Nearly 10 years on since his last solo LP, Berlin techno icon Marcel Dettmann arrives on Dekmantel with an expansive album captured in a flash of inspiration.

In many ways Fear Of Programming is a reflection on the artistic process – the critical hurdles one has to overcome, the constant strive for originality, the ability to capture inspiration in its pure moment of inception. Bar the closing title track (and we all know Marcel loves a surprise closing), these 13 tracks came together during a period in which our hirsute host was able to immerse himself in studio practice and set the intention to record an album’s worth of material every single day. From the resulting mass of work there were many options to choose from, and Fear Of Programming stood out as one of the most complete statements on Dettmann’s approach in the here and now.

Unconcerned with an overarching concept, it was the work in the studio which drove the musical direction. No labouring over knotty arrangements, no painstaking mix downs – just honest expression, a moment caught, a groove locked, a stroke of synth sent pirouetting over a cavernous bed of texture. The results are varied, and while you might well hear plenty of bruising machinations in line with the techno Dettmann has made his name on, there are plenty of other shades expressed across the album.

Ambient sojourns, beatless epics and angular electronica have equal footing with strident, floor-friendly workouts. Standout piece ‘Water’ offers an icy ballet of swinging minimal and drip-drop melodics fronted by Ryan Elliott on lesser-spotted vocal duties, urging, ‘give me a sign, just a little something to let me know that you’re mine’. It’s playful, but still underpinned with the sincerity that comes with Dettmann’s work.

Running on instinct, Dettmann presents an honest version of himself in the here and now, speaking through the sonics and not over-thinking the results. His decades of experience helming a thousand techno parties speak for themselves, while his evolution as a musical entity through collaboration and his own BAD MANNERS label demonstrate his appetite for change. Indeed, the working method which resulted in the album also spurred him on to create a live set beyond his well-established DJ practice. Without resorting to a conceited overhaul, Fear Of Programming opens up the idea of what Dettmann represents in the modern techno landscape. More

Repress!
Proper Techno - in depth Ruskin reworks of a Dettmann original More

Party-starting, jauntily distorted Shake b/w expertly trippy Morphosis remix treatments More

Repress!
Crafty techno w/ a nautical metalic sound sphere - killer EP! More

The 2x12” sees the renowned selector and longtime Berghain resident in explorative form, combining compact experimental techno vignettes with writhing, dubby and distorted long- form dancefloor portals – as well as a stoned and unexpected turn into house territory. At 22 minutes over 6 tracks, Test-File is a series of sonic contrasts united by Dettmann’s uncanny intuition for patiently shifting, improvisational dance music. 3-minute opener “Test-File” bangs in with rapid fire kicks and tape-delayed electric zaps, reversing midway into a kind of electronic palindrome. The momentum is sustained on standout single “Ascending”, where an overdriven basswave surges through a tunnel of industrial noise. The EP then emerges into the arch, squishy house of “Autumn77”, filled with sirens, pads and sampled vox/laughter. The second vinyl returns initially to rhythmic experimentation with the 3-minute “Torch” lurching forward rattling and machine-like, interspersed by passages of groan and hiss. “Error (1st Take)” bubbles along dub-wise, tripping atmospherically though a haze of out-of-synch synth bursts. Closer “Metalloid” wraps it all up with a hypnotic, rubber band acid line and smudged 808s clavs. More

Rauch is a sonic interpretation of the work of photographer Friederike von Rauch, composed collaboratively by Berlin-based producers Felix K, Marcel Dettmann, Sa Pa and Simon Hoffmann. Arranged and mixed by Marcel Dettmann, the recording stands in dialogue with von Rauch’s architectural images of post-World War II European monasteries, including La Tourette by Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis near Lyon, Roosenberg Abbey near Ghent and Maria Regina Martyrum in Berlin. The images were first exhibited together with the music on this LP as part of an installation for von Rauch’s solo show insgeheim (“in secret”), held at the Goethe-Institut Paris during the international Paris Photo art fair in November 2017. While the complimentary relationship between the sounds of Rauch (“smoke”) and the images exhibited in Paris invites interpretation, both can also be experienced as separate artistic entities. On the 42-minute-long LP, drones, modulating harmonic soundscapes and implied rhythms maintain an abstract emotional core while occasionally taking on vaporous, amorphous qualities. Similarly, von Rauch’s images – often borderline abstract in composition – resist being identified by location or spatial context. Nevertheless, they also hint at their spiritual origin. Rauch is part of an ongoing artistic collaboration between Marcel Dettmann and Friederike von Rauch, which includes 2011’s Ash installation and three photographic works for Dettmann releases on Ostgut Ton. More

