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)

www.smkmachine.com

Smoke Machine Podcast 149 Danielle

www.openlab.fm | 106.4FM in Ibiza & Formentera
Check the full tracklist on our website:  https://openlab.fm/news/observatory-081-sungate-with-oberman-moy-santana

Welcome to episode number 81 of Observatory by Sungate

We’re enthused to welcome Nous’Klaer founder Oberman to our show. In this mix, the dutch deck wizard gives us a demonstration of how his imprint has become one of the current underground tastemakers, displaying an elegant mix of one hour of trance inducing, iridescent house and techno

Sungate co-founder Moy Santana closes the show with a showcase of gritty, moody and efervescent dance tracks, guaranteed fistpump material that really makes us feel like the beginning of festival season

Art and animation by Abel Fernandez

Download our App:
IOS: bit.ly/OLappApple
Android: bit.ly/OlAppAndroid

Observatory 081 - Sungate [with Oberman & Moy Santana]

TEMPO X NON NON NON | June 2024

The Fallen SPKRBOX 24Aug2024 for minimal detroit

Live recording @ the Future Intel headquarters in The Hague. Streaming live on Youtube and futureintelradio.com.

Zara ╚═ Future Intel ═╗ 26 09 2024

Tracklist:

1. Jerome Hill - bombing with Imase 
2. Peryl - silver split 
3. Soop - shadow man(polygonia remix)
4. Kerrie - false idols 
5. Vertical spectrum - jucha na rogowskiej
6. Border one - web of deceit 
7. Slight function - state of mind 
8. Jamie bissmire - Silurian symphony 
9. NX1 - EW5
10. Oliver rosemann - post-ai-society 
11. Roi- mannanan
12. Oliver rosemann - zero day eclipse 
13. Tauceti - amaryllis
14. Andy ruddh - surfliner
15. Endrew - resucue of arion
16. Gunjack - storm bells
17. Jnks - 020 call
18. Roi - lir 
19. Vinicius honorio - rathma 
20. Gannein - Nama 
21. The advent - clap trap 
22. Jamie bissmire - the plough 
23. Imogen - summer kiss 
24. Terminus - wrath
25. Ryan James Ford - mosquito 
26. Jnks - suppress
27. L/F/D/M - C trax 5

Jan2025

Daniel Avery - DJ - Kicks (2016)

PLANETARY ASSAULT SYSTEMS - LIVE AT COCOON IBIZA - CORMIX060

This year’s highly anticipated ‘Live at Cocoon Ibiza’ mix is helmed by techno legend Luke Slater under his Planetary Assault Systems guise. 

As Planetary Assault Systems, UK titan Luke Slater has constantly laid down a blueprint for the future of techno. As a live performer he is a visionary who fuses mind melting minimalism, catchy cyborg funk and cinematic soundscapes that really take you on a trip. He did that once again back in July as part of Cocoon's 20th anniversary season and now the results are laid down on CD for us to relive the magic. 

Over the course of eighty spellbinding minutes, Slater captivates with evocative sci-fi imagery and high class melodic minimalism, smoothly shifting from moments of high pressure drum-funk intensity to uplifting and spiritual passages of cosmic sound and back again. Along the way, he digs deep into his back catalogue to serve up plenty of golden oldies as well as more contemporary cuts, and the whole thing melts together into a timeless set that explores the outer edges of techno with huge amounts of both style and substance. 

Debuting on Cocoon with a rare appearance outside of Slater’s usual labels Ostgut Ton and his own Mote Evolver, a 12” release drops in unison with the mix including four Planetary Assault Systems productions: on one side both 'RAWW’ and 'RUN' are exclusive studio versions, whilst on the flip are live versions of 'Desert Races' and 'Give It Up' featuring live sax by Tim Ower, offering some of techno's finest moments, while the mix itself is an essential testament to the forward looking nature of not only Cocoon Ibiza, but also Luke Slater himself.

Planetary Assault Systems - Live at Cocoon Ibiza

Live at Cocoon Ibiza

PLANETARY ASSAULT SYSTEMS - LIVE AT COCOON IBIZA - CORMIX060

014 - KIA

Residing as the spearhead of her own imprint Neighbourhood. for the last decade, TASHA was an essential presence at our last Ilian Tape takeover. Championing elusive techno cuts and disorderly rhythms, this cherished friend of ours supplied an unruly air of camaraderie to her appearance with her devilish mixing skills and unwavering energy. 

Lucky for us all, this set was also recorded. Stamping her rebellious jigsaw piece into the delightfully mind-boggling party, Tasha slotted in perfectly against the accompanying, mesmeric bedlam from the 24-hour roster.

FOLD X ILIAN TAPE - TASHA

OLLE is a Bangkok-based, Australian-born DJ. He is a fixture in the Bangkok queer scene, resident at NON NON NON and co-founder of HORN, the city’s first queer underground venue. OLLE is known for his hypnotic blends of electro, acid, breaks, and house, all rooted in a solid techno base.

TEMPO X NON NON NON | June 2024

OLLE

Recent comments

Kim'Oh

Related tracks