Function’s tale begins with a gregarious mother who would keep him occupied as rookie selector for neighbourhood gatherings while growing up in Brooklyn and New Jersey. Music was his world, and it wasn’t long before he found himself standing in awe before Jeff Mills in 90s NYC at the infamous nerve centre of Club Kid hedonism Limelight, where he went on to pick up a Thursday-night residency himself. Few DJs can claim to have been around during such a moment in club history, but ten years later came another. His friendships with Regis, Silent Servant and Female turned into the much acclaimed collective Sandwell District, a pivotal sound for an era that forced everyone’s attention towards Berlin. There he became Berghain resident and played a role in shaping the club’s fabled musical opus. In the years since (and following Sandwell’s dissolution) he’s matured in his own right, with a number of mesmeric releases (most recently ‘Green EP’ released on his self-run imprint Infrastructure back in May), collaborations with the likes of Vatican Shadow, Luke Slater and Steve Bicknell, a heavy touring schedule that criss-crosses the world at rapid clip and Bassiani residency to boot. Function’s techno is an ambient fog in which sinister arctic synths and perilous rhythms collide to produce an exquisite fusion that would be hard to mistake for anyone else. Those grainy textures, subterranean ripples and punishing kick drums are a hypnotic rework of his many influences: 90s loops with a more modern and sharper industrial edge. Bassiani Podcast 186 is an impassioned live-recording from the club that weaves through a number of hammering tracks and steadily climbs towards its furious climax. A hair-raising three-hour beast courtesy of this decorated techno behemoth.

BASSIANI PODCAST SERIES

Bassiani invites Function / Podcast #186

What a great year this was! Thanks to everyone who made the magic happen and lots of love to those of you who are listening from afar.

Jake The Rapper @ Juicy - Garbicz Festival 2024

Helmut Geier’s career in music is just about as long as they come, starting out a DJ freshman back in 1978 and witnessing numerous of the most notable revolutions in sound and politics to have changed the world since. So many of electronic’s foremost names, like cult Berlin record dispensary Hard Wax, or Tresor and E-Werk where he held residencies, or even Limelight in New York, all bear his mark to some degree or other. Then there’s his releases, collaborations and remixes, and forays into the world of fashion, numerous enough they’d take a while to tally. His formula for longevity has been a chameleon-like ability to stay tapped into the zeitgeist and guide its course, International Deejay Gigolo Records has been a permanent conduit for the mission, his early championing of the electroclash genre and work with talents like Ms. Kittin, Laurent Garnier and Vitalic another notable moment in the last half century. One thing’s for certain: DJ Hell’s not planning on going anywhere; his work’s at times anthemic, at times high camp, but constantly pulling from a lifetime of references both past and new and creating something new from the embers. Bassiani Podcast 240 is a very special live recording from Hell’s set at Bassiani’s Time Passages night back on September 27th, a three hour instalment heavy with 80s synthwork, vocoder frequencies and pounding bass. Yet another watermark from a cultural legend.

@djhellofficial

Bassiani invites Dj Hell / Podcast #240

“As the Japanese composer Nas-Kaz once said, sound is like wind — it becomes boring when humans try to control it too much. I feel the same when performing live ambient music. We have reached a time where music cannot be created by thought alone; it has to be allowed to unfold, to breathe on its own terms.”

ambient live set at Halle am Berghain - December 2024

The Berghain series on Ostgut Ton returns with volume 07 mixed and compiled by Berghain resident Function. Download the free .WAV file (1.38 GB).  

