T++ | Therefore Version 5

January 27th, 2009 Stu

Although his releases under the T++ alias have gained a small yet hardcore tribe of clipped electro & dubstep devotees, Torsten Proefrock has long been an influential figure in the ever-evolving rabbit hole of interconnections that is Berlin electronica.

Of late, Proefrock has surfaced with exceptional remixes for the late Skull Disco label – versions of Shackleton’s epic ‘Death Is Not Final’ and Appleblim’s ‘Vansan’. However, his role as Senior Player dates back to the late 1990s, with the establishment of his DIN label – with Pole, Arovane and Monolake all receiving the DIN release treatment, as well as Proefrock’s Dynamo and ‘Various Artists‘ projects. He also played a major role in introducing Berliners and mail order junkies to one of the most unstoppable forces in intelligent music retail, Mark (Basic Channel) Ernestus’ HardWax, fulfilling the job of Store Manager for many years.

It is to Monolake however that we turn for Proefrock’s most prolific work, as producer, regular collaborator and, with the withdrawl of original collaborator and Abelton founder Gerhard Behles, now essentially the ‘other half’ of Robert Henke’s long-standing project. This new, unreleased track is distributed via Henke’s Monolake site, forshadowing his plans for the pair to stage a number of live shows together throughout 2009.

T++ – Therefore Version 5 | download page

Bonus: Robert Henke with Torsten Proefrock – Atlantic Waves IV (Live at The Tate) | mp3 | more info

img | bullish

Tags: din, germany, monolake, skulldisco, t++

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AGF | Disturbia

January 15th, 2009 Stu

Even back when she was flogging her ‘Pon De Replay’ schtick, I always suspected that Rhianna was hardcore – that at any moment, she would squint her eyes, furrow her brow and come on over and kick the living shit out of you. I think my assessment still stands, or at least it did until I heard AGF’s cover of Rhianna’s ‘Distubia’.

AGF, aka East German poet, artist, musician and vocalist Antye Greie has an illustrious ten-year career behind her, with a phenomenal quantity of output, including work with her partner Vladislav Delay, Ellen Allien and Monika’s Gudrun Gut. Her work revolves around deconstruction / reconstruction, blending ‘real world’ (via poetry, spoken word and installative art) and the digital world together, until such times as the component parts are often virtually unrecognisable. Her poemproducer.com site represents a growing archive of work, including a generous volume of audio downloads.

AGF has always been a fascinating and uncompromising electronic provocateur, yet here she takes Rhianna’s original and crushes it relentlessly into fine shards of glass – and when that feels about done, she picks up her mallet and grinds that down further still, until we’re left with nothing but sand. Thrashing Rhianna’s lyrics through a psychotic blender, then submerged under a layer of digital distortion, AGF tweaks: ‘Am I scaring you tonight?’. Fuck yeah.

AGF – Distubria | mp3

img | mass distraction

Tags: agf, germany, rhianna

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Wadadda & FS Dan | Moralny Hazard

November 18th, 2008 Stu

Portuguese netlabel, Enough Records, by rough count have clocked up 197 releases since their inception; a collection that would take many days (weeks even) to review, although first impressions suggest that such aural punishment might actually be worth it. My first bite of their cherry is ‘Enough Dubs’, an impressive collection of dubstep from Finland (Takomo), Germany (Dipswitch, 2Krazy, Discreat, Desmond Denker, Wadadda) and the U.S. (DZ).

Once again proving the point that dubstep variations exist far beyond the boundaries of old London town, my stake for the jewel in the ‘Enough Dubs’ crown is German producer Wadadda’s contribution “Moralny Hazard” featuring Polish MC, FS Dan. The blend of the sharp Polish language and inflections with a tabla-infused deep bass wobble is something quite unique, a less frenetic though nonetheless compelling side-step from the burgeoning Polish dancehall scene.

Wadadda & FS Dan – Moralny Hazard | mp3

Enough Dubs | info & album download

Tags: dubstep, enoughrecords, fsdan, germany, poland, wadadda

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