Expertly paced, Dettmann II impresses especially with its carefully rising narrative. On first glance, as the album barrels into action with the particulate grit of "Throb" and "Ductil", Dettmann is in fine style. But to the careful listener, these tracks feel lightweight like they're built from aluminum instead of steel. Each tune's central theme is a bit more out there than usual, from the sheet metal racket of "Lightworks" to the house-hinting chorus of "Soar", which is every bit as majestic as its title implies. He offers up some top-notch ambient material as well, like the trippy "Shiver", or the ominous "Outback", which features contributions from Levon Vincent. Dettmann also reaches for a rare collaboration on his second album. Kindred spirit Emika lends her spectral gasps to "Seduction", which stays stunningly antiseptic even as it weaves her voice into its wire framework. With Dettmann II's stretch of tracks "Radar" and "Corridor", the album finally takes flight into full-on club mania, fist-pumping career-high material with all the subtlety of his old work molded up into a spiky banger. "Aim", which ends the record in lofty fashion, hints at a new direction for Dettmann, uncharacteristically melodic and even uplifting. Co-produced by René Pawlowitz, it bears the Shed touch but keeps it firmly in Dettmann's finely-honed world. The first track written for the album and the one that initiated the album sessions in the first place, it carefully hints at new directions while keeping its glance firmly in Dettmann's established history - which you could say for the album as a whole, gently moving towards new horizons but always keeping in mind what made Dettmann's past music so great in the first place. More

Dettman is back and and again sets standards with his unique style. More

(Cheeba Starks (1996!), Vril, The Analogue Cops & Answer Code Request) sampler 2 out of 2 for the long awaited second mix-cd from Marcel Dettmann, resident at the notorious Berghain club in Berlin. More

Bluemoon productions (1990!), Morphosis, Signal & FBK) sampler 1 out of 2 for the long awaited second mix-cd from Marcel Dettmann, resident at the notorious Berghain club in Berlin. More

Red hot Munich newcomers Zenker Brothers join forces with a German Techno staple, Marcel Dettmann, a combination that is both exciting and effective. It was Marcel's idea to have his "Activator", a dark, broken DJ Tool backed up by the "Bavarian Realkeepers", an idea we fully support. "Namuan" is another piece of 1990s rooted tool techno in fine Ilian Tape style with banging clap-grooves that has been going down a treat in the sets of Dario, Marco and Marcel. More

Our third to last release combines two driving forces of contemporary techno: Homegrown Benjamin Damage is joined by Truncate, a deadly combination for any DJ's bag. Ben Damage's "Battle" sees him layer his hyperactive grooves over a thumping kick with a small but effective acid line topping things off. Truncate's "86" is a massive track Dave Sumner aka Function previously used in his "Berghain 07" mix, obviously serving as one of the highlights in there. It's creeping synths build up to a climax in typical Truncate fashion, with huge, compressed kickdrums pounding the dance floor mercilessly. More

Two masters of Sound Design join forces for this split 12": Anstam and his wonderful "Dolores" and Monolake with his experimental techno track "VT-100", which is solely made on the Linn Drum. We are very excited to welcome Monolake to 50WEAPONS, as we have been following Robert Henke's work for a long time. Both tracks tap into the experimental side of 50WEAPONS, but this is obvious, considering the two names on this record. More

Shed's pure techno power is twisted into breaky sub-bass-loaded madness by his longtime friends Modeselektor, a pairing that hasn't shared the same 12” since the very first Modeselektion. Pawlowitz's Track combines a straightforward 4/4 beat with a chopped vocal that will hypnotize just about any dancefloor into a perfect Shed-Trance, which is chopped up even further on the Modeselektor remix. Mr Bronsert & Mr Szary also replaced the 4/4 kickdrum with a booming broken beat and big breaks, sure to be spun by every creative DJ. One for the Books!
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We tap the Franco-Polish Connection fo the fourth RIP single: A Bambounou / Margaret Dygas Split 12”! 50WEAPONS is very excited to welcome the renowned Perlon artist to our guest roster, and her track “Popular Religions” merges the minimal asthaetics of her sound with ours in a fantastic way! Bambounou bids farewell with the bubbly “See You Soon”, a perfect match to Margaret's track.
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The new 50WEAPONS messes with the straight jackets of its antecedent's techno vibes. But despite the jacked up juke of Addison Groove's signature sound, he delivers quite a 4/4 version of his sometimes more seriously broken beat. His 'Allaby' sounds like he simply needed an excuse to dance. And it sure is and will be for anybody - no matter what corner of electronic clubmusic you come from. Rattling juke claps, a bouncy kick and cut up shout outs will get you hyped right away. The rest is easy, given the fresh, lighthearted touch of the whole track, its precise arrangement and its superb feeling for the right timing. This is DJ-tool, highlight and energy refresher at the same time. A very variable track, DJ's and Clubkids will love to geth their hands on. So let's skip to Errorsmith: The man is a menace II the soundsystem. His intricate structures always come crowned with the crispest, finest, bestest and bassiest sound designs you can imagine. There's nothing Errorsmith cannot do. You want the baddest bass? He's got it. You want the meanest synth? He's got it. You want the hardest kickdrum? He's got it. This track certainly went through the school of hard knox, where it got kicked out for too much talent. Imagine a lurky, wobbly monster with no tags applied. And if you'd try to nail it, you'd fail. Errorsmith ain't dubstep, IDM, bass music or industrial he's just over the top - he's the man himself. Brace yourself and go buy that airbag before this tune is gonna roll you over. More

