Tracks That People Seem To Like

Three highly functional, eroded dub techno tracks by the St. Concrete project. Released on dubplate and digital files. Mastered by Stefan Betke (Pole) @ Scape Mastering .

St. Concrete - Mühlenstr (Original Mix)

Artist Name: Altstadt Echo
Remixers: Varg, Evigt Mörker
Release Name: 1913
Label: Modern Cathedrals
Catalog Number: MODCATH004
Formats: Vinyl, Digital
Release Date:  Now(Vinyl), April 15th (Digital)

In the fourth Modern Cathedrals release, Altstadt Echo crafts three original works with a focus on experimentation with broken beat structures and grainy percussive texture, against a backdrop of austere atmospheres. Varg contributes a remix that emphasizes the despairing tones of "The Descent," contrasted with glistening treble percussion and and stumbling bass. To end the release, Evigt Mörker offers an extended hypnotic version of the track that slowly develops from a functional framework into an atmospheric drift. 

The thematic aspects of the release follow the development of Modern Cathedrals as a label, expressing existentialist themes centered around the search for meaning in a life that forbids it. The label art features photographs of the beautiful remains of one of Detroit’s many unused churches.

Copyright: Modern Cathedrals 2017
Mastered by Neel

Gentle Indifference (Original Mix)

ARTIST: ALTSTADT ECHO
TITLE: REPOSED IN NIHILISM
LABEL: EYE TEETH (A SUBLABEL OF INTERDIMENSIONAL TRANSMISSIONS) 
MATRIX: TEETH-5

A1 Reposed in Nihilism

B1 Ersatz
B1 The Necessary Facade

This is the fifth release on Eye Teeth, the techno sublabel of Interdimensional Transmissions, by IT compatriot Alstadt Echo. Alstadt Echo effortlessly blends the avant garde with industrial techno influences into his own deeply austere sound, with grainy textures contrasting perfectly against his  broken beat structures. The influences are clear, he has even been honored by one - with multiple tunes included on Regis’ “The Boys are Here” mix tape. Alstadt Echo also runs his own Detroit imprint known as Modern Cathedrals, an ode to the concept of cathedrals of sound, the place where this music belongs.

We started this sublabel as way of exploring pure and experimental techno in an entirely contemporary context (where IT often uses historical lenses and a wider musical context). This is Techno from Detroit and America, not Detroit Techno. We would like to see American Techno evolve, and this new imprint is an attempt to be a catalyst in that arena.

This EP was pre-mastered by Neel at Enisslab Studio in Rome. The vinyl was mastered by Carl at Trutone and pressed at Archer Records in Detroit.

distributed by Rush Hour

contact eyeteeth@interdimensionaltransmissions.com

A1 Altstadt Echo - Reposed In Nihilism (Excerpt)

https://www.beatport.com/release/exhumed-tapes-i/2257187

Exhumed Tapes I is the first in a multi-artist series of cassette releases on the Modern Cathedrals label. With label art featuring small details of "important graves," the series will dig into eery, broken beat techno with gritty textures. The first cassette begins in a natural place: with Altstadt Echo crafting four works presented with an image depicting the grave-side rubble of his often-referenced inspiration Albert Camus. It will be limited to 50 hand-numbered physical copies. 

Copyright: Modern Cathedrals 2018
Mastered by Tim Xavier @ Manmade Mastering, Berlin

Exhumed I.I

In Exhumed I.IV we can hear the balance between dancefloor orientation and subtle experimentation that clearly pulls influence from both Detroit and UK styles of techno. A heavy, textured broken beat is accompanied by a lamenting atmosphere, in the style that the artist has become known for. This same combination is used across the four-track EP but to varying ends, displaying an impressive diversity of moods and ideas that belies its aesthetic cohesion. While some tracks strike a more somber tone, others are more concerned with reverberating space and detailed percussion.

