The word purist used to get bandied around a lot when talking about techno in the 1990's. It was often in deference to the work of the (largely) Detroit and Berlin artists of the time as their music was tarred by association with the crude, cheesy Eurodance shtick of groups like 2 Unlimited and Aqua. The word became synonymous with the likes of Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Derrick May and Underground Resistance; it was also a phrase used by ardent fans to align themselves with techno from the right side of the tracks.
As minimal techno got its second airing a number of years ago with much being forged from the digital pops and clicks of fabricated machine sounds, it seemed like the purist brand of techno had been left to rust like the cities of decay that once built the sound from the ground up. In recent years this sound has been reinvigorated by producers like Kalon, Stefan Goldmann, Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock, with the latter two proving an energising force in breathing new life into techno in general. Although Klock has been actively releasing since the late 90's, it was his teaming up with Dettmann on the first Ostgut Tonträger record, “Dead Man Watches The Klock” in 2006 that launched their profiles into a new realm. The label is owned by the Berlin nightclub Berghain of which they are both residents and has itself been instrumental in playing home to some of the best techno the world has to offer. In 2008 Ostgut Tonträger proved itself to be the touchstone of techno and house, notching up stunning releases from Prosumer & Murat Tepeli with “Serenity”, Shed with the exquisite “Shedding the Past” album and MyMy's deeper nod towards house with “Southbound”. Marcel Dettmann for his part offered the second Berghain mix CD showcasing the current sound of the club while Klock largely stood back from releasing for the year to concentrate on his first album.
Titled “One”, it is unmistakably inspired by the huge factory club he DJ's at most weekends. Whilst many of the tracks are mechanistic, blinkered floor cuts there is a heart to the album and also moments of pause between the intensity where Klock indulges in some atmospheric beatless sound waves. The opener “Coney Island” displays all the orchestral drama of a Rob Hood record, setting the tone with a cool, charged air. “Check For Pulse” likewise seems to pay homage to the ghosts of minimalists past, a scant acid bass line providing the cold blooded life of the track as a scrap of human voice echoes off somewhere in the bleary distance. A muted howl provides the only real point of contrast within the track, though for all its detached ambivalence “Check For Pulse” carries with it an undeniable energy. “One” is not without its moments of humanity or emotion though; “Goodly Sin” features the vocals of Elif Bicer who appeared on Prosumer & Tepeli's “Serenity”, though Klock never lets her vocal cords stretch much further than a breathless few words. “Gloaming” is no less robotic in its execution but its church organ thrall ebbs and flows with an almost perceivable warmth, whilst the synthetic vinyl burns give the effect of the track breathing. Elif Bicer also graces “OK!” and again has very little to say for herself. Her repetitive cries tell us there is neither happiness nor sadness, just the kind of detached nihilistic conjecture that makes Cassy's (another of the Berghain residents) productions so haunting. Klock even fires something up for the dubstep fans, “Gold Rush” still crackling hot straight out of the kiln, the drums hammering out dense grooves and firing off metallic sparks.
“One” will be a hard album for many to swallow, it's textures too bleak, it's lustre not overtly apparent. However it continues on in a fine tradition of techno as a music made out of artists expressing themselves through machines or perhaps opening themselves to allow the machines to express themselves through the artists.
Ben Klock - One - The Berghain resident gets inside the ghost in the machine and has a good fiddle.
****
Silverbeat's Top 5
Synkro “Lost Love”
Intrusion “Little Angel”
Mount Kimbie “Maybes”
Ben Klock “One”
Equalized “EQD002A”
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