Drumcode

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Wehbba - Dynamo - DC259 - Drumcode

Dustin Zahn makes his album debut in March 2014 with the release of Monoliths on Adam Beyer's Drumcode label. Gestating over a period of a four years during break from releasing original solo material, Monoliths sees the Minneapolis native capturing the full breadth of his production style in the long-player format for the first time. Having become a mainstay of the Drumcode line-ups for their Berghain residency and beyond, the challenge was set for the Berlin-based Zahn to build upon the reputation he has established in the past decade-and-a-half since he first arrived on the scene, during which time he has also given a platform to artists such as DVS1, Minilogue, Psyk and Truncate via his Enemy Records imprint. 
"Adam Beyer has supported me since day one and almost all of my output has found its' way into his sets since the beginning. Aside from being a champion of my music, he has also become a good friend and has been a big help to me when times were tough. Drumcode was a major influence on me when I first started getting into techno. Getting the opportunity to do an album for an inspirational label with a massive following made choosing them an easy decision." 
The bracing retro-futurist synths of 1984 tease what's to follow: epic, ambitious, raw real techno - as imperious as the album title implies and impeccably designed for the tallest speaker stacks. When the record is at its most dancefloor-focused each cut is an amalgamation of classic techno elements that encapsulate the genre at its most uncompromising, though Zahn's skill as a producer shines through in his ability to demonstrate the range contained within this aesthetic. Whilst embodying the genre's purity of purpose, Monoliths is still able to find and explore different sonic palettes. 
"The overall tone is noticeably a bit more industrial and colder since it was written over a brutal winter in Berlin. It also marks my return to a heavy emphasis on hardware for a more raw sound. A lot of producers try to show their range on albums by writing music that isn't necessarily their strong point. In result, you get a lot of albums with mediocre 'listening' tracks and a couple of token 'club bangers' that should have just been destined for an EP anyway. I decided that I was going to focus on my strengths and write a full-on techno album that sums up my career so far."

05. Dustin Zahn - Fire in the Sky - Drumcode

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Mha Iri - Never Go Back To Sleep - Drumcode - DC277

BEC - Humanoid - Drumcode - DC277

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Adam Beyer - Legend - Drumcode - DC275

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A classic NYC club anthem gets a re-work from Charles D.

‘Final Chapter’ by Mike Macaluso was first released in 1999 on Dieselgroove and immediately became an omnipresent classic. “I would hear it all the time on every house music mix CD I got my hands on,” buzzes Charles D. “Once I started actually going out in the mid-2000s, it was still being played at legendary clubs such as Sound Factory, Tunnel, Pacha and Avalon. It was quite literally the soundtrack to New York nightlife at the time.”

The original, clocking in at over nine minutes, is a golden dancefloor trip taking in elements of house, trance and Hi-NRG, and is famous for its rousing bell sample throughout. It’s an iconic sound signature that brought many a dance fan to a weepy state of delirium.

Mike Macaluso - Final Chapter (Charles D Remix) - Drumcode - DCX006

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Layton Giordani - Phantom - Drumcode - DC282

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Mha Iri - The Unexpected - Drumcode - DC288

Let the Good Times Roll

Mha Iri - Let the Good Times Roll - Drumcode - DC288

Filthy

Mha Iri - Filthy - Drumcode - DC288

Victor Ruiz & Modeā - Contrast - Drumcode - DC290

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Adam Beyer - Soulful - Drumcode - DC291

Adam Beyer - Desert Queen - Drumcode - DC291

A work 12 months in the making, Adam Beyer continues his exciting series of collaborative EPs, teaming up with heavy-hitters Pig&Dan for an multi-faceted four-tracker.

Chances are up if you spied Adam Beyer in an airport departure lounge over the past 12 months, he’d have his head buried in his laptop, immersed in creating sound sketches. A long-time fan of collaborations, the Drumcode chief has been on an inspiring streak of form lately, teaming up with the likes of Mark Reeve, Dense & Pika and now Pig&Dan. The results have been compelling, to say the least. 

