K209 aka Milton Bradley and Henning Baer is a brand new venture to surface from deep within a dank and poorly lit Berlin basement. The label's hugely impressive first release strongly adheres to its sister labels Do Not Resist The Beat and Vault Series sound, or as a Hardwax puts it, harder stomping noisy techno cuts.
Going Forward and itsgalumphing conveyor belt stomp lumbers in time with haunting glockenspiels and subzero snare hits served directly from Ben Klock’s freezer. Going Forward loutishly barges its way through what seems to be a country club serving afternoon tea in which it politely excuses itself and continues on its merry blitzkrieg way.
On the flip Milton Bradley’s Diffusion sees shrieking electron impulses warp and torture around a mass of agitated and noisy sound design, resulting in a wrath of electrifying terror. Henning Baer proves privy to analogue production with his first solo release Slate Grey, an ode to Basic Channel’s high noise floor and scuffled dub template.
K209’s Going ForwardEP is a beautiful serving of raw and industrial sized Berlin techno, which will no doubt have DJ's filing anything K209 under ‘buy on sight'.
Listen and grab the 12" from Hardwax whilst you still can here
Saturday March 19th hAUL and TEA Music were proud to present Xhin, one of todays most thrilling talents in contemporary techno.
After a successful party in Perth the night prior, Xhin was ready to experience what Melbourne's techno community had to offer. hAUL Music chieftain Craig McWhinney took charge of warming Miss Libertine's ears and did so with a medley of style and grace helping in muster a feverish main room.
A master in the dark art of brooding and dusky techno, Xhin's genre bending and all inclusive set left no holes barred. UK electronica pioneers Aphex Twin (Caustic Window), Autechre, Squarepusher and Melbourne set starter Clark were rallied up against some of todays equally inspiring contemporary artists Sepalcure, Addison Groove and Jimmy Edgar.
Pic-White Walls Studio
Miss Libertine, ravenous for some raw, industrial and dub laden cuts were won over thanks to Xhin's selections of James Ruskin, Robert Hood, Traversasable Wormhole, Surgeon, Tommy Four Seven, Ben Sims, Lucy and of course the man himself.
Weighing things up in Miss Libertine's front room was everyone's favourite Aussie Mike Callander and local Melbourne jock Isaac Fryar. Together the two maintained a divertied and mellifluous vibe whilst giving shelter to those not bold enough to withstand Xhin's micro-progamming and virtuoso mixing.
Pic-White Walls Studio
Xhin was in no mood for slowing down and didnt until dropping Oni Ayhun - OAR003-B late on, closing what was an memorable night of eclectic electronic music. As OAR003-B slowly ticked down Xhin was left with the adoring cheers and woops from a faithful Miss Libertine and Melbourne nightlife. TEA's James Manning wrapped up what was an entertaining and educational night with some techno that you would deem appropriate for 4am onwards.
Pic-White Walls Studio
Special thanks goes to Lucrezia Invernizzi-Tettoni for taking these amazing pictures on the night. For more on White Walls Studio work check out DUST & DESSERT a magazine, book, blog, exhibition and studio run out of Sydney.
TEA's next party will be with the UK's JUG (autoreply/Vitalik/Release Sustain) at Melbourne's Loop Bar. Event details here
For a full track list of Xhin's set look no further then here.
Darko Esser and Lucy have kindly donated a free download of Lucy's Melting Pot remix to Darko Esser's Clean Slate. Innervisions, Miss Kittin and Barker & Baumecker are some of the other names to contribute to the SOUL AID: Music For Japancause
SOUL AID: Music For Japan has a focus to give spiritual support to Japanses music fans through 'food for the soul', music which SOUL AID believes can give more hope and strength then that of material donations.
Dont be alarmed if you feel slightly dwarfed when the name Len Faki is mentioned around you 'he has that effect on people' whispers an anonymous bystander.
