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Let’s face it – a lot of the stories behind practitioners of electronic music can be fairly dry. Secure home environments, steady education, and family support with which to indulge creative whims before hitting upon success of one kind or another. Of course it’s not always like that, as Joe Muggs pointed out when he wrote a wildly twisting story of ‘90s techno, crime and punishment on the South coast of England for Thump, shining a light on the lesser-known talents of Ibrahim Alfa.
The Workshop Records release schedule moves in line with its content, unfurling with a slow and unpredictable quality, issued with the same minimum of fuss whether it’s a new album from Kassem Mosse or a live recording of Magic Mountain High. It’s a curious identity the German label has carved out for itself, maintaining a definite stylistic cohesion even as it seems to carry all sorts of different sounds.
Considering his position as one of the foundational figures in the Workshop mythos, Lowtec hasn’t actually released a whole EP on the label since 2008’s Workshop 06, while instead he has been busy spreading his non-conformist house style to labels such as Nonplus and Brainmath. It’s always a rewarding experience hearing an artist on their home turf, whether the context of the tracks has any actual bearing on the sounds pressed to wax or not. It’s simply that when an artist chooses to release their own material it suggests that they have utmost faith in those particular tracks, overriding any artistic temperament and self-criticism.
The forthcoming album will be comprised entirely of material recorded at last year’s Freerotation festival.
100% Silk and Planet Mu artist Ital has added a 12″ on esteemed Berlin imprint Workshop to his burgeoning discography.
Nonplus and Workshop Records will be coming together for a party in London next month as part of the multi-pronged Hydra series of events, and we have a pair of tickets to give away.
Arguments over what exactly constitutes “live” electronic music are often as circular and dull as the most listless of pre-programmed laptop sets, but David Moufang isn’t in the mood to pull punches: “It’s like taking a piss on people,” says the man better known as veteran of leftfield electronica Move D. “They map their tracks on Ableton and then they crossfade them, and I’ve seen people I really respected pulling this trick. We’re all fed up with this.”
London promoters Streets Of Beige have announce details of a Workshop Records showcase set to take place later this month, with Move D, Kassem Mosse, Lowtec and Even Tuell all scheduled to perform.
Move D – real name David Moufang – is currently in one of those periods where everyone wants a piece of him, and, for a man who has been consistently doing his thing with the minimum of fuss for many a year, it’s impossible to begrudge him time in the spotlight. This is the German producer’s fourth release for Workshop Records, following the DJ Laté collaboration on Workshop 02, the Playtime album (as one half of Reagenz) and a split release with Even Tuell and Sascha Dive on Workshop 04.
Expectations for Workshop 14 were always going to be high – partly thanks to Moufang’s stunning release on Uzuri a couple of months back, but also because the previous release on Workshop, from Kassem Mosse, was one of the finest yet in a peerless back catalouge. As with every Workshop release, the attention to detail is immediately apparent; shrink wrapped, hand stamped vinyl and embossed text serving as a delicious visual accompaniment to the sounds on offer.
Anyone familiar with Move D’s back catalogue will know he’s a master of subtlety, the king of calm. And so it proves on his opening missive here, as jangling melodies, smoky guitars, skipping hats and barley there vocals whisper below an insistent beat on “Track 1”, sprawled luxuriantly across the A-Side. An abundance of sonic touches – most notably vocal fragments thrown around the arrangement – and delicious chiming keys lend the track a shimmering, smile-inducing energy. The track is lengthy, yet never becomes dull. There are subtle twists and turns, produced with a sure hand and intricate poise.
The two B-Side offerings are soaked in the trademark Move D style; a beefy drum loop signals the opening of the untitled opener, with loosely arranged cymbals applauding the arrival of warm keys. A tad heavier than the A, Move D locks the elements into a groove, before stripping the track to its bare bones and starting again with dubby atmospherics. By the end those drums feel positively booming, the hats fall back in line and heads should be well and truly nodding. Despite the quality of the first two tracks, the best is left for B2 (just like on the aforementioned Kassem Mosse release, oddly enough). Intriguing mechanical percussion, droning bass and a heavily filtered melody buried deep beneath a bewitching vocal sample give the track a wistful 80s vibe, sounding like Moufang’s take on the dreamy West Coast sounds of Nite Jewel and 100% Silk.
Aaron Coultate
Workshop Records has unveiled its latest release – a 12″ from on-fire producer Move D – with an accompanying video directed by Berlin based film company the29nov.
Those who have followed German imprint Workshop Records will already be well aware of the label’s strong visual and musical aesthetic. Built around a core of artists – chiefly label bosses Even Tuell and Lowtec alongside Move D and Kassem Mosse among others – the Workshop sound touches on melodic, dusty and raw house and techno. The label was launched in 2006 shortly after Lowtec (aka Jens Kuhn) folded his Out To Lunch imprint. Every release since then has been imbued with the deepest of grooves, from the woozy narcosis of Lowtec’s Workshop 6 to Move D’s disco-sampling jam on Workshop 4 and the epic B-Side of Mosse’s recent Workshop 12 release.
A distribution hook-up with Germany’s home of discerning dancefloor music, Hardwax, gave Workshop the platform it deserved, and it has flourished. Given the attention to detail that accompanies every Workshop release – it’s the little things that stand out, like shrink wrapping, hand stamped vinyl and embossed text – it should be of no surprise to learn that one half of the label runs a boutique fashion label, with Even Tuell (real name Paul-David) having launched Airbag Craftworks back in 1995. Juno Plus editor Aaron Coultate caught up with Kassem and Even prior to the recent Workshop Records showcase hosted by London club types Electric Minds.
Magic Mountain High, the live outfit formed by Move D and Juju & Jordash, have announced a debut EP set for release on Berlin imprint Workshop Records.