In trademark perfectionist Beyer style, the title track ‘Capsule’ – a shimmering slice of techno - involved “around 15 different versions” the track rigorously road tested by the Swede and featured in episodes of Drumcode Radio to test dancefloor reactions, before finally getting the sign off.  ‘In Love’ is a big room techno groover, driven by crisp drums and the kind of evocative vocal effect that’ll have hairs standing on ends. ‘Atmosfear’ is true to its name, centered on a menacing synth line and gritty percussion, its deep kicks and subterranean bass combining superbly to create a heady dancefloor brew. ‘We Are E’ is propelled by a catchy synth hook and a classic call-to-arms vocal, which tips its cap to the artists’ shared love of classic UK rave.

Adam Beyer Vs Pig&Dan - Capsule - Drumcode - DC171

Drumcode has become a label synonymous with some of the most-cutting edge and forward-thinking techno over the last 20 years. Their artists include both emerging and established names, and one of those well recognised is Enrico Sangiuliano. Now announcing the very first concept album of his career.

The prolific Italian producer has been catapulted into the limelight after the runaway success of his past releases, and now Biomorph is born. 

A very special concept album designed to take the listener on a journey of evolution. A musical adaptation describing how biological and technological advances over numerous generations of time have all started from the same first step in our own biological journey.

Divided into 4 parts, Organisms opens with atmospheric tones, gradually blending complex textures and timbres to begin the evolutional process. The beginning of this section combines full sounding arrangements before stripping it all back to basics. From here it dissolves into the atmosphere. Organisms then progresses into a break-beat influenced, down tempo track using synths to add complexity to the straight, broken rhythms.

Galactic, futuristic elements are found in both tracks in Cosmic Forces. Upbeat, groovy, electronic synths resonate, before ‘Hidden T’ brings the tension to get things pumped up with stratospheric swirls and twirls to lay down one of the most mind meltingly deep drops.

Metamorphosis is mysterious, its opening beat is a deep and piercing tone that sends the listener into a sensory awareness of their surroundings before breaking into a fully charged, techno track, with Enrico’s trademark sounds and textures.

All evolution has an ending.

Two Probabilities shows the positive, starting out evocative and emotional, with a gentle harmony, gazing towards a ‘New Dawn’. On the other side of the spectrum lies the negative. This is influenced with a rhythm that articulates the beat of death, mathematical, cold and metallic in texture, it shows the unsustainability of its nature, with a hectic, anxious break beat influenced ending.

Enrico Sangiuliano - Symbiosis - Drumcode - DC190 [III - Metamorphosis]

Victor Ruiz lands his Debut EP on Drumcode.

Victor first released on Drumcode last year on their most recent edition of the famous A-Sides Vol.7 compilation with his colossal track ‘Pulso’. Victor has been relentless when it comes to producing absolutely huge sounding tracks, which are heavily suited to the big club room vibe. This May he steps up for his debut EP on Drumcode with ‘Nimbus’.

The title track ‘Nimbus’ marked an important milestone in his life, his arrival to Berlin, his new home. Due to the lack of studio space and set up, he made Nimbus entirely with headphones and laptop. A piercing track with a punctuated kick drum that cuts through the mix, alongside some industrial tones which build an eerie tension. A track that really sits on the darker side of the progressive techno world.

Victor explains that this release is “very much a mix of old and new” representing two stages of his life. ‘Unveil’ was a track he produced back in Sao Paulo, when day dreaming of his move to Europe. A chunky low end combined with big percussion that makes it more of a heady introspective track on the release. It most definitely shows a more experimental side Victor but is welcomed and makes for a thunderous dancefloor track.

Victor Ruiz — Nimbus — Drumcode — DC205

<p>In the same vein as her recently launched MOOD imprint, Believe is suited to a number of atmospheres and settings. Across the nine original productions and one collaboration with label boss Adam Beyer, Nicole has crafted a sonically diverse long-player of sounds which draw on the plethora of styles electronic music has to offer. From her accustomed techno to twisted house and everything in-between, the stylistic variety on offer means cuts Believe will easily feature in more intimate settings and big-room venues alike. Believe features a host of tracks aimed squarely at the clubs. From the moody Movin On, the bass-heavy Do Your Thing, to the industrial techno grooves on Come And Lay and the hypnotic chanting vocal on Get On It, the techno-aficionados will not be disappointed with what is sublime set of cuts that will no doubt destroy any dance-floor. </p>

