When Tresor founder Dimitri Hegemann stumbled into a former bank vault in East Berlin on March 13th 1991, he had little idea that the
space he had unlocked would fast become one of Berlin's most influential and enduring techno clubs. "We didn't know what would
happen 10 months later," he says. "We signed a lease for a year. Which eventually got renewed for another three months, and another
three months…”

As Tresor celebrates its 25th anniversary with this work of artists from the US, Germany, China, France, Austria, Italy and the UK, it is
worth dwelling on how the cultural conditions that birthed Detroit techno – economic neglect and broken industry – were mirrored by
the disused bunkers and impromptu parties of post-unification East Berlin, where techno found new, vigorous expression.

Today, though the boom and bust of globalised capitalism has filled the void that followed the Berlin Wall, and techno has become a
worldwide industry, we face a new political chapter, one defined by populism, nationalism and mistrust. Contemporary creatives should
take inspiration from Tresor's story, an extraordinary experiment born from improvisation, resourcefulness and social neglect that
uplifted the spirits of inner city communities for a quarter-century.

This record marks the spirit of those 25 years of creativity, a paean to the psychedelic music of Dimitri’s youth. From the signature
magnetic soundscapes of Vainqueur to the dark textures of upcoming Being producer Shao; from Jon Hassell’s slow epicurean volutes,
to the ritual auras of Marcelus and Claudia Anderson’s contributions; from the dub-infused pioneering programming of Juan Atkins and
Moritz von Oswald, to Mønic’s enthralling cadences, it represents some of the old and new names that continually epitomise Tresor's
perennial spirit of ingenuity. “We were space pioneers," says Dimitri.

The East Berlin of 1991 may have disappeared to gentrification, with Tresor's lonely vanguard joined by an army of venues catering to an
international array of clubbers benefiting from low cost travel, many of whom settle in the city for good. Berlin is Europe's economic
engine, headquarters to global industry and sole traders alike, where Polish, Kurdish and English are as likely to be spoken as German.
That range of influences is felt in all areas of life, not least in the city's music.

"Without Tresor, Berlin would not be what it is today," concludes Dimitri. "Even though it sounds a bit pretentious, it is true. Tresor was
the prototype for an extraordinary club. It was only possible as a combination of the right time, the right place, the right content and
determined people."

Excerpt of liner notes, by Rob Sharp - November 2016.

Dreamy Harbor

Shao - Sensi (edit)

Techno Dj/Producer...Bosnia/USA 
From Soda, BIH, based in Austin TX, USA

At midnight, on March 13th 1991, a basement door opened at Leipziger Strasse 126, Berlin. Through this door, many passed, on their way to defining new terrains in electronic music. There they found a dance floor in the vaults of a closed-down department store, with a unique sound bound to dense fog, building night after night a history that was also a vision of the future. 

This history has seen in Jeff Mills’ first sets on three turntables, Underground Resistance's first live appearances in Europe, grandiose Tresor Park parties, to various chapters of the Loveparade with Sven Väth in the 90s and since then countless generation-spanning parties. These moments represent the highlights of infinite personal clubbing experiences. It is the manifestation of the Berlin spirit, emerging from its considerable strife. This history is not without its complications - from temporary closure by the authorities and several raids in the early years to closure and demolition of the old location in 2005. What followed was years of wandering in exile and, finally, resurrection in the new home in Kraftwerk Berlin.

These stories, conversations and shared experiences within our walls forge a resilience that drives towards a shared ideal, the Tresor sound: community, resistance, and the world to come. This was observed in the newly re-unified German youth, who danced and celebrated together from the club’s inception, and into the present day through ongoing community work in Detroit. 

Tresor Records was founded in the same year and began to serve as a platform for exporting the new sounds associated with Tresor all around the world. Emergent musicians from Michigan, such as Juan Atkins, Underground Resistance and Drexciya, were pivotal in shaping these early years. Their visits to Berlin would kick-start dialogue between the youth movement in Europe and these musicians. This story is one of friendship and community-building, inextricably linked with cities like Detroit, Birmingham or Edinburgh, where like-minded friends built something truly special, where revelatory rhythms soundtrack decaying industry in corrupted metropoles. 

Tresor Records has been the fertile soil for dozens upon dozens of creative minds, from the very luminaries of the scene who developed electronic music over the last three decades through to contemporary protagonists who are currently defining the sound of the future -  A more than 300 strong catalogue displays an unmistakable identity - the Tresor spirit.

To those that have danced before, and to those that will dance in the future: the light at the end of the long Tresor tunnel is a signal. A flicker amidst the fog. This is our future. This is our place.