After a career and life changing move from Stuttgart to Berlin in 2003, Len Faki has grown in stature and sound. His 3 labels Figure, Podium and Figure SPC all harbour the trademark of innovative and daring sounds that have helped sculpture todays techno into a forward thinking and danceable standard.
Len Faki can also be credited as one of the first residents at techno mecca Berghain, in which he says is a saviour of techno music. Not doubt if techno was to have a hall of fame Len Faki would be one of the first ushered in, framed and mounted.
TEA caught up with Len prior to his London show at Fabric this Saturday to talk moving house, domestic safety, label concepts and Lemongrass.
Tell us a bit Len Faki pre Berlin. Where were you living and what first lead you towards electronic music?
I lived and grew up in the south of Germany, Stuttgart. In the 90’s before I got into electronic music I was totally into rock and punk. Seeing bands and attending concerts was how I spent my spare time, club life was not existent. One day a close friend of mine started babbling about this new style of music he couldn’t really describe. Unwillingly I went with him to a local club where I first heard acid/techno and that was it, one of the key moments in my life, I will never forget that moment. I danced the whole night and into the next day, my first rave. I felt so alive and happy, it was amazing.
What then spawned the move to Berlin?
I was thinking about moving for while. Berlin had fascinated me for quite some time and I always wanted to be part of what was going on there, but hesitated. I was waiting for when the time was right. Besides, the Stuttgart club scene was deteriorating. Lots of police were showing up at almost every party, raids and long checks on everyone before entering the clubs, things like that can kill a club scene atmosphere. The final straw which lead me to move or which lead me to my ‘destiny’ was my neighbours apartment went up in flames and mine was badly damaged, so I literally had to move. This is something I'm really grateful for in retrospect. I was absolutely desperate, all my furniture, a large portion of my records and studio equipment was devastated and alas no insurance!
Your my third Berghain resident I’ve been lucky enough to speak with. You each have your own story of how your involvement with Berghain/Ostgut began. How was it for you?
Before Berghain opened its doors their was a forerunner by the same owners, Ostgut. It was located just 100 meters from where Berghain is today, now a huge ice hockey rink and concert hall has taken its place. I first played at Ostgut around one year before its closure and it was great. The feeling and contact between the owners was one of those encounters where you are on the same wavelength straight away. They booked me three more times during this last year of Ostgut which made me feel more and more at home there. The owners were already talking of this new place called Berghain and what it was going to be like, but of course it had no fixed program. When I moved to Berlin one of the owners (Michael) came around for dinner to talk about me becoming a resident. It was a friendly experience and happened quite naturally. Lucky me I know (laughs).
Many artists cite Berghain as a big influence on their productions. Is this the same case for you?
That’s for sure! To it me it feels like symbiosis, it connects my own style and character. Because of the residency and therefore being a constant part of Berghain for over six years now it has definitely imprinted on me. Two tracks in particular were directly inspired by the club. When producing 'Bx3' I always pictured in my mind the dancefloor, the club and the crowd. The track truly can be considered as a hommage to Berghain. Same goes for 'Kraft und Licht' for Ostgut Ton’s funf compilation. It represents the feeling in the late afternoon hours of Sunday when everybody is feeling that special indescribable joy.
Tell us about your track Kraft Und Licht for Funf. How was it trawling through all of emika’s foley recordings and how many of them did you use in that production?
Gee, that was huge. A gigantic sound library that emika created. All that passion, time and enthusiasm, she did some incredible work. It took what felt ages to listen through it all and the one and only element I chose hit me straight up from the first listen. It’s the sound of the main entrance doors of Berghain. As a sound it's similar to a big room snare hit. I loved that sound especially as I knew it was the entrance, the door where the world of Berghain begins and ends is what attracted me to the production.
Do field recordings play a role in your production?
Actually no. I know there are many producers doing this who have my huge and honest, but for me it hasn’t played a part so far. For me it was an interesting and inspiring excursion to take thanks to Berghain and emika’s foley!