Exhumed Tapes I is out on April 24th. The release will be limited to 50 hand-numbered physical copies, distributed by Readymade from Berlin. It was mastered by Tim Xavier at Man Made Mastering.

MNMT Premiere: Altstadt Echo – Exhumed I.IV

1954 is the fifth vinyl release on the Modern Cathedrals label by recent Detroit export Altstadt Echo. Staying true to the themes of the the “year series” that began with the 1913 EP and was followed by the 1905 EP, the artist continues to explore somber, broken beat techno with an eroded, highly-textured percussive focus. 

In the previous two EPs from this series, Altstadt Echo was joined by Varg, Abdulla Rashim, Stave, and Evigt Morker on remix duty. For the 1954 EP, he’s commissioned UK artist Szare, who delivers a highly danceable revision that combines the ghostly vocals of the original with highly frenetic percussive injections. 

The artwork of the EP is aligned with the label’s greyscale documentation of Detroit, this time featuring the stunning architecture of the New Center district of the city. The photos were taken by the artist prior to his move to Berlin in Fall 2017. 

Vinyl release: July 2018
Digital Release: Late August 2018

Copyright: Modern Cathedrals 2018
Mastered by Tim Xavier @ Manmade Mastering, Berlin

Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/moderncathedrals
Soundcloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/altstadt-echo
Discogs link: https://www.discogs.com/label/844154-Modern-Cathedrals

Across The Field (Original Mix)

https://semanticarecords.bandcamp.com/album/this-work-contains-lead-semantica-109

"This Work Contains Lead" is the debut album by Altstadt Echo, a techno and ambient artist whose career began in Detroit and has lead him to Berlin. It will be released on the Semantica label in May 2019. 

As a concept album, the atmospheres and melodic elements used are entirely constructed from a single 16th-century choral acapella recording. While this is sometimes explicit (as in "An Early Death"), other times the recording is entirely transfigured by effects and meticulous processing. The selection of this sound source reflects an ongoing theme in Altstadt Echo’s work: a tension between feelings of reverence manifested by religious art and his own gradual abandonment of spiritual belief following a religious upbringing. The album's title, "This Work Contains Lead," is taken from a warning text at the bottom of an art museum description plaque. It’s a reflection of Altstadt Echo’s beliefs about religion and the art that arises from it—while both can be powerful to observe, they can ultimately be toxic to come into contact with.

Individual tracks explore the nuances of this theme. Starting with "Miracles and Dust" and "Nothing Can Happen," the artist sets the pace of the album by combining driving techno percussion with lamenting atmospheres, creating tension through contrasting traditionally "beautiful" harmonies with dissonant elements. An interlude is then created by "An Early Death," a short piece that plays with how the core elements of the album's construction (choral recording and brief noise samples) can establish a sense of space. Temporarily leaving behind techno, "Watch a Moth Drink Tears" begins with with colossal broken-beat drums that are gradually usurped by a calm yet unsettling central melody. It is given geographic context by a field recording (made by the artist on Cass Avenue in Detroit) that continues in the next track, "Buried in Ash." This track returns to a more upbeat techno format, given weight by a somber melodic centerpoint. As a second vignette within the album, "Unbearably Radiant" combines explosive percussion with urgent choral drones, foreshadowing the album's conclusion. In the next two tracks, "And Then I Want It To Be Over" and "We Feel Like Rust," a somewhat bleak or hopeless mood is shaped by decaying atmospheres and broken percussive patterns. The work then concludes with "Concrete Turns to Gold," an anthemic, high-energy techno track that builds into scintillating, cathartic choral reverberations.  

The album art features photography by the artist, taken in midtown Detroit during the winter of 2014. 

The release coincides with the fifth annual Detroit afterparty organized by Altstadt Echo and collaborators. Held at the Tangent Gallery (the now legendary venue that hosts both No Way Back and label events for Tresor and The Bunker), the "Eden" afterparty series has grown from a concert-style live show experience into a multi-room, cathedral-themed kick-off for the biggest weekend in Detroit techno.

