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FriThe De Compress programme snakes its way through subaltern territories of dark, exploratory techno.
Ideally suited to the gothic, resonant dimensions of Berghain, De Compress opens with the hazy narcotics of CTM curatorial force Michail Stangl aka Opium Hum and the occultist alchemy of Berlin Current duo OAKE (Downwards). Downwards label boss Regis partners with Russell Haswell to present malignant, visceral techno steeped in noise as Concrete Fence (PAN), an aesthetic simulated in the planar-shifting, analogue experimentation of Philadelphia duo Metasplice (Morphine Records) that tests the bounds of psycho-physiological endurance. Bodies craving rhythmic traction will find a degree of relief in the netherworld techno of Fullpanda label founder Dasha Rush, the geometric and combustible retro acid and 80s wave of Helena Hauff, and the synthesis of acid-laced techno with the bass-heavy UK breakbeats in brothers Truss and Tessela's live improvised TR\\ER collaboration.
Opium Hum, aka Michail Stangl, builds his DJ sets using sombre, hazy drones and fantastical soundscapes permeated by deep and shifting rhythms, creating what can only be called a waking dream.
Russian-born Dasha Rush is a composer, producer, sound artist, and DJ. She has released music on influential imprints Sonic Groove and Raster Noton, and runs her own label, Fullpanda.
A Philadelphia-based duo steeped in the city’s noise scene, Metasplice crafts planar-shifting, analogue techno, kinetic as an industrial steel sculpture and excruciatingly acute.
OAKE is emerging Berlin duo Eric and Bathseba, who together alchemize their own variant of dark, atmospheric techno inspired by British post-Industrial acts and the occult.
Helena Hauff has an aptitude for carbonizing dancefloors, cutting from dirty acid, Chicago house, and new/cold wave with devastatingly on-point dexterity. The Hamburg native honed her skills as a resident at the infamous Golden Pudel club, where she runs her own night, Birds and Other Instruments.
Concrete Fence is a collaborative project between Regis and Russell Haswell whose visceral, malignant strain of techno was issued on the EP New Release (1) via PAN.
TR\\ER is the collaborative project of Tom and Edward Russell, aka Truss and Tessela, coupling the acid-laced techno of the former with the bass-heavy breakbeats of the latter. Together, the brothers assemble a slew of analogue gear for all-live sets fusing the raw elements of their respective solo production styles.