How are things going with your Podium night and label? Will this be an ongoing project and what can we expect in the future?
Oh yeah, it has no time limit. I love the idea of having a release with artists that I admire to celebrate with friends at my Podium night in Berghain. A major component of the night is that I’m always involved with a release. Due to a notorious lack of production from my part there have only been five releases and nights so far. It has really surprised me in a pleasant way how nice the reactions have been.
You are playing fabric this Saturday. How often do you play London and how influential do think clubs like Fabric and Berghain are on electronic music today?
What can I say! I’m always happy to play in London. It’s the city that did and is making electronic music the way it is today. I had an amazing time playing Fabric last year. I love the feeling of communication between myself and the people. London is as a city for music and Fabric is a club institution,. Regarding techno I truly believe that Berghain saved techno, why? Because of its reputation and the spread word through mouth. The atmosphere, the industrial technoid look, it really revitalized the whole scene. Young artists have been inspired all over the world to dare and produce techno again.
So tell us a bit about your labels. Figure originally started as a medium for you to release your own material but has since moved on to harbour quite an impressive roster. How are things going for Figure and what do yo have planned for the future?
That’s right, I started Figure fresh after my move to Berlin. A new start with the new surroundings. As you said originally Figure was intended as a platform for my own productions. Over time it has smoothly and healthily developed into an artist oriented label, taking other artists on board and having a nice sound and community whilst maintaining the idea of providing great dance music. Music we love and want to share. The next step is to get even more artist oriented with closer relationships with certain artists and the introduction of albums. This will help form a close circle of artists and great roster who will support each other.
And the concept behind your Figure SPC imprint? Tell us about that.
Figure SPC is special to me as I received a large amount of music by great artists that made great music. A lot of the music didn’t really fit the kind of sound that Figure was known for. The sound on SPC is much deeper and housier, transporting more timeless sounds. The focus is not to have music that is only for peak time dance floors. It can be clubby but it doesn’t have to be, it’s more for the feeling. I have to be careful not to confuse people when they listen to a Figure release as I don't want then to have an expectation of what they’ll hear. On the other hand I didn’t want to let these great tracks pass me by just because they didn’t fit to the current Figure style. So the idea to start a stream of special releases was born aka Figure SPC. I’m so happy that I have a medium to release a range of music without confusing my audience.
How do you go about deciding which artists will suite which label?
I’m very open in general and love to be surprised. I love artists that are daring and try new things, it’s all about the music. It’s not important what you have done before or where you are coming from, the music has to speak to me personally. This is unpredictable and predictable at the same time. Of course I have a personal taste, but it varies. I prefer artists with which I can connect with on a personal level, that plays a huge role for sure. I like it professional, but friendly. It’s like a package that contains the music I love from a very nice and easy going person.
I’d like to speak a little about two of your artists in particular. The first is Markus Suckut who burst on to the scene last year, how did you first get in touch with him?
Nice to hear you mention him! It was quite extraordinary for sure. He sent me a demo and that was it. I say extraordinary because of the flood of demos I receive and it is not usual that a release happens this way, well at least not from my experience. It usually happens because of recommendations or some sort of personal contact. So Markus sent me an email at the beginning of last year introducing himself with some of his material. I was very impressed with him straight away, he really has his own unique style and since then we have stayed in touch. A few months ago he sent me some material that blew me away and I wanted to release it no matter what. He is a very nice person and I can only talk highly of him, so be sure there is more to be expected of Markus Suckut.
And the brooding talents of the Japanese A.Mochi. How did things happen there?
He is such a great guy. I’m always happy to support and praise his amazing talent. I was lucky enough to recognize this right from his very first release. I sent him my thumbs up via myspace and he told me that he loves my label so from then on we wrote back and forth. A very nice myspace friendship followed. He later sent me some new material which I released. We always meet in person when I’m in Tokyo. He definitely is one of Figures artists who has a strong bond to the label musically and personally.
