Bonus 1-4 are available with the free download code.
Press Info:
Ekster is pleased to present EKS005 from the Norwegian product TCF.
This white 10” inch vinyl record titled “NLeZ7tnzzjTXBsMtD1OO0xPEZ0MmnSKsGZA/yHfSV1gfKH+//xR9oW+uUJO4i3N0lRghdsuEoRSOKjJMZApfoA==” comes in an edition of 200 copies with 15 grams of Shiu Xian (???) from the Wuyi Mountains. Vacuum packed in a silk-screened silver bag with download code, collaboratively designed by TCF & Victor Robyn. Following up TCF’s last release “415C47197F78E811FEEB7862288306EC4137FD4EC3DED8B” this record deals with his obsession with tea, the history of the tea trade and computational frameworks.
TCFX: Simulated and infested with Prussian Blue, like a virtual trauermarsch for mourning computer clusters. In an attempt on imitating the intimate parts of human music performance the Abyssopelagic hymns and the virtual shipwrecked tea clippers merges into simple numbers and code. Executed by TCF for his own personal entertainment. While the wind is blowing heavy from a Corsair, a constructed adulteration of tea with gypsum and cyanide is enjoyed from a gentlewoman in white. Can I hear some compositional artifacts in the rendering process? The Ambassador was said to be “very cranky and overmasted”. While going at a good clip, the water sprite spreads it’s dark shadow over TCF’s neurological binary. It inspects the 1260° fire with a zinc white gaze. A morphed topological simulation of charcoal fired leaves safely packed in plastic and Aluminum. Enjoy your cuppa while it lasts.
TCF (Aedrhlsomrs Lauecehrofn) is an ordered list of elements of finite possible plaintexts, finite possible cyphertexts, finite possible keys, and the encryption and decryption algorithms which correspond to each key. If ‘My last vinyl’ becomes ‘ym alst ilnyv’, what might seem like a trivial simple rearrangement scheme reveals another key to TCF’s practice.
Ekster is a Belgian record label based in Antwerp, founded by Victor Robyn in May 2013. Ekster is releasing a personal selection of electronic compositions with a great variety of styles from artists like Hiele, Hantrax and Jack N. Riot.
Tracklist: A1) Giorgio Gigli & Fabrizio Lapiana Light Storm
B1) NX1 RC1
B2) Error Etica Dune
Press Info:
Originally a weekly broadcast radio show on the Dutch-based XT3 Radio, Reclaim Your City (RYC) gained its reputation as a highly acclaimed podcast series with its headquarters in Berlin. Since 2012, over ninety podcasts have been published from some of the biggest names in contemporary techno, Jeroen Search, Adriana Lopez, Jonas Kopp, Max_M, Svreca, Sleeparchive and Edit-Select to name a few. With such success through its podcast series, RYC has decided to take matters to the next level and establish a label using its powerful concept as a platform.
Constantly gaining momentum and strength, techno epicenters have erupted from under the surface showcasing talent from across the globe. With each release RYC will exhibit two influential cities in the underground techno sphere by carefully selecting two artists from each region who exemplify modern style as well as the vision of RYC. In combination with a strong passion for art, each release will feature original artwork based around minimal and obscure atmospheres influenced by the architecture of the featured city or region.
For its second release RYC has decided to showcase Rome and Barcelona, two cities with both a very healthy upcoming techno scene. For this second release Giorgio Gigli & Fabrizio Lapiana has decided to team up representing Rome, as NX1 and Error Etica will be in full support of Barcelona.
Bringing us the first track on the EP is techno mainstay Giorgio Gigli, which is well known for his deep, evocative soundscapes and huge releases on labels such as Electric Deluxe, Zooloft, Prologue and M_Rec Ltd. He joines forces with Attic Music founder Fabrizio Lapiana, distinctive for his precise and intimate techno flow. “Light Storm” is a long techno track which takes you on a journey of horizontal, metaphysical and stratospheric connotations.
Starting the B-Side you will find a heavy hitter by Nexe Records owners NX1. “RC1” a techno heavyweight determine to kill the floor by a drop of the needle.The final track of the EP by Error Etica, “Dune” reshapes bassline and kick into an original arpeggio, adding effects and peppering the track into a heavy cut of nononsense techno.
Press Info :
Tessela returns to R&S for his latest single.
Coming off the back of his last release ‘Rough 2’, ‘Bottom Out’ sees Russell further deconstructing
and stripping back his sound to thrilling effect.
Inspired by a frenetic session in the days after hearing Ben UFO’s Fabric Birthday party DJ set, the phasing drum track and disorientating acid squiggles are sure to confound and tantalise in equal measure. Long time partner in crime Kowton steps up to deliver a metronomic sweat-inducing workout that stays true to the uncompromising nature of the original, whilst twisting it into new and perplexing shapes.