50WEAPONS #41 is the 2nd installment in the label's grand finale. It consists of a killer pairing of two tracks aiming to destroy any dancefloor. So be careful, this one is a weapon of mass destruction. Phon.o chose techno's first lady Paula Temple as his counterpart and they both set out on the same mission: To leave you locked in the club for hours. But don't worry: There's no escape. Phon.o's "Tw33tz" pays homage to the label's heritage with this sly techno track that goes from foggy darkness to 10 am euphoria. A gasping breath wreathing for air in the tight clutch of a distorted kickdrum and dubby percussions turns into a Moderat-esque bass-synth screaming hands up. The argument is overwhelming: shut up and dance. Same goes without saying for "Oscillate" Paula Temple's burning techno stomper. Here the atmosphere seems as compressed as astronaut ice cream. A gut wrenching sub bass introduced by the dryest kick heard on this label so far clears the space for an electro-acid synthline ready to sweep you of your feet. Club music at it's finest: this is psychological warfare.
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Bambi is back and as effective as ever! 50WEAPONS proudly presents two stripped back club tracks by Bambounou, our main man for dancefloor euphoria. Watch him drop both of the tracks in his Boiler Room set in Paris in September 2013 and you'll understand what we mean. YouTube commenters have since been all over these tracks. "Feel Like This" is built around a hypnotizing vocal sample with hi hats sharp enough to cut a hole right through your braincells to activate your dance-nerves. Leaving your synapses to the mercy of the pounding kick drum which is fat enough to get everyone in the room moving. "Onto This" sees Bambounou unleash his talents in a very NY-esque way, with those sharp skippy hats that are definitely drawing on UK garage and one of the grooviest organs we've heard since "Kaoz on King Street". Both tracks will definitely reap lots of support, from Panorama Bar to the beaches of Croatia and back to Paris. More

FJAAK are new to 50WEAPONS and they already have had a killer start. It is said that they actually sleep/live in their studio and one can easily imagin them listening to bassdrum samples for breakfast. Their rough techno tracks are driven by a fast and furious energy, that is pulsing with love for its genre. The A side is ruled by the outstandingly well carved noises of the Kick drum's reverb, brilliantly timed breaks and a windy flute pad that pairs perfectly with the distorted snare drum. A knack for expertly distorted drum sounds is one of FJAAK's most distinctive features. The B side explores the quest for finest distorted kick drum. "The Wind" pairs it with delayed synths and a noise-come-percussion heading into deeper territories while "Curious" on B2 sets a darker vibe with growling bass drones that sting like metallic insects and infect you with dancemania. More

Previously sold via Hardwax Record Store / Berlin (Sept. 2012), here's the chance to get one of the last copies of the #22 in the limited edtion series of the 50 WEAPONS label. A new Addison Groove record is always a spectacle. This new EP in particular is gonna me you go boom! More

Benjamin Damage is back. His new EP on 50weapons features 3 banging clubtracks, some made with his newly aquired analogue TB 303 like the stunning ravy 'Acid Bath'. It is a feast for techno lovers with its hommage to the bleepy sounds from the golden era of the 90ies. Far from being retro in any way, the kick-heavy but well rounded sounds are Dancefloor fillers meant for the club prime time. Following his celebrated remix of Alan Fitzpatricks 'Confessions of a wanted man' this E.P. has Benjamin head further into techno territory leaving his UK Bass past only dimly recognizable in the bouncing euophoria of the lead melody's arpeggio on 'UP' the first track on the record. Aside from this 'Up' is a straight techhouse hit that is guaranteed to bring the hands 'Up' (pun intended) on the floor. This EP is surely going to find it´s way into tons of record bags over summer as it is strong enough to speak to huge festival crowds. More

File Under: junglish-footwork flux by one of UK bass music's figureheads. Excellent sophomore album including collaborations with DJ Die, Sam Binga, MC DRS and Josefina. More

The 50WEAPONSRMX10 EP let's Bambounou's heady minimal original “Ignition“ shine in new glamour. Garnier, the pioneer of the French techno scene himself called Bambounou the official successor and now steps up to provide a lush dubby techhouse track that strictly aims at the big room to expand the accesibility of Bambounou's name to new territories. This track is a dancefloor guarantee for the clubs worldwide. Cleverly the Garnier remix is met by French Fries' version of “Ignition“, an austere stunner of the minimalist approach so typical for the new french sound, which he and his best buddie Bambounou have made so popular in the last 2 years. The French Fries remix is a modern day answer to the seriousness of techno as an undergound vehicle in the early days of its existence, which is exactly the point of time Garnier made his first tracks. The 2 remixes couldn't be more different and they couldn't fit together better, each on their own representing an important facette of the label's catalogue and 50WEAPONS' stunning ability to pair the sounds of now with the flavour of it's heritage.

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The compilation presents all nine 50 Weapons remix singles so far in chronological order. The tracklist contains some of the world's biggest producers of electronic music including Moderat, Shed, Marcel Dettmann, DJ Friction, Robert Hood, Chris Liebing, Legowelt, Miles, Truncate, Benjamin Damage, Lee Gamble, Anstam, Siriusmo, Tale Of Us, Modeselektor and many more. More