He recently released his Primordial Soup EP parts 1,2 and 3. Did you ever think about releasing this as an LP?
Funny you ask. It was conceptualized as an album but for obvious reasons you might consider it as an EP. Reason for doing it in three parts was because of the love for vinyl, but due to the bad economic situation of the vinyl market we figured it would be smarter to release it in a three part series. For asia we were able to keep to the original album format with a special cd version. Watch out for some upcoming remixes for the album too.
What is next for Len Faki
The very next thing is an apartment move, no fire needed this time (laughs). Quite a move with all my records and studio gear. As always their will be ongoing label work and of course getting back into my own productions for Figure as well as a new Ostgut Ton project. If time is on my side a Cocoon maxi is in the works so the Len Faki wheels are in motion.
What is your favourite tea?
Green Tea with Lemongrass and a shot of Honey. Thanks for asking.
The artist formally known as...Headhunter prepares to drop the Its Got Me/Minutes Of Funk ep with a Martyn 3024 stamp of approval.
Addison Groove reprazentz the Bristol massive on Souf London imprint Swamp 81 with previous jacks Footcrab/Dumbshit and Work it/Sexual tickling everyone pink. Addison Groove this time around supports a slightly deeper vibe in comparison thanks to a sprinkling of house warmth, but never fear AD's trademark 808's are still pumping into overdrive.
Addison Groove - Its Got Me/Minutes Of Funk is due for a release May 2nd.
The past two weeks at TEA HQ have been nothing but boiling kettles and Q&A's directed at some of techno musiq's most established names.
This time UK and Blueprint Guv'na James Ruskin gets the TEA treatment via Juno Plus with questions on fatherhood, working relationships and a nascent London techno scene.
For the budding producer Markus Suckut is a perfect example of how to patiently time your debut and burst on to a scene. Before 2010 the name Markus Suckut was probably talked about most by his mother, but after 3 successive releases on Stroboscopic Artefacts, Lineal and Figure SPC he has made strong in roads in to becoming techno's new house hold name.
Avoiding to chase the pinksilver of Berlin's inundated electronic music scene, Markus Suckut has opted to remain in his hometown of Velbert-Langenberg, a quaint German outpost known for its fresh air, woods and nibbling squirrels. A humble yet excitable Markus Suckut caught up with TEA for chats on extended DJ sets, the great outdoors, tinnitus prevention and cinnamon tea.
You have mentioned your disliking of DJ’s playing short sets. At what point does a DJ become and extended one and what is your perfect length?
First of all, thank you for having me TEA.
You are right, I really don't like playing for just two hours. I love and always try to take people on a journey when they are going to a club to see me play, I don't think that's possible in two hours. It's a big challenge for me to compress four or five hours into two and sadly most clubs only have that two hour slot. When I get booking requests I always ask them if it's possible to play longer. I usually start my sets with harder and rougher stuff because people expect that, but after a while I really like to get deep into my sets, I really enjoy the third and fourth hours.
Your releases always seem to have a track in excess of 10 minutes. Are these tracks influenced by long DJ sets and connections you’ve had or hope to make with a dance floor.
Yes, some of my tracks are around 10 minutes like 'Vary' or 'Pulse' on Stroboscopic Artefacts or 'Shine' on Figure SPC. I like that idea of creating a tool, a perfect loop you can listen to for hours, that's a challenge for me. I enjoy playing tracks like this in my sets. Take productions from DVS1 for example, they are perfect. He creates that kind of atmosphere, a clap here and there then some hi-hats, you can get lost listening to those kind of tracks. I really like to play around with this idea in my sets and productions.
You mention that artists such as Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock are opening up dancefloors and peoples opinions of techno via their DJ sets. This could be an offspring of playing the long sets they are famous for, is this something you are striving towards as well?
