Anschützs LP, Their Blood acts as a taster of the multi-disciplined artists breath-taking new body of work
Release Date:
22nd October 2021 (digital)
04th February 2022 (vinyl)
Format:
vinyl, download & streaming
Tracklist Vinyl: A. Living On The Edge (Ellen Allien Mix)
B. Invite Me To Your Country (Ellen Allien Remix)
Tracklist Digital: 01. Living On The Edge (Ellen Allien Mix)
02. Invite Me To Your Country (Ellen Allien Remix)
03. Living On The Edge (Ellen Allien 146bpm)
Press Info:
Berlin techno luminary, and BPitch label founder, Ellen Allien turns her attention to the romantic darkwave duo Lebanon Hanover, aka Larissa Iceglass and William Maybelline, with this double pack of remixes.
As a DJ and artist, vocals have always been a signature of Ellen’s sound since her first track, using her own voice in her productions and sets. She’s constantly editing and remixing tracks for her own use, playing with voices and effects, to create the exact mood she wants for every dancefloor. These cuts began life as personal edits for her own DJ sets in 2019, appearing in her last Boiler Room and many shows since. They captivated fans of her, and the band, who clamoured for an official release and now those wishes are answered.
The remixes merge the dark touch of both artists to both illuminate and cross pollinate their divergent musical attitudes. Ellen writes: “I’m a fan of Lebanon Hannover – they’re my weekly soundtrack at home, dancing around the carpet with my friends. They display a radical side without screaming, but understated and cool, clever poetry and stories in every song that appeal to me completely. Their lyrics speak to my soul and embody a feeling for me of where I come from. The Berlin of the past, that was empty and changeable, full of possibility from which we were finally able to blossom. Although Larissa sings in a very pretty way, the attitude is one of truth and melancholy, not pretending that the world is sweet and happy, but full of intensity, it’s sexy and truthful.”
For her takes on ‘Living On The Edge’, she pushes up the tempo and adds thumping drums to the arrangement. Larissa’s vocals sit comfortably on top of the club-focused instrumental, which stays true to the original spirit of the song while reconfiguring it for the dancefloor. The melancholy romance is still present, but the energy elevated for body movement. Her explosive 146bpm remix of ‘Living On The Edge’, a digital exclusive, is a vast and perfectly of-the-moment techno cut.
Ellen’s second remix is a techno reinterpretation of ‘Invite Me To Your Country’. Pulsating kick drums and an air of menace pervade throughout. Ellen skilfully piques our emotions, retaining the key motif and guitar riff from the original to great effect. Halfway through Iceglass’ unmistakeable vocals drift in, adding depth and grace to the arrangement.
The remixes are lovingly and respectfully composed by an artist who counts themselves as a sincere fan of Lebanon Hanover. Dark wave and techno have always had a close relationship and these remixes demonstrate how they can be blended seamlessly.
Snippets:
Full Track Streaming:
“Living On The Edge (Ellen Allien 146bpm)”
Press Info:
Hailing from the city of Pereira, the producer and live act Gotshell debuts on Bpitch Berlin, a wide-ranging and potent 8-track EP, crispy modular system sounds, produced in solidarity with the ongoing protests in his native Colombia.
Gotshell made his name through appearances on Mord, Planet Rhythm, Nachtstrom Schallplatten, EPM and James Ruskin’s Blueprint. Prolific, diverse and unpredictable, his productions weave together classic old school techno loops, IDM, breaks and experimental noise. As a live performer, his freewheeling and psyche- delic sets at festivals like Freedom in Colombia and Jungle Groove in Ecuador, plus underground clubs in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Tresor Berlin have earned him an international following.
Produced against a backdrop of poverty, inequality and protest met with violent government reprisals, Rezagados is an outcry against the Colombian government’s repression of dissent and creation of what the producer calls a ‘distorted reality that minimizes hope’.
Across 8 tracks Gotshell is in full flight, ranging from twisted cross-rhythmic techno to intricate, stuttering IDM. Moments of darkness are balanced by flashes of light, sounds of nature and searching euphoria, before the EP’s deep and contorted climax. It’s the sound of a producer restless and determined to resist.
