Barker – Utility

Sam Barker (@voltek) has had a long ongoing relationship with Berghain and Ostgut Ton, having released two LPs and various EPs as one half of Barker & Baumecker and hosting regular nights at the club since September 2008 as co-founder of the label Leisure System. 2017 marked the beginning of his solo residency, 2018 sees his first solo release with Ostgut Ton.

Both as a musician and label owner, Barker operates on the fringes of techno, balancing experimentation with functionality. On ‘Debiasing’, he takes a hard look at the musical elements often considered necessary to maintain dancefloor momentum, with four distinct tracks of morphing synth stabs and paired down metronomic rhythms in varying time signatures. While there is no kick, snare, or clap to be heard, the result is not experimental techno deconstructions but driving, hypnotic and unlikely dancefloor tools.

More information: http://ostgut.de/ton/record/217

Buy 12"

Barker | Filter Bubbles

Barker | When Prophecy Fails

Barker | Cascade Effect

Live bookings: jo@ostgut.de
Live setup: Elektron Octatrack, Elektron Digitone, Nord Drum2, Arturia Beatstep Pro, modular system.

Look How Hard I've Tried (Live)

"Transportation" Available Now: https://yourolddroog.com

Transportation

Loosey Spot on Wheels

Stillwell Baby

Rocket Launch Interlude

Rocket Launch Interlude

Head over Wheels II (An Ode to G Dep)

Under the Train (Transporting)

The Cheese

Monthly

Listen to all tracks from ‘Utility’ in full at https://sambarker.bandcamp.com/album/utility

On his debut solo LP ‘Utility’, Barker [@voltek] turns his focus toward melding experimentation and dancefloor pragmatism with the psychology behind the musical decision making process.

‘Utility’ is a playful but non-ironic musical approach to a whole spectrum of utilitarian and transhumanist ideas: from models for quantifying pleasure and “gradients of bliss” to abolishing suffering for sentient beings (not just people) through the ethical use of drugs and nanotechnology. Over nine tracks, Barker’s vision ebbs and flows through waves of deeply psychedelic musical vignettes; free-floating and futuristic melodies and rhythms as targeted brain stimulation.

Barker – Utility

out the woods