I think so. I really love Ben and Marcel’s sets. Some weeks ago I had the chance see Ben Klock at a club in my home town. I hadn’t been clubbing for a while because I was getting bored of it. Where I’m from everyone plays the same, it doesn't matter where you go you always hear the same stuff, that kind of 'Beatport Top 10' music. You also have the same four to five DJ's playing at the one night on the one floor, what's the idea behind all that? I don't get it, it doesn't make sense to me. I think one or two residents and one headliner are enough to have a good night. I went to that club to see Ben and he played such a good set, maybe one of the best sets i've heard in a club to date. It was harder but after a while he got deeper. I was really shocked because the club was accepting the music he was playing. I was asking myself why all the DJ's around here aren't open minded. Maybe I’m fighting against it? I guess that's the reason why I am striving towards that.
You first started learning production in 1999. How did it all happen? Was it through DJIng, new or second hand equipment, software, your friendship groups or another means? How have you seen it build and progress to the Markus Suckut we see today?
I have been interested in electronic music from a very early age. There was a radio show every saturday night that played electronic dance music. That was one of the reasons for me to go record shopping once or twice a month, but it was more from DJing in my bedroom to no audience that got me into it. None of my friends liked that kind of music, except for one classmate. We were somewhat outsiders when it came to listening to that kind of music, everyone else was listening to commercial stuff. We recorded some broadcasts of Mayday and things like all on cassette and shared it with each other. One day I asked myself 'how are you able to produce music like this?' I think it was a natural step. I've learned everything I know now from producing music on my own and it took years to get there. It’s nice to reflect on where I am now from where I have come from.
Tell us a bit about growing up where you did and the music that influenced you when you were younger.
I was born in Hattingen and grew up in Velbert-Langenberg. It's about 10 minutes away from Essen and 30 minutes away from Duesseldorf. It's a quite place surrounded by nature, a really nice place to relax. I think it's the perfect contrast to the music I am making and perfect to come back into reality after a weekend of traveling and playing in clubs. The music which influenced me when I was younger is still influencing me in a way today. My father has a big collection of old vinyl's from when he was younger, stuff like Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones, that was the kind of music I was brought up on.
Where are you living today and how much do your surroundings influence you?
I am still living where I grew up and like I said it's a great contrast and very inspiring. It’s great for the outdoors. I enjoy the fresh air, walks through the woods and watching squirrels eat their breakfast in the garden while I’m having breakfast. This is naturally an influence as are my moods and the people that surround me.
To the music enthusiast you have only been know since last year thanks to releases on 3 stellar techno imprints, Lucy’s Stroboscopic Artefacts, Daniela Stickroth’s Lineal and Len Faki’s Figure SPC. Not a bad start. How did all this happen?
I have produced a lot of music and never sent demos to anyone, maybe I was too shy to show people what I was doing... One day I woke up and said to myself 'Hey let's give it a try'. So I sent some tracks to those three labels as I was really into that what they were doing. All three labels answered and were interested in what I was doing.
What is it like working along side along side such influential characters such as Len Faki, Lucy and Daniela Stickroth?
It's a huge honor. I have a lot of Len's older stuff in my record collection and now he totally respects what I am doing and supports me, that's one of the best compliments you can get from a guy like him. Working alongside Lucy is also amazing, I mean what he has done with Stroboscopic Artefacts in such a short amount of time is incredible. He knows what he wants and what he is searching for. Working with Daniela is always on a very high and professional level. She also runs 'Meerestief' and has been a player in the music business for some years now. She always has an open ear for her artists and gives great advice. It's a lot of fun to work with all of them, always a challenge and never boring.
How was Vive La Fete at Butan in Wuppertal?
At Butan Club I played a four hour warm set on the Stroboscopic Artefacts floor. I started smooth and deep and by the end I got a bit harder. All of the music that night and meeting the other artists made it for me. This was also the first time I had the chance to listen to Marcel Dettmann in a club.
You are also playing Berghain April 2nd for Len Faki’s Figure Klubnacht. Should we be expecting an extended set from Markus Suckut and is this your first time playing there? How do you prepare for big sets like this?
