Sleeve Notes : Norman Nodge on Berghain 6

Since Norman Nodge shared an astounding four hour journey in sound recorded at Berghain last year, he’s become something of a hero here in the fabric office. We’ve all engaged in our own way tothe entirety of that session numerous times, a welcome peek into what Nodge has been understatedly been doing since hosting raves in the early 90’s on the outskirts of Berlin and more presently, in his residency at that much fetishized party space in Berlin. This winter has seen the time arrive for the lawyer come producer, to encapsulate his sound in CD form with the release of Berghain 6, a more condensed account of his DJ style. As he looks to celebrate the mix’s release in Room Two with a couple of artists that feature on the mix (namely Marcel Fengler and CTRLS) as well as our own resident Terry Francis, Node has cast his eye backwards over the track selection for Berghain 6 sharing with us the aspects and stories behind each one in this insightful sleeve note feature. Sleeve Notes : Norman Nodge on Berghain 6 Birds Two Cage - Gase : I met this guy with no name in the dark in a lost industrial area and he gave me a package of tracks. “Gase” stood out and so I decided to start the mix with it. Oni Ayhun - OAR 002-B : The rhythm pattern of this track reminds me on Front 242´s “Headhunter”, but the sounds in it are of course completely different. Just a good track to warm-up the speakers without shocking them with heavy bassdrums. Mokira - Manipulation Musik (Redshape Tape Dub) : Heard it first on a white-label 10” without knowing who it was. It perfect matches to Oni Ayhun´s track to build up the tension and fade in some more bass. Patrick Gräser - From Foreign Territories : Think it´s one of the most monotone tracks Patrick ever made, hypnotic drums with a spaceship-atmosphere. I could hear it for hours. Hauntologists - Untitled (B1) : Had this 12” for a while and had never played it before I reexplored it during the search for tracks for the mix-cd. This is one of the tracks you have to give time to unfold it´s whole deepness. Staffan Linzatti - Morning : Maybe Staffan heard lots of Axis and Something In The Sky records before he produced this track. I used it very often during my primetime sets but mostly mixed it with tracks with a more obvious bassdrum. Jeff Mills - Keeping Of The Kept : After Staffan´s track it was not far to follow with this classic from Jeff Mills. He was an inspiration from the moment I discovered Techno for me and also for this reason he had to appear in this mix. Silent Servant - Untitled (A1) : This track stands representative for the Sandwell District crew. This brilliance in sound and density fascinates me again and again … DJ T-1000 - Metra : … and so I thought to add the rough funk of DJ T-1000 should make a beautiful conglomerate. Besides several releases from Robert Hood and Dan Bell this track is for me the blueprint of a minimal but ass-kicking track. The Nighttripper - Tone Explotation (Planerary Assault Systems Remix) : This remix that Luke Slater did for Orlando Voorn under his “Nighttripper” moniker is just tremendous and leads to open mouths and a boost of adrenaline on the floor. A true sure shot for every Techno-DJ. Charlton - Black Slong : Just brutal techno for big speakers with the spirit of the late 90´s for those who never get enough of this stuff. Architectural - Looking Ahead : I have a weakness for the Semantica label and used this track with it´s extended break various times. Though it´s also heavy techno it brings back a little brightness after the previous darker tunes. Mark Broom - Vault 5 : Mark sent me a folder with a bunch of old but unreleased pieces. And this one was my favourite right from the very first time I heard it. Ctrls – Socket : Dark, dry, Danish – and another example for creating an effective weapon for the floor with only a few ingredients. Chancellor - Roundabouts : I loved the whole 12” since I purchased it back in 1997 and I keep on putting it in my bag from time to time since then. Tim Taylor & DJ Slip - New York Minds : I discovered this track only a few years ago in a second-hand-store. It seems DJ Slip disappeared from the surface of the Techno-World. His stuff was always very weird and special. El Gato #9 - Coefficient Of Friction (Monty Luke Back Catalogue Remix) : This track was for me the perfect complement for the one before. Monty Luke shows here how to fabricate a relentless rhythm without using a sharp kickdrum. Radioactive Man - Nastyradio : I just love how the percussions are confronted with the heavy bassline in this track, for me it was the optimal way to ring in the final phase of the mix. Xosar - Rainy Day Juno Jam (Legowelt Remix) : For me Nr 1 of these year´s tracks in the category “beautiful tunes”. And it´s the favourite song of my family.