Panorama Bar resident Nick Ho¨ppner gets to Work on his second solo album on Ostgut Ton, connecting the territories of House music with the ease of Alt-Pop.
On Work, Ho¨ppner shows his everlasting lust for musical detail, his increasing technical skills and compositional finesse. Work is a very personal, soulful and deep record that breaks through the usual club/dancefloor narrative by documenting Nick’s interest for hybrid sounds and combining elements from varying musical genres. Work’s lead single “All By Themselves (My Belle)” is a very atmospheric, intimate and steadily unfurling IDM piece with ethereal synth and vocal pads; on the album it’s contrasted by “Clean Living” with Tram 78, a modern Ho¨ppner club classic: powerful, kick-heavy, muscular, cheerful and uplifting. It’s a very personal track resulting from a recent reencounter with an old friend. Having spent countless hours together in Berlin’s clubs in ever changing states of mind a decade ago or longer, things have since changed for both towards a more „clean living“. Connecting to this musical vibe “In My Mind” follows with a slightly darker tone putting emphasis on bassline, percussion and squeaky sound detailing. “Hole Head” pays tongue-in-cheek homage to Nick’s love for UK club music, when a dashing melody of synths and vibraphone is matched with clattering breaks and syncopation. The dubby, mesmerizing “The Dark Segment” not only impresses with its hypnotic synth figurines, but also by morphing to a shuffling Jazz rhythm towards it’s middle part; “Forced Resonance” uses Oberheim synth brass stabs to dramatic effect; the percussion- and clap-laden “Fly Your Colours” comes with an irresistible piano melody atop an energetic kick; and finally the album-closing, shuffling but rhythmic, noisy yet bluesy “Three Is A Charm” featuring the duo Randweg on clarinet, cajo´n and acoustic guitar is a coherent departure heading towards Indie Pop territory. It sees Nick collaborating with acoustic instrumentalists for the first time in his ten-year- spanning Ostgut Ton release catalogue. More

This EP's lead track comes in form of a deep Dub Techno aesthetic at an adequate 128 bpm while not neglecting warm and melodic elements. “Box Drop” stands in the tradition of Höppner's interest in musical detail rather than blatant functionality: aside from his recognizable kick drums and basslines Nick lays out plenty of harmonic layers and effects such as string arrangements, leading synth pads, now trickling then rotating sound patterns, making this cut as elegiac and frisky as it’s muscular and straightforward. “Still” on B1 begins with a more mellow vibe but with the same interest in musical subtleness and melody. And while the track's start is more layed back, it's “still” a club track, slowly swelling and progressing until its break at 2 minutes in and onwards – slightly romantic yet very groove-focussed, a glorious piece of upbeat House music. “Out Of Sight” on B2 sees Höppner working with female vocal samples whispering from the background while its sturdy bassline, synth bleeps and modulations, shakers and other percussion add to the overall warm and cosmic vibe. By aiming for a strong musical coherence and dancefloor functionality Nick offers three facets of a familiar mood with the Box Drop EP – ahead of his stylistically and atmospherically more diverse studio album, due out in June on Ostgut Ton.
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It's great to watch the path that The Black Madonna has taken lately. Chicago's Smart Bar resident has been tearing up clubs around the world, but few nights compare to her taking over Panorama Bar after Nick Höppner's set in March 2014 – that night was Disco and House mayhem on the dancefloor. Her remix of "Relate" puts more emphasis on the kickdrum, turning Höppner's dreamy original into a sturdy, 4/4-heavy House monster. A proper hit and proof of her singularity! A similar yet different approach comes from Berlin-based duo Liit: Their remix shines some wan and oppressive light on the album's buoyant pop gem "Come Closer", really adding by subtracting. More unusual sounds and additional production are served with Dutch Aardvarck's treatment of "Grind Show" – a deep and mesmerizing piece of dancefloor voodoo and a classy earcatcher. Last but not least Herva jams on the brake, making "Rising Overheads" a slowed-down multi-layered offbeat deep dub with an overall sound & style of its own. With Remixes Nick Höppner follows up on his solo debut album release Folk. While the album served as a peek inside Höppner's musical mind, these four new versions extend the tribalist mindset of Folk to Höppner's diverse musical agenda and taste. More

