Super-Techno-Friday!

"Modeselektor's Rave Anthem" by Modeselektor and "Cheap Thrills" by Apparat -- I recently got ahold of a copy of Ellen Allien's third DJ mix CD, titled My Parade, and it is stunning. Like her Weiss mix cd from a couple years back, there's some deep electro/techno stuff, but this cd includes some crazy old school techno, like "Electron" by Wild Planet and "Relax Your Body" by Dr FeelX. All in all its an amazing mix, up and down with old and new techno, and a touch of electro thrown in, that works equally well blasting out of your speakers as it does on headphones walking through the city and riding the subway (NYC robots!).

I decided that, although I usually hate to put things up that come from a 'mix cd' (because you're not getting the whole picture without the other songs around them), I wanted to post these two songs because I want to illustrate just how solid the Berlin techno scene is right now. Modeselektor crunches along to an electro-rhythm, and Apparat shuffels (schaffels?) along to that 6/8 tempo I'm so fond of. Both Modeselektor and Apparat have released things on Allien's BPitch Control label, to much applause, and Apparat has also put out a lot of work on Marco Haas (aka T. Raumschmiere)'s amazing Shitkatapult label. They are tracks 7+8 on the cd, but they're also available on vinyl (for all you real DJs out there): Apparat - Can't Compute ep (BP097), and Modeselektor - Turn Deaf! ep (BP099), both of which came out in November (and are available here).

If you like what you hear in these two songs, you'll definitely enjoy the rest of the mix too, so buy it - also, if you're not familiar with Ellen Allien's own work, I very strongly reccomend you purchase her second LP, Berlinette - it ranges from pounding techno, to electro, to sad pretty electronic songs that take a bit from both musical worlds. That comes v. highly reccomended.