This will be the first time I’ve played at Berghain and I prey that it won't be the last (laughs). I don’t have a set time yet but I’ve been nervous and excited as hell since Len asked me if I would like to play. I don’t plan my sets, planned sets mean that you are unable to be spontaneous and react with the crowd. That's why I never lock it any specific track before a DJ set, I always try to limit myself so I can go with the flow. I have a few tracks on my MacBook for playing with Traktor Scratch and the rest is all vinyl. The good thing is that I am always able to record each set I play to create a personal archive.
Tell us about your Monad VI release with Stroboscopic Artefacts last year. SA’s Monad concept is very particular aligning geometry and cosmogony with music. How much did you relish working on a project like this which involved the track Cosmos, something a little removed from the dancefloor
After I sent Lucy my demos he asked if I would be interested in doing Monad IV. At that time it was a total secret and no one knew about the project except the artists which were involved. It was a big challenge to do something experimental because I've never done something like that before. Lucy was pushing me a lot which was great and I really enjoyed working on that project. I finished 'Parsec', 'Pulse' and 'Wormhole' first. 'Cosmos' was last and I played around with an analogue guitar delay and everything around it came together very fast.
You are also doing a Tool for SA009. How does the production vary in making tools and do you use them yourself?
I think the main difference is that tools are for digital DJ's so they are able to lay it over another track and play around with it, tools will rarely use kicks and things like that. I like the idea of doing a tool, it's a new challenge which Lucy gave me for Stroboscopic Artefacts. I think it is a very smart way of introducing IDM into club music. My productions are something that I’m always able to use in my sets.
Tell us about the Markus Suckut remix. What factors do you take into account when remixing other producers?
First of all I need to like the original or induvidual sounds from it, this helps with spontaneous ideas whilst listening to the original for the first few times. I also prefer to remix tracks that will be released on vinyl as I really love that medium. I just made two remixes which will be digital only but I liked the originals that much that I had to do them. They will be released on 'Software' and on 'Thema' from NYC. When I start a remix I have an idea in mind and I try to bring it to life, but I don't follow any master plan.
I also saw you bought yourself a new set of ear plugs. Are you one of the smart ones and putting in preventative measures for tinitus, or is it too late?
I see a lot of DJ's who don't wear earplugs that are playing week in week out in clubs, standing next to monitors for hours. I don’t think that is very healthy for your ears. I thought it was a good investment as I would love to have a small family one day be able to hear the kids playing even when I’m 70 years old (laughs).
If 2010 was an indicator of what you are capable of, then 2011 should be stratospheric. What have you got planned for this year and beyond?
The most important thing to me is longevity but it's difficult thing to achieve in a musical career. I really try not to overflow the market and just do my own thing. There are some remixes in the pipeline which I've made over the last couple of months, around five or six. They will be released and spread over this year. Also there will be one more full EP from me released on a new label called 'Thema Spacial'. Its a sublabel of NYC label Thema which I really like and it will be on vinyl. I think this will be the second release from the catlougue and my EP will be called 'Jupiter One'. I am already working on a follow up for my 'Figure SPC - J' release together with Jeroen Search who I’m really excited about working with. It's a completely new experience for me and we will see were it goes in the next few months. For Lineal I've made something with Donor from NYC, it was quite a spontaneous project. Since we are both artists from Lineal and like each others music we thought it would make sense to do something together. So you see that I have works planned for my labels in the future, that was a main criteria of mine when first choosing those labels to work with. I’m also sitting on a bunch of material I’ve made in the last couple of month which nobody has heard yet. I have plans for these but more on that when a few more steps have been taken. It seems like I will touring a bit more as well but best to check the dates on my website for bookings.
What is your favourite TEA?
Chai-Tea with cinnamon.
Take a look at the29novfilms take on Markus Suckut's Shine & You from his Figure SPC release.
For more on Markust Suckut visit his Soundcloud here and website here.