With the "Red Hook Soil EP" Nick Höppner delivers a complex, many-facetted record. On the A-side Nick opens in a classic style, but "Red Hook Soil" quickly develops a modern, atmospheric mood. Tender stabs, soft synth washes and a metallic groove complement each other in surprising harmony. Ê The B-side opens with "Bait & Tackle" which creates a darker vibe. The track builds a bridge between genres within its driving beat, the inspired use of percussion, bass and synths with trance borrowings suceeds in creating an unexpectly gripping combination. Ê On the final track "Decal" industrial sounds and rich, hissing background noise meet pushing hi-hats over a dry, rolling kick drum, Nick adds sublte variations at the deepest levels throughout and so maintains a perfect balance and flow, creating a rich texture. More

Panorama Bar resident and purveyor of fine house music Nick Höppner presents the fourth installment in the club's mix series. Over many years Nick has established himself as one of the key figures in todays electronic music scene. Not only has he been working at the helm of Ostgut Ton since its inception and has released four EPs as a solo producer on the label, his inimitable DJ style has also taken him to play many clubs across the globe, always displaying a vast knowledge of music not limited to one particular genre. In his sets he combines anything from uplifting vocal house to deep melodic dub techno into one smooth whole, every time expertly mixed with particular detail to harmony and flow. More

Resident Nick Höppner returns with his third release for Ostgut Ton. After last years' „Makeover“ come three new detailed excursions, plus a remix by Lee Jones.
Almost entirely constructed from field recordings taken within the walls of Berghain, „Brush Me Down“ is a raw and textural jam, uncontrived and jostling with energy. Jittery, shuffling and shaking, Höppner's love for funky, off-kilter percussion shines through as he pieces together a mysterious audio puzzle of found atmospherics; club nights and concerts otherwise committed only to memory ynow preserved and recycled. It also is a hint at what is to be expected from Ostgut Ton's 5 years anniversary compilation this autumn. As a close confident and collaborator with Nick as MyMy, Lee Jones also knows a thing or two about the broken beats that unite the pair's musical worlds. Jones' remix of 'Brush Me Down' pieces the source sounds together wonderfully in an intricate fragmented jazz interpretation that brings together club, dub and 2Step influences to spine tingling effect. The heavy bass drawl of „Umbrella Pitch“ unfolds like a sinister drama, yet promises resolution as a warm and exultant theme slowly emerges and unwinds itself. Spreading positive messages through another beautiful and complex arrangement that allows an intimate view into Höppner's rich musical abilities.
Finally we ascend through dense clouds of drifting, dubbed chords and filtered textures, „Dancing On The Head Of A Pin“ confirms the heights Höppner is able to reach in search of the perfect balance. This super-concentrated symphony of countless parts bubbles and floats along in its own celestial realm. Honest, emotional and deeply harmonious, its a stunning conclusion to the EP. More

On her 2nd album Steffi recalls classic, landmark Detroit Electro, while creating modern, retro-futuristic sound More

On her 2nd album Steffi recalls classic, landmark Detroit Electro, while creating modern, retro-futuristic sound More

"Code" is the debut LP from Berlin producer Answer Code Request on Ostgut Ton. Whether his DJ sets, the increasing appearances as a live act or with impressive releases on Marcel Dettmann Records and his own label ACR – as an emergent Berghain resident, Patrick Gräser is also one of the new exciting faces on the label. After the "Breathe EP", his debut release on Ostgut Ton, his first long-player was not only a matter of time, but the next logical step. "Code" is a statement that coquettishly plays with the crucial question of electronic music – which tasks and perspectives a techno album should demonstrate – it also challenges current listening expectations. Even though the primacy of functionality seems to be engraved in stone as a paradigm, ACR turns his back on just a mere collection of dancefloor tracks.
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