Tracklist
1. Tadeo - Reqiuem (00:00)
 2. Post Scriptum - Constant Acceleration Drive (01:33) 
3. Rødhåd - Kinder der Ringwelt (05:01) 
4. Christian Wünsch - Auger Electrons (08:24)
 5. DVS1 - Electric (12:26) 
6. Mark Broom - Satellite (14:24) 
7. Rrose - Signs (18:45)
 8. Teste - The Wipe (21:37) 
9. CJ Bolland - Horsepower (26:38) 
10. Cleric - Concrete (31:39) 
11. Blue Hour - Common Ground (33:24) 
12. Peter Van Hoesen - Objects From The Past (Neel Remix) (36:00) 
13. Psykofuk - Psykofuk (37:55) 
14. Steve Bicknell - Transcendence # 3 (41:54) 
15. Post Scriptum - Human Timescales (42:31) 
16. Steve Bicknell - Odyssey # 1 (46:42) 
17. Steve Bicknell - Odyssey # 2 (46:46) 
18. Planetary Assault Systems - Arc (47:15) 
19. Allen - Kepler (48:59)
 20. Cassegrain & Tin Man - Oxide (51:07)
 21. Inland - Sca Fell (53:25) 
22. Truncate - 86 (56:20) 
23. L.B. Dub Corp - Roller feat. Function (Len Faki Interpretation) (59:17) 
24. Function - Golden Dawn feat. Stefanie Parnow (Live Version) (1:02:36)
 25. Carl Craig - Twilight (1:05:40)
 26. L.B. Dub Corp - So Much (1:07:50)
 27. Blue Hour - Parallels (1:13:31)
 28. Abdulla Rashim - A Shell Of Speed (1:15:35)
 29. Silent Servant - Noise Treatment I (1:18:08) 
30. Sandwell District - Untitled A (1:21:54)

  Mixed and compiled by Function 


All tracks used by kind permission of the respective copyright holders.
This compilation: © Ostgut Ton 2015 | OSTGUTMIX02
Mastering Jan Wagner at Faust Studio | Photography Jimmy Mould

for full info, credits and extended artwork go to: ostgut.de/label/record/136

Special thanks to Michael, Norbert, Jenus, Robert, Stefanie, Mom and Ed.


mix releases

Berghain 07 | Function

Gradient Loop

Speedy J @ Torax Barcelona 11-05-2025

Hard Wax w/ Fadi Mohem: 6th August '25

Bassiani Podcast 272 brings together two techno heavy-hitters for a three-hour bout of heady, rolling grooves. In one corner comes Georgian mainstay and grassroots agitator NDRX, a formative member of Tbilisi's techno contingent. His early efforts in expanding the city's nightlife offerings helped drive radical change, and shaped the decades since. His mission further translated into the founding of Stare at DJ (2012), and 11th Floor (2015). Both are vehicles for the gathering and promotion of local talent without which, Georgia today would look much different. In the other corner comes Dustin Zahn, a midwestern champion for tribal rhythms and pulsating hypnotism. Heavily armed with a flurry of references including the brain-melting IDM of the late 90s and iconoclastic beats, Dustin founded Enemy Records in 2004. In recent years, he has made appearances on labels like Blueprint, Token, and Rekids. He also hosts the Trainwrecks Podcast, an outlet for intimate face-to-face chats with industry peers. This storied duo are a menacing match, a b2b pairing that manifests the adrenaline-fueled techno native to both their sounds and whips up a sum greater than both its parts. This latest number is a bout of fevered techno havoc devised by two sonic confrères, an auditory onslaught of hammering loops recorded live at Bassiani's season closing night.

@nod-rex
@dustin-zahn

Bassiani invites Ndrx b2b Dustin Zahn / Podcast #272

🇩🇪 We Are One Podcast – Dub Series #18 mit Less

Herzlich willkommen zur Dub Series #18 der We Are One Podcast-Reihe – diesmal mit Less als Gast! Wir freuen uns riesig über diesen waschechten Erfurter Jung, der in Thüringen und weit darüber hinaus seit Jahrzehnten fest zur elektronischen Musikszene gehört.

Für diese Episode hat Stefan Leßner alias Less tief in seine Plattenkiste gegriffen und einen reinen Vinyl-Mix zusammengestellt – vollgepackt mit Klassikern und echten Dub-Techno-Perlen.

Mit über 30 Jahren DJ-Erfahrung begann seine Reise in den 90ern zunächst mit US-Hip-Hop, bis ein legendäres Set von Sven Väth in der XXL HR3 Clubnight seine Leidenschaft für Techno und House entfachte. Seitdem sind Groove seine Konstante und Dramaturgie sein Markenzeichen.

Seine vielseitige Plattensammlung erzählt Geschichten – ein Stil, der sich durch seine DJ-Sets und Produktionen zieht. Ob zwischen 100 oder 130 BPM: Less arbeitet konzeptionell, intuitiv und immer dem Moment entsprechend.

