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RA concludes its podcasting year with a mix from Berghain resident Marcel Dettmann.
It wasn't a tough choice for RA to pick out who to close out 2008's podcast schedule. We simply asked the man responsible for our favorite mix CD. Marcel Dettmann's Berghain 02 was a towering techno monument—a celebration of the genre's past and its possible futures. Dettmann's career began in his hometown of Fürstenwalde in the mid '90s, where he organised parties alongside his friends (and now fellow Berghain residents) Marcel Fengler and Norman Nodge. After being headhunted as a resident by the owners of the Ostgut club, he played there for the venue's final three years until its closure in 2002. When the people behind Ostgut launched the Berghain club two years later, his unique outlook on techno ensured that he was one of the first on the list to be brought back into the fold.
Whilst he releases his material on Ostgut Ton—both solo and in collaboration with fellow Berghainer Ben Klock—the other main outlet for his productions is Dettmann's own MDR imprint. Dettmann has stated that the purpose of MDR is to facilitate his "quest for the optimal track." Stripping away everything extraneous to the music has meant that he has shifted the focus back to making people lose themselves in the moment on the dance floor—surely what techno is all about. On his RA podcast, you can hear that aesthetic loud and clear: Pounding minimalism is the order of the day, whether it be new or old. (There is plenty of both.)
What have you been working on recently?
Recently I've been working on several remixes. In addition to that, I just released a new record on MDR produced by Norman Nodge and, of course, I'm doing some new stuff of my own.
How and where was the mix recorded?
I did the mix in my studio with two turntables, two CD players and a sampler.
Can you tell us a little about the mix?
I went into my record case and picked out the stuff that has been catching me the most at the moment. And I'm really happy about the result.
What are you up to next?
In the beginning of January I'll go on tour in the US. I'm playing in NY, Minneapolis and Boston. Later on, in March, I'll be traveling to Japan.
Are you any closer on your "quest for the optimal track"?
I think you can't describe an "optimal track"—it's a question of definition. I'm searching hard for it everyday. ;)
Do you think the popularity of Berghain and the Ostgut label have affected the atmosphere in the club?
I don't think so. Berghain, or in former times the Ostgut, has always had a very good mixture of people from all over the world.
How did your birthday party at the club go?
It took really long and we had a great time. ;)
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