Function lays down the Sandwell District style on this week's RA podcast.

Over the space of the last four years, Sandwell District have managed to carve out a place in the hearts of techno fans worldwide with their austere minimalist sound aesthetic. The label was actually founded by Birmingham-based Peter Sutton (AKA Female) back in 2002, but lay stagnant until it was revitalised with two releases from Sutton three years later. It has since developed into an international effort, with the Sandwell artist roster sharing the label managing responsibilities.

One member of their American wing is David Sumner (AKA Function), who got his first break via a trio of techno twelves for Damon Wild's Synewave imprint. Sumner then went on to launch his own label under the Infrastructure banner, releasing a flurry of his own material before getting in contact with Sutton's Downwards bedfellows Regis and Ian J. Richardson to sign some of their tracks. Their relationship has since grown, with Sumner becoming a fully-fledged member of their techno alliance and using it as a platform for his claustrophobic Sähkö-esque minimalism and bleakly hypnotic warehouse techno. For this RA podcast, Regis and Sumner picked the tracks, while Sumner did the mixing, and, as you might expect, it's a journey deep into the world of techno.

What have you been working on recently?

Finishing up a new Function 12-inch that will form the basis of an album and John's finishing a new Silent Servant 12-inch. Regis has been working with Ancient Methods on a 12-inch for DN.

Where and how was the mix recorded?

It was recorded at our studio in Berlin, Regis and I decided on the records together but it then made more sense to just have me do the physical mix. I had set up a chain that included Ableton, turntables, hardware and effects.

Can you tell us a little about the idea behind the mix?

I think the idea was to somehow represent what we have been doing live/out over the past year (this was a challenge to do in one hour as we play between three and five hours as a rule). From the outset it was about creating tension.

Sandwell District seems to have its basis in a lineage of anonymous techno production. Yet you consent to interviews, do podcasts, etc. How do you walk that tightrope effectively?

I think that's maybe a misconception as artist names do appear on the label. People may come to that conclusion due to operational methods we sometimes employ, as an example, artist names are sometimes added onto a release a few months after it has come out (no doubt due to indecision at the time or some internal squabble). The N/A thing was an experiment in human nature .... probably.

You recently played the Labyrinth Festival for the first time. Can you talk a little bit about the experience?

Macbook Pro, UC-33, Roland TR-808, TR-909, SH-101, Space Echo, Lexicon PCM-80, 24 Channel Mixing Desk, three hour time slot after the legendary DBX in the mountains of Nigori...

Regis and Silent Servant have a reputed love for post-punk. Are you also listening to quite a bit of rock music, or is it all techno?

From Sonic Youth to Rob Hood, Einsturzende Neubauten to U.R and The Jesus and Mary Chain to Mr. Fingers there is a connection that makes perfect sense to everyone involved with this so-called label.

What are you up to next?

A Function longplayer, a Sandwell collective album project, a limited Sandwell Mix CD, a remix package of Function tracks featuring mixes from Ben Klock, Norman Nodge and CH-Signal Laboratories and a collaboration with Jerome Sydenham, among a number of other projects.


HG - 02A - Horizontal Ground
Sweet Exorcist - Testfour - Warp Records
FB - 04A - Frozen Border
Ben Klock - Check For Pulse - Ostgut Ton
Ø - Sähkörausku - Sähkö Recordings
Function - Variance (Marcel Dettmann Edit) - Sandwell District
Silent Servant - Discipline - Sandwell District
Choice - Acid Eiffel - Fragile Recordings
Moritz von Oswald - Watamu Beach Rework - Desolat
Peter Van Hoesen - Face Of Smoke - Komisch
The Vision - A-472.0 - Hardwax
DVS1 - Running - Klockworks
DBX - Losing Control - Accelerate
G-Man - K.6 - G-Man Records
Marcel Fengler - Twisted Bleach - Ostgut Ton
Function - Disaffected (Ben Klock Remix) - Sandwell District
Function - Variance - Sandwell District
Daniel Stefanik - Effervescing Elephant - Freude Am Tanzen
Tadeo - IO (Cassy Movingonmix) - Apnea
Ben Klock - Subzero (Function-Regis Remix) - Ostgut Ton
DJ Slip - Every Time Takes a While - Creation Rebel
Lil' Louis - Frequency - Dance Mania
Ø - Atomit - Sähkö Recordings
T++ - Audio 1995 #8 - Apple Pips
Shed - Estrange - Ostgut Ton
John Carpenter - Police State / Romero And The President - Milan

RA.177-Sandwell District (19.10.2009)

Here's my remix for @ackermannmusic, out on the "Hole Dub EP" on his label "Safe Space Records".

Support your local label and get the release via the "Buy" link.

Hole Dub EP

Buy The EP

Ackermann - Hole Dub (Black Mirror Park 909 Workout Remix)

Extract of my opening set from Archiv Teknologi night at Ankali 25.11.2022.

Archiv Teknologi ~ Kletis [Ankali - 25.11.2022]

I really like the original - I had a wilder version in mind.

You can download it for free here or bandcamp.

Mastered by João Rodriguez [Temudo]

Prince Of Denmark - Cut 06 [APRS Remix]

Rays, of dark light,
Spaces, of different consistency,
Sounds, with unchanged acoustic.

This, makes myself,
This, unsets my days,
This, transforms my nights.

