Berlin confidential: 20 essential Ostgut Ton records that helped define the city’s techno sound

Scuba
Sub:stance
(OSTGUTCD11, 2010)

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The cross-pollination of dubstep and techno at Berghain is largely a result of Scuba’s Sub:stance nights. This record features Shackleton, Ramadanman and Mala –who’ve played at the nights – and four previously unreleased tracks from Paul Rose himself. It proves the label isn’t bound to releasing a singular sound but rather prides itself on diversity and sonic innovation.

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V.A
Fünf
(OSTGUTCD15/LP07, 2010)

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Over two weeks in 2009, producer Emika recorded hundreds of field recordings within Berghain’s infrastructure. Without guidelines or restrictions, Ostgut artists turned these recordings into 24 individual tracks for the label’s fifth anniversary compilation. There’s often talk of the bilateral relationship between the club and its music and Fünf is a play on that; present Berghain with a track off Fünf and the space is simultaneously filled by its own self-made sounds.

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Steffi
Yours & Mine
(OSTGUTCD16/LP08, 2011)

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Prior to her debut, some of Steffi’s tracks found their way onto a number of Ostgut mixes –all of which are stellar examples of smooth deep house. Insightful, instinctive and refined, the album is a hugely personal record and proves that Berghain’s first lady understands the need for balance and control as well as tempo and texture.

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Nick Höppner
Panorama Bar 04
(OSTGUTCD21)

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A key figure in electronic music, Nick Höppner’s selection here includes a number of undiscovered house gems and previously unreleased tracks. The Ostgut Ton manager proves his knowledge is not limited to one genre and takes the listener on an immersive sonic journey.

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Barker & Baumecker
Transsektoral
(OSTGUTCD22/LP11, 2012)

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Sam Barker and Andreas Baumecker are both established figures in the scene and their collaboration is a hugely successful and celebrated affair. The album is an unconventional take on techno influenced by glitch, dubstep and ambient; the title refers to the duo’s ambition to transcend the entirety of the electronic music spectrum.

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