All tracks written & produced by Altstadt Echo.
Mastered by Tim Xavier at Manmade Mastering, Berlin.
Cat. No. SEMANTICA109 – all rights reserved.
℗ & © Semantica 2019
www.semanticarecords.com

Nothing Can Happen [SEMANTICA 109]

"Concrete Turns To Gold" by @altstadt-echo will be released on May 24th through @semantica-records. More info: bit.ly/AltstadtConcrete

This Work Contains Lead

Concrete Turns To Gold

Altstadt Echo - Concrete Turns To Gold

@Altstadt-Echo releases "This Work Contains Lead LP" on  @Semantica-Records. Monument premieres the opening track of the producers' debut album, that will be out on May 24th.

MNMT Premiere: Altstadt Echo – Miracles And Dust

@Uun - Architects Of Fear EP [SOMA556D]

1. The Vanity Trap
2. Between The Lines
3. The Vanity Trap ( @altstadt-echo Remix )
4. Machinations of Descent

Detroit based producer Uun returns to Soma following an impressive debut on the label earlier this year with more deep, dark seeded Techno in the Architects Of Fear EP. This ominous and brooding release is backed by a remix from fellow US producer Altstadt Echo who recently released his first, full length album on seminal Techno label, Semantica. 

The Vanity Trap opens the EP with a sense of urgency as bouncing rhythms steadily open up into pulsating, electric synths that seem to crawl through your skin whilst fast, effective percussion keep the pace. Between The Lines keeps the release pounding with a huge kicks and perfectly built hypnotic rhythms. Altstadt Echo steps up next with his remix of The Vanity Trap. His take offers a more broken beat and deeper affair as he puts the originals synths to work in a more drone orientated fashion. Machinations Of Descent closes the EP on a throughly hard hitting tone yet melancholic tone. An astute ambient producer as well, he merges his Techno & melodic elements beautifully on this track.

Mastered By Conor Dalton @ http://glowcast.co.uk

Architects Of Fear EP

The Vanity Trap (Altstadt Echo Remix)

Uun - The Vanity Trap (Altstadt Echo Remix) - Soma556d

St. Concrete - Cass Ave (Original Mix)

This is the second release in Modern Cathedrals' "Sacred Sevens" catalog, a series of EP's released on 7" and 10" vinyl records. This EP features an original track by Altstadt Echo, as well as an Israel Vines & Ken Meier remix of his work "Ersatz," originally released on the EYE TEETH label in 2017 (gratefully used with permission from the label). 

Catalog #: MODCATHSS02
Mastered by Neel at Enisslab

Bandcamp

Altstadt Echo - Nothing Clever (Original Mix)

Artist @ Semantica // Modern Cathedrals // etc.
Host @ Dub Monitor

In the last three years, Altstadt Echo has accomplished what most up-and-coming artists only talk about: a handful of vinyl and cassette releases, performances at respected clubs and festivals like Tresor, Griessmuehle, and Movement Detroit, and the curation of an event series - Modern Cathedrals presents Eden - that has become a fixture of local underground culture. His musical signature combines lamenting and ethereal atmospheres with eroded, broken-beat percussion. Drawing inspiration from modern literature, Altstadt Echo imbues his music with somber reflection on the process of trying to create meaning in modern life. He's been remixed by electronic music leaders across the world - from Erika and Terrence Dixon in Detroit to Anthony Linell and Varg in Europe. He's been called "Detroit techno's new guard" by Resident Advisor, "the avant-garde element to Detroit Techno" by SPIN Magazine, and "one of Detroit's fastest rising electronic music names" by the Detroit Free Press. His tracks have been featured on Regis mixtapes, written-up by Resident Advisor, and sold out at Hardwax.

Tracks That People Seem To Like

Altstadt Echo & St. Concrete