<p>In contrast however, there are more intimate moments to be found. For example the rhythmically entrancing yet uplifting Fly With You, to Liberum Spirita with its mazy ethereal breakdown, and the synth-heavy percussive builder Lumière Tamisée. Nicoles further flexes her production muscle with the stripped back dub-flavours of Big Love With No Apology, and a robotic groove-laden funk on the standout Can I Get Some. Believe delivers a consummate body of work with which Nicoles considerable abilities in the studio are clear for all to hear. A wide-range of sounds that is sure to appeal to the idiosyncratic tastes of the various sub-sections of electronic music community. Furthermore, it lives up to the high-standards of previous Drumcode long-players and is an engrossing and impressive debut; and one that offers a smooth segue into the next chapter of an already exciting career.</p>

Nicole Moudaber - Can I Get Some (Original Mix) [Drumcode]

One of Drumcode’s most indispensable talents, Tiger Stripes blesses us with another classy two-tracker.

In the last 11 years Mikael Nordgren aka Tiger Stripes has appeared on Adam Beyer’s Drumcode and Truesoul labels a total of eight times. The Swede has a masterful command of his machines and is an inspired sound designer, imbuing his productions with bags of creativity and cross-genre futurism. His last outing on DC ‘Into Isolation’ was a colourful five-piece of super-charged techno, reinforcing the breadth and strength of his studio work. Nine months on, we have another offering to add to the canon.

‘Jack The Garage’ is a fast and furious leader, mixing up jacking dancefloor functionalism with raw and distorted sounds inspired by garage rock bands such as The 13 Floor Elevators and The Stooges. ‘Back in Black’ draws influence from unlikely sources, Nordgren mining latent inspiration from the smooth synthesized sounds of Travis Scott after his daughter introduced him to the hip-hop maestro. The resulting cut is a slick slice of electro-fuelled techno, with as many sides as a rubik cube, as bass stabs, muffled vocal effects and distorted guitar stabs keep things interesting throughout.

Buy all

Tiger Stripes — Back In Black — Drumcode — DC228

A rare treat for Drumcode faithful: A-Sides Vol.10 is set to drop in December, the second edition of the beloved series to come in 2020.

Fuelled by the extra time and space to be creative during lockdown, Drumcode’s collective of artists have stepped up. Across 17 contributions, the producers have gone deeper into their sonic repertoire, crafting powerful, yet reflective works that capture the range of the label’s sound.

Jay Lumen leads the way with a rousing riff-driven weapon, ‘Galactic Rainbow’, while Ramon Tapia brings us the muscular gem ‘Drum Control’, mixing up ruffneck techno with a barrage of synapse-tickling synths in the second half. Both rousing highlights of the compilation.
Victor Ruiz, Drumcode’s most prolific contributor in 2020, dishes up ‘Love Story’, led by a huge vocal lead. Zimmz also returns with ‘Tension’, which deftly combines deep squelchy grooves with a silky synth interlude. Thomas Hoffknecht follows up his debut on Vol.9 with ‘Escape’, keeping listeners on their toes with dynamic, choppy shifts throughout. Veerus joins with another stirring addition ‘I Know’, reinforcing why Beyer rates him so highly.

Elsewhere a string of debutants feature: buzzy newcomer Lilly Palmer gives us ‘Amnesie’, a brilliantly pummelling and eerie cut; Alex Lentini & Stomp Boxx serve up ‘Expanders’ mixing up drone effects, trippy vocals and an unsettling melody line; and Patrik Berg’s ‘Activated’ is full-bodied techno that drops down into funky rhythms.

Long-time DC family member Bart Skils brings his A-game with the thrilling no-nonsense ‘Solid State’ that hits like a steam train. Likewise, Alan Fitzpatrick who brings a momentous slab of techno energy with ‘Rochus’, while Thomas Schumacher, now feeling like a regular on the imprint, crafts another dark techno opus, this time in collaboration with CAITLIN.

There’s even a special appearance by the chief Adam Beyer, who makes a welcome return with the progressive-tinged ‘Changes’, driven by organic tones and spacey atmospherics. The track stands as his first original contribution to A-Sides since 2017.

Adam Beyer — Changes — Drumcode — DC235

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A brandnew track for the 10 year anniversary of Drumcode A-sides. enjoy!

Drumcode

Julie