Not much more than a year has passed since the Zenker Brothers presented their debut EP – ‘Lion in Mars’ – on Tresor Records. The follow-up record segues perfectly between a triumphant year in the studio and in performance, and a 2014 which promises to take their growing reputation for blazing techno to new heights. ‘Stratus Phunk’ is an incendiary record, developing the ideas seeded in their first release to their fullest extent. The title track runs along the entire A-side. Building the raw acoustic sounds of wind. instruments into a rolling jam which soon becomes an unstoppable locomotive, shape -shifting in and out of smoky synth lines, tracky hi-hats and acetic basslines, « Stratus Phunk » is a vintage tune forged in the Tresor basement furnace. On the flip, « Thirty-Two » and « Vamp Like » explore the more splintered dimensions of the Münich based brothers’ work, familiar to whoever follows the releases on their own Ilian Tape label.

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Techno was inevitable for the Zenker Brothers. Eldest brother Dario cottoned on first, using his family ties to Munich's infamous Ultraschall club to edge into the DJ booth as an enthusiastic teen. Following its demise he migrated to Harry Klein with the rest of the Ultraschall crew, picking up a residency in 2006 that has only just been brought to a close. It was at this stage Marco received his own electronic awakening. Inspired by a set of his brother's at the very same institution, he joined Dario there a year later. Production-wise, however, the brothers continued to pursue separate paths: Dario sewing an assortment of seeds and racking up a wayfaring collec- tion of records for labels like Frozen Border, Vakant, Time To Express and Traut Muzik. Meanwhile Marco was cultivating deep and dreamy techno on the Zenkers' own Ilian Tape stable. After years of playing and working together side by side, in 2011 they emerged in official collaboration as Zenker Brothers with 'Berg 10 EP'. Now, the Zenker Brothers are back with their first release for Tresor, brandishing a matured sound and level of sensitivity yet displayed by either before. 'Lion In Mars' is like a fresh breeze billowing through the Tresor vaults. Honing in on signa- tures from the archive and repackaging them in modern sentiment, here Zenker Brothers deliver a record that gleans through the generations to deliver a cunning symbiosis of techno future, past
and present. On the A-side "Knighthof" and "The Future Is You" offer driving vintage basement techno with a Zenker twist, whilst B-side tracks "Davin" and "Cosmilian", the EP's clattering dystopic closer, blend Detroit tones together with their respective Ilian-proven pallets.
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