Sleepless, thoughts of changing the destiny,
Of one, of everyone, without name;
Nonsense gestures,
Overwhelm my spirit.

Intermittent, moments of clearness,
Which confirm the presence,
Strictly and broadly speaking, at the same time,
Of something obscure,
In each one of us.
 
- Utopian Soul -

Mastered by Giuseppe Tillieci at Enisslab Studio
Distributed by TripleVision

Luigi Tozzi - More Than Meets The Eye (Original Mix)

Full stream of Scøpe's "Firing Pin," taken from Neon Mirage EP on  SCOPÁVIK, out July 31.

Pre-order: https://scopavik.bandcamp.com/album/neon-mirage
More: www.orbmag.com/music

@scopavik
@scopekim

Neon Mirage

Listen more

Premiere: Scøpe - Firing Pin

Unofficial remix, just because I'm a Burial fan <3

Burial - Gutted (Sub Accent Ft Rose Vermont - Shy Re-edit)

Support here:
https://cellardoorhypnosis.bandcamp.com/album/dissociative-events

Written and Produced: Lucas Reldman aka Clarence Rise
Mastering: Sheol (KVLTÖ Records)
Drawing: Uma Karimowa 
Design: Marek Bartunek

Clarence Rise - Dissociative Events (Out 08/09)

To Jeju Island we look today as we’re happy to premiere Lindamann’s Pluriverse track off of the ever phenomenal Oslated imprint. The second in a series of compilations titled, Faithful Present, brings together a plethora of artists, both new and old to the label. Also noted, eagle-eyed followers will see a number of local producers which is always a bonus to support those working around you. Lindamann is one of these, as a Tokyo-based producer having prior releases on Lowless, Indefinite Pitch, Huinali and now joins the Oslated roster with Pluriverse.

Linadmann's creation is a captivating deep techno track that explores a slow groove, creating a mesmerizing sense of space and rhythm. At its core, the track features a deliberate, slow-paced beat that pulsates with a sense of anticipation. On top of which the use of shakers and epic synths give a hypnotic, off-kilter quality to the track's tempo.

Texture plays a crucial role in "Pluriverse," with layers of sound that ebb and flow, creating a sense of depth and complexity. As the track progresses, these textures morph and shift, providing an ever-changing sonic experience.

Pluriverse, and in turn the rest of the second Faithful Present compilation will be released on October 13th.


https://soundcloud.com/lindamannn
https://www.instagram.com/lin_da_mann/

www.itsdelayed.com
www.instagram.com/_____delayed/
www.facebook.com/itsdelayed
https://soundcloud.com/oslated

PREMIERE: Lindamann - Pluriverse [Oslated]

Scanline

Bandcamp

Skoltrom - Mirror Ripple

[FLP004] @launaea

Special thanks to @simonebauer and @vanoni for beautiful remixes.

Buy: https://fromalostplace.bandcamp.com/album/janato

Release Date: March 03
Art: Laura Mejía
Mastered By Tomas Gonzalez at Medellín, Colombia.

Janato

Launaea - Janato [FLP004]

Producer & dj based in Berlin

Requests : hello@lowpass.berlin

Upcoming :
05.04.2024 Harrah EP [Sungate Records]
05.04.2024 Lowpass TBA [Berlin]
15.04.2024 Rillendisco Podcast
01.05.2024 TBA [Berlin]
16.05.2024 Coppi [Berlin]
18.05.2024 Rinse [Paris]
29.05.2024 Tresor, New Faces [Berlin]
14.06.2024 Lowpass TBA [Berlin]
27.06.2024 O'Clock Podcast
27.07.2024 TBA [Lisbon]
02.08.2024 Renate [Berlin]
16.08.2024 TBA [Berlin]
08.09.2024 TBA [Berlin]

Past gigs :
21.03.2024 OpenLab FM [Spain]
01.03.2024 Lowpass x Coppi TBA [Berlin]
27.01.2024 ://elements, ://about blank [Berlin]
13.01.2024 TBA [Göttingen]
12.01.2024 Hör
15.12.2023 TBA [Berlin]
10.12.2023 Rillendisco - IFZ [Leipzig]
05.12.2023 Collect [Lisbon]
29.10.2023 Sisyphos - Hammahalle
28.10.2023 Atelier [Berlin]
05.08.2023 Nuits Sauvages festival [Ardèche, France]
12.08.2023 Pattern Berlin
20.08.2023 Suicide Club [Berlin]
02.09.2023 lowpass goes open air #3
08.09.2023 Borderless [berlin]
14.07.2023 M01 [Berlin]
29.04.2023 Atelier [Berlin]
20.04.2023 Coppi [Berlin]
30.03.2023 ://about blank [Berlin]
10.02.2023 TBA [Berlin]
14.6.2022 Atelier [berlin]
09.07.2022 Gartn [Berlin]
13.08.2022 Nuitssauvages [Ardèche]
03.09.2022 Atelier [berlin]
01.10.2022 Gartn [Berlin]
23.10 2022 2KOŁA [Warsaw]
11.11.2022 Atelier [Berlin]
25.11.2022 Weddinger Wohnzimmer [Berlin]
31.12.2022 NYE Atelier [Berlin]
11.11.2022 Atelier [Berlin]

Prince Of Denmark - Cut 06 [APRS Remix]

APRS

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