B-side ‘Total Music’ takes a sample from a DIY locked groove inspired by artist, Haroon Mirza – coming on like some twisted communication from a rave in another dimension, it’s stunning in its bold simplicity.
Press Info:
frank bretschneider’s new project SINN+FORM (MEANING AND FORM) is based on the idea of a fundamentally chaotic world as we know it from mathematical or physical theories and models (dynamical systems, probability theory, stochastic systems), and the constant attempt of man to recognize and to describe, predict, control and change this world.
musically, this system is simulated electronically using a modular synthesizer system. various modules produce a constant flow of randomly generated data that modulate the decisive musical parameters (pitch, note length, volume, tone). the attempt of SINN + FORM in this context is to transform this stream of events into a musically relevant system of chaos and order, dynamics and statics, content and form by means of an improvised but deliberate process of constant control and influence.
aesthetically, the project recalls the electronic music of the mid 20th century: studios such as the IRCAM in paris, stockholm?s EMS (elektronmusikstudion), the WDR »studio for electronic music« in cologne, or new york?s »columbia- princeton electronic music center«. SINN + FORM also captures the dynamics and energy of a spontaneous improvisation, last but not least as a reaction to a complex world, a world in permanent crisis.
the material was recorded in july 2014 at EMS, stockholm, using the buchla and serge analog synthesizer systems.
Press Info (English):
Former Ostgut Ton label manager, DJ and producer Nick Höppner releases his debut album Folk on Ostgut Ton.
I first met Nick Höppner at Mutek, Montreal in 2007. We were backstage shortly after he had finished performing live as MyMy (together with Lee Jones). Being a huge MyMy fan at the time, I brought all my enthusiasm to him and likely completely overwhelmed the guy. Regardless, I was immediately struck with his genuine sincerity and honesty. Getting to know Nick over the years, these traits aged well and have come to great influence. From his tenure as the founding label manager and A&R for Berghain’s Ostgut Ton label (until stepping down in late 2012), to his extensive solo output and of course his genre-sprawling late-night DJ sets at his musical home Panorama Bar. In the 14 years since he moved to Berlin, Nick Höppner has managed to dance in and out of the spotlight, remaining an intriguing and perhaps a defining member of the Berlin Techno/House community.
“I see Techno and House as an intrinsic part of day to day culture here in Berlin. So many lives and lifestyles (r)evolve around this music. Mine included. (In Berlin,) Techno and House inspire a level of identification and loyalty which I still find amazing. I also see a difference in how people deal with this music here compared to other cities where music can be very hype driven and there’s a pressure to innovate. In Berlin, Techno and House are more vented on a constant level without being questioned too much. It’s tried and tested — loved for exactly what it is.”
The result is Folk — a deeply personal and intimate album created for everyone. Recorded throughout 2014 in his Berlin studio, Folk is a musical statement that goes beyond the politics of Nick’s Hamburg-bred DIY roots. It should be seen as proof that you don’t need to look anywhere else other than yourself if you want to create or achieve something.
“I decided to call my album Folk because I feel that we all work with a sonic vocabulary that was developed by a relatively small set of pioneers 20 or 30 years ago, that took their cues from disco which was influenced by R&B, Funk, Soul, etc, down to the most primal ritualism of tribal drums. This sort of traditionalism appears to have been passed on from generation to generation with everyone adding their own perspective to it, thus making it more difficult to trace it all back to a source. One can argue that a lot of it is passed through records but I feel the most important ways of experiencing, enjoying and learning about the music happens inside a club. I also call this Folk as the blueprint of this music was laid out on what were originally cheap instruments from a dusty thrift store — in 1985, the TB-303 was the equivalent of a worn out acoustic guitar. Today this is reflected by the immense and accessible power of creation found in a $500 laptop running a crack of Reason or Ableton.”
Folk feels like one of those rare albums that I will put on in ten years and it will sound as relevant as it is today. There is music to be heard in Folk — idiosyncratic tracks that cross the vast continent of Techno and House music. Each track is adorned with many different musical styles brought together by the unifying power of the 4/4 kick. From the submerged sounds of opener “Paws”, the upbeat slap bass rhythm of “Out Of” or in the highly infectious vocal hymn “Come Closer”, his open minded attitude towards music leaves little reason to discriminate by genre. Nick Höppner has brought Folk to the digital age. A full-length that can be easily listened to in the club or at home — a testament to his voracious appetite for music and a significant addition to the soundtrack of Berlin.
– Jon Berry, Kompakt, Berlin, December 2014 –
Press Info (German):
Der frühere Ostgut Ton-Labelmanager, DJ und Produzent Nick Höppner veröffentlicht sein Debütalbum Folk auf Ostgut Ton.
