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."

01. Dustin Zahn - 1984 - Drumcode

On my Drumcode Live show this week I have an hour from my set at Parco Gondar, Italy. Expect to hear tracks from Sam Paganini, Len Faki and Dustin Zahn. 

01. Dema - Rocking - Octopus
02. Sam Paganini - Dusty - Drumcode
03. Harry Romero - Rapture - X
04. Gary Beck feat Debra Debs - Power - BEK Audio
05. Arjun Vagale - Total Recall - Tronic
06. Coyu - Octagon - Cocoon
07. The Japanese Popstars - Vision - Bedrock
08. Cari Lekebusch - Fire Alarm - Drumcode
09. Dustin Zahn - Calm Like A Bomb [Slam Remix] - Suara
10. Jel Ford - Red Mist - Promo
11. Marc Marzenit - Perron - Tronic
12. Jel Ford - Backyard - Drumcode
13. Ian O’Donovan - Vortex B - Promo
14. Len Faki - Boombox - Figure
15. Gary Beck - Say What [Adam Beyer Remix] - Saved

DCR210 - Drumcode Radio Live - Adam Beyer live from Parco Gondar, Italy

Adam Beyer’s new EP titled ‘Teach Me’ is an accomplished piece of work that highlights Beyer's year thus far. 'Teach Me' starts with some eerie chords before the distinctive vocal kick in and the track drops into a rumbling techno track. ‘Darlek’ uses rhythmic beeps and huge synth stab to create a funky rhythm before the atmospheric pads create a beautiful setting for this incredible techno track. ‘Stop Talking’ is a deeper offering from Beyer using weird and unusual noises to create and interesting piece of work that is helped along by the throbbing bass underlying in the track. ‘Spaceman’ uses a rhythmic vocal, percussion and sub bass to turn this track into a funky techno piece.

Adam Beyer - Darlek - Drumcode - DC132

Adam Beyer - Teach Me - Drumcode - DC132

On my Drumcode show this week I have invited my good friend Cari Lekebusch to give us an hour from his set at Eliptica Club, Colombia. Expect to hear tracks from Joel Mull, Petter B and Cari himself.

01. G-Tech and C-Blast - In Stone - Lekebusch Musik
02. Petter B - Loggbay Session B - Drumcode
03. Kristian Heikkila - Smoke Machine - Android Muziq
04. Regal - Shake - Enemy records
05. Spektre - Dust and Echoes [The Welderz remix] - Analytictrail
06. Chris Colburn - Aggrophobia - H-Productions
07. Joel Mull - Geodesi - Mood
08. Petter B - Imitate - H-Productions
09. Adam Beyer - Stop Talking - Drumcode
10. Marc Troit - More Than Panic [XHEI remix] - Illegal Alien Rec
11. Dany Rodriguez - Pleasure and Machine [Mark Broom remix] - Bullet Dodge
12. Wex 10 - TV Room [Roberto Capuano remix] - Loose club / Unrilis
13. Cari Lekebusch - Fire Alarm - Drumcode
14. XHEI - Requiem - Ixel remix - Dead CERT REC
15. Emmanuel - Apnoo - Enemy records
16. Cari Lekebusch - The Jellyfish - H-Productions
17. Chris Colburn - Neurotic Mother [Petter B remix] - !Organism

Drumcode

Viktor Pavlikov