Der gebürtige Thüringer hat die Szene geprägt – mit Radiosendungen, Labels, Veranstaltungen und Releases auf Enliven Music, Freude am Tanzen und weiteren Imprints. Heute ist er Resident im Berliner Queer-Club Ficken3000.

Sein aktuelles Album „Living in the Matrix“ erschien 2025 auf Lebensfreude Records, limitiert auf nur 100 Vinyl-Exemplare.

Der Mix dieser Ausgabe widmet sich hauptsächlich Dub-Techno, bleibt aber nicht ohne Überraschungen. Und mal ehrlich: Das warme Knistern der Schallplatte passt zu Dub-Techno wie der Arsch auf den Eimer.

Viel Spaß beim Hören!

🇬🇧 We Are One Podcast – Dub Series #18 with Less

Welcome to Dub Series #18 of the We Are One Podcast – this time featuring Less! We’re excited to present this true son of Erfurt, a name that has shaped the electronic music scene in Thuringia and far beyond for decades.

For this episode, Stefan Leßner aka Less dug deep into his record collection and created an exclusive vinyl-only mix, packed with timeless cuts and pure dub techno gems.

With over 30 years of DJ experience, his journey began in the 90s with US hip-hop, until a legendary Sven Väth set on the XXL HR3 Clubnight ignited his passion for techno and house. Since then, groove has been his foundation and dramaturgy his trademark.

His diverse record collection tells stories – a characteristic that runs through his DJ sets and productions. Whether at 100 or 130 BPM, Less performs conceptually, intuitively and always in tune with the moment.

Born in Thuringia, he has left a lasting mark on the scene through radio shows, labels, events and releases on Enliven Music, Freude am Tanzen, and more. Today, he is a resident DJ at the queer Berlin club Ficken3000.

His latest album “Living in the Matrix” was released in 2025 on Lebensfreude Records, limited to just 100 vinyl copies.

This mix focuses primarily on dub techno, yet includes a few unexpected twists to keep the journey exciting. And let’s be honest: the warm crackle of vinyl fits dub techno like a glove.

Enjoy the ride!

TL:
1. Prince Of Denmark – Sublimation
2. Plastikman – Ask Yourself
3. Paàl & Ezuri – Hidden Nineteen
4. Architectural – Witches' Dance
5. Architectural – Eternity Land
6. Rhythm & Sound W/ Savage – Smile
7. Sven Väth – Sounds Control Your Mind (Dub Control Your Mind - Track & Feel Edit)
8. Maurizio – M4.5
9. youAND:THEMACHINES – Drift (Steve Bug's Raw And Reduced Edit)
10. Mathimidori – Zanziba (Levon Vincent Remix)
11. Unknown Artist – Untitled
12. Wax - Untitled
13. Wax - Untitled
14. Tocotronic – Bis Uns Das Licht Vertreibt (Marcel Dettman Version 2 Remix)
15. Soundstream – Wenn Meine Mutti Wüsste
16. Chiapet – Tick Tock (Apocalypse Now Mix)
17. Green Velve t– Abduction (Surgeon Remix 1)
18. Regis – The Master Side (Version 1)
19. Prince Of Denmark – Thanatos
20. Jonzon – Genuine
21. youAND:THEMACHINES – Perception (XDB Remix)
22. Konrad Black – Draconia
23. Skudge – Surplus
24. Heib – Akrobat
25. Ricardo Villalobos – 808 The Bassqueen
26. Burial – Raver

Less

We Are One Podcast Dub Series #18 - Less

DVS1 on duty for episode 004 as he will headline the Balans event on september 30th in Studio 80. Minneapolis' prodigal son made it into a Dutch affair. In his own words:

"I decided to dig through a few stacks of records and grab all the DUTCH artists I could.  Then 1 take… Here is the mix!"
 
Tracks and remix’s from
 
ESHU
Tim Wolff
2562
Jeroen Search
Joris Voorn
Legowelt
2000 and one
ROD
Dimi Angelis
Speedy J
Steve Rachmad
Delta Funktionen
Conforce
Newworldaquarium

Gradient Loop

Gorbé