In Dett to Marcel

Over the past 12 months, Berlin DJ and producer Marcel Dettmann's profile has risen exponentially. Thankfully, he hasn't exploited this new-found recognition: while Dettmann has remixed Len Faki, Scuba, Deetron, Gowentgone and Kevin Gorman over the past year and put out an excellent mix for Berghain, he has only released one EP of original material -  'MDR04' ('Scenario' was out at the tail end of 2007).  Maybe he's keen to ensure that what happens to many producers who are projected into the spotlight doesn't befall him: lucrative offers start to roll in to release music and, conscious of how quickly attention shifts to someone else, many accept, in the process rinsing the very originality and creativity that won them the acclaim in the first place.
Having said that, it is unusual that Dettmann has strayed from the MDR/Ostgut outlets and is sharing record space with Pigon for Berlin party-turned-record label Beatstreet. Pigon's 'Kamm' is also out of kilter  with Dettmann's sound: centred on a loose and woozy jazz-skewed groove, it's like the Dial guys
turned off the quantizer and imagined themselves as louche jazz players in a smoky speakeasy. If 'Kamm' is all about wanton abandon, then 'Plain', perhaps unsurprisingly, focuses on control. It feels like Dettmann is struggling to keep his trademark booming bass and beats in check as they cut a predatory shape. Maybe it's because as usual with Dettmann, the tempo is restrained or due to the fact that the sharp percussion and an eerie organ sequence inspired by Hood yet closer to Bodycode provide the necessary distractions, fleshing out another primal arrangement. So will Dettmann's music sound as fresh in 12 months' time? It's impossible to say and depends on whether he tries to gradually vary it without losing its unrelenting power or just sits back and keeps putting out the same material. It's worth noting however that Dettmann is inspired by classic US house and techno, and Robert Hood hasn't radically changed over the past 15 year - yet 'Hoodmusic 3' is one of the finest techno releases in recent years. When you strike gold, it's wise to keep mining.

Comments

[Karl]

I was at Berghain last saturday where they were celebrating Marcel Dettmans birthday, through my drunken haze I cant remember much except dancing and dancing to those pounding tunes, was a really good night. This Beatstreet 12" sounds really good.

ps. this might be a bit inappropriate but does anyone agree with me that Mr. Dettman would fit perfectly for a movie role as a SS captain. Something about his looks...

[clom]

funny you might say that Karl, i think he's rocking that high-born German WWI air ace.

i saw him a few weeks ago in Glasgow's brilliant Soundhaus venue. absolutely fantastic, rocked a crowd that seemed very distracted in the warm up.

[Brophy]

never seen him play, but really like his records (and remxies) - he was over here recently but missed him