Ich traf Nick Höppner zum ersten Mal 2007 beim Mutek, Montreal. Wir waren Backstage kurz nach Ende seiner Liveperformance als MyMy (zusammen mit Lee Jones). Ich war zu der Zeit ein großer MyMy-Fan, brachte Nick all meinen Enthusiasmus entgegen und habe ihn dabei wahrscheinlich völlig überfordert. Dennoch: Ich war überrascht von seiner einzigartigen Offenheit und Ehrlichkeit. Während ich Nick im Laufe der folgenden Jahre immer besser kennen lernte, reiften diese Charakterzüge und zeugten von großem Einfluss auf mich – von seinem Posten als gründender Labelmanager und A&R für das Berghain-Label Ostgut Ton (bis zu seinem Rücktritt Ende 2012) über seinen eigenen Output als Produzent und natürlich seine Genre-übergreifenden, spätabendlichen DJ-Sets in seiner musikalischen Heimat Panorama Bar. In den 14 Jahren seit seines Umzugs nach Berlin hat Nick Höppner es geschafft, sich innerhalb wie außerhalb des Rampenlichts zu bewegen, aber stets ein verblüffender, vielleicht sogar definierender Teil der Berliner Techno/House-Gemeinschaft zu sein.
„Ich sehe Techno und House als wesentlichen Teil der Alltagskultur hier in Berlin. So viele Leben und Lebensstile zirkulieren um bzw. entstehen aus dieser Musik. Meine eingeschlossen. Techno und House (in Berlin) führen zu einem Level an Identifikation und Loyalität, das ich immer noch erstaunlich finde. Ich sehe auch einen Unterschied darin, wie Leute hier mit dieser Musik umgehen – verglichen mit anderen Städten, wo Musik sehr hypegetrieben sein kann und das einen Innovationsdruck erzeugt. In Berlin haben sich Techno und House eher auf einem konstanten Level eingepegelt, ohne zu sehr hinterfragt zu werden. Die Musik wurde erprobt und hat sich bewährt – und wird geliebt für das, was sie ist.“
Das Ergebnis ist Folk – ein zutiefst persönliches und intimes Album, geschaffen für Jedermann. Aufgenommen 2014 in seinem Berliner Studio ist Folk ein musikalisches Statement, das weit über die Prinzipien von Nicks Hamburger DIY-Wurzeln hinausweist. Es sollte als Beweis dafür verstanden werden, dass man auf nichts anderes als sich selbst achten muss, wenn man etwas schaffen und erreichen möchte.
„Ich entschied mich für den Albumtitel Folk aus dem Eindruck, dass wir alle mit sonischem Vokabular arbeiten, das von einer sehr kleinen Gruppe von Pionieren vor zwanzig oder dreißig Jahren entwickelt wurde, die ihre Stichworte der Disco-Musik entlehnten; die wiederum von R&B, Funk, Soul etc. beeinflusst war, und dann runter zum Urritualismus tribalistischsten Drummings. Diese Art des Traditionalismus scheint mir von Generation zu Generation weitergereicht worden zu sein, während jede(r) seine eigene Perspektive beisteuerte, wobei es immer schwieriger wurde, das Ganze zu einer Quelle zurückzuverfolgen. Man kann darüber streiten, ob der Großteil über Platten vermittelt wird. Aber ich glaube, dass die wichtigsten Momente des Erlebens, Vergnügens und Lernens über die Musik im Club stattfinden. Ich nenne es auch Folk, weil die Blaupause dieser Musik auf billigen Instrumenten aus einem Gebrauchtwarenladen entstand. 1985 war der TB-303 das Äquivalent zu einer abgegriffenen Akustikgitarre. Heutzutage wird das von der immensen und erschwinglichen Schaffenskraft reflektiert, die in einem 400€ teuren Laptop mit einer gecrackten Version von Reason oder Ableton steckt.“
Folk wirkt wie eines jener raren Alben, das ich auch in zehn Jahren noch auflegen werde, und es wird genau so relevant klingen, wie es das heute tut. Es gibt Musik zu hören auf Folk – eigenwillige Stücke, die den großen Kontinent von Techno- und House-Music abschreiten. Jeder Track ist verziert mit unterschiedlichsten musikalischen Stilen unter der vereinigenden Kraft der 4/4-Kick. Vom abtauchenden Klang des Openers „Paws“, dem fröhlich gestimmten Schlagbass-Rhythmus in „Out Of“ oder der höchst ansteckenden Vocal-Hymne „Come Closer“ gibt die freigeistige Haltung zur Musik wenig Anlass zur Diskriminierung per Genreschublade. Nick Höppner hat Folk ins digitale Zeitalter übertragen. Ein Album, das problemlos im Club oder zu Hause gehört werden kann. Ein Testament seines unbändigen Appetits an Musik und eine signifikante Erweiterung des Klangs von Berlin.
