the spaces left between the beats
Mathias Kaden
VR07 Mathias Kaden – Studio 10 Remixes #2 ∞
After dropping the first package (Dj Koze and AFFKT) last month, here’s another set of splendid remixes for Mathias Kaden’s highly acclaimed album ‘Studio 10’. Luna City Express & Matthias Tanzmann and Wareika are the chosen ones for remix package #2!
The A side sees a remix by Mathias’ long time friends, Luna City Express & Matthias Tanzmann, who reworked the 36 second disco interlude ‘Roots’ to a full length house hitter.
On the B side ‘Studio 10’ collaborator Florian Schirmacher and his Wareika project reworking ‘State Of Stasis’ (featuring vocals from Gjaezon). Schirmacher manages to turn this Detroit influenced tune into something crazy from outer space.. so get with it.
VR06 Mathias Kaden – Studio 10 Remixes #1 ∞
Late in 2009 Mathias Kaden’s debut album ‘Studio 10’ was released and a flood of attention ensued. The readers from Groove, Germany’s most important music magazine, voted ‘Studio 10’ the top album of the year. Correspondingly it also received a flood of positive feedback from the scene’s most important DJs. Overall no small feat in todays crowded market.
Fast forward to 2010 and Vakant is following up with a series of remixes for this very important album. Up first is a rework from Hamburg’s Dj Koze; a man with no need for Introduction. Koze lays into the album’s dub track ‘Kawaba’, featuring the voice of Japan’s singer Tomomi Ukumori. Deeply pitched vocals and Koze’s very own groove give this remix a very special appeal. On the flip, Spanish Dj and producer AFFKT, resident of Valencia’s famous Barraca club, delivers a peak time tech-house remix of ‘Mascleta’ which is already causing some storms amongst selected dj sets.
More ‘Studio 10’ remixes from the likes as Luna City Express & Matthias Tanzmann, Wareika, Onur Özer and DeWalta will be released across the next months, watch out!
VA030/VACD04 Mathias Kaden – Studio 10 ∞
- Intro Ducing
- State Of Stasis
- Lowrey
- Panic Stricken
- Chazz
- Defender
- Mascleta
- Kawaba
- Roots
- Ikenga
- Re Menor
- 1981
The Thunder from Thuringia, Genosse from Gera, Mr. Minimal Samba, the man that goes by many names is here to present to us his very first LP on none other than his solo action Vakant home. About 2 years in the making, Studio 10 takes Mathias Kaden’s life-long work as DJ and producer, world wide tours, twenty something years of listening and thinking, machines and people, wraps a bow around it all, and delivers it with roses dipped in chocolate. Always taking his time with production, Mathias’ focus on quality over quantity continues to pay dividends no matter the state of the economy.
Unique in many ways, Studio 10 was also unique for the producer himself. Never before has Mathias incorporated into his music so much hardware, field recordings, messages, and invited friends and orchestral musicians to collaborate. Each track has a message waiting to be interpreted, from the first track “Intro Ducing” borrowing from Bob Marley to the last named “1981” featuring Gjaezon, significant in that it was the year of birth for the most important and timeless instrument in Mathias’ studio, the TR808.
Similar to his Vakant brethren, Mathias is rather the instrumentalist and performer than the programmer and sampler. A Fender Rhodes from jazz pal Lars Mäurer on “Defender”, Mathias’s 1970’s Lowrey organ played by Florian Schirmacher on “Lowrey”, violin by Claudia Ander-Donath and on “Re Menor”, and flugelhorn by Martin Rudloff on “Panic Stricken” all pull and push the music in ever expanding directions, but at the center the 808 melds it all together. In addition vocalists (and lyricists)
Ian Simmonds, Gjaezon, and Tomomi Ukumori impart their talents to help articulate the messages that pervade Studio 10.
To call the album house is akin to referring to a 1982 Château Lafite-Rothschild as wine. Closer to Chicago than to anywhere else in sound and in Mathias’ heart, Studio 10 finds its home in more intimate settings where its nuance, ideas, and depth can all come shining through.
VA023: Mathias Kaden – Moron/Shetani ∞
It seems like just yesterday. We were all fresh faced, eager, and earnest. It was 2004 and Vakant was on the offensive. First it was Smoke, then Robag, next came Mathias. A roster was developed, a platform born. Since then, so much has happened, so many a strobe light twinkled, and so many people we’ve freaked out globally.
Mathias Kaden is still our eager and earnest Vakant resident from Gera. Stardom has done nothing to spoil this man; he continues to be the nice guy anchor that keeps the rest of us from floating adrift. Mathias carries on his fine tradition of carefully developing each release, a far cry from assembly line production work. Since last year’s massive Myal EP (VA015), he returns to Vakant with this ‘Moron/Shetani’ double A-side EP ahead of his full length album due out next year.
‘Moron’ presents us with Mathias’ continuously evolving huff and puff, heave and ho, badonkadonk sound we have come to know and love. Like the rest of his work, ‘Moron’ is a fusion of influences ranging far and wide. Mathias takes the best bits from African, Latin, and modern German rhythms to move the wall flower directly to the middle of the dance floor. Once there and all settled in, just when you had thought you were in control, the chords come in and Mathias shows you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Too big to be relegated to B-side, AA ‘Shetani’ makes more moves than a collegiate O.J. Simpson. It ducks and weaves from dark to light, paranormal to heartening, unable to be pinned down. It encompasses so much in 9 minutes that all we can do is revel with our hands aloft. Complete with choir, jazz sax, and hovering pads, we are just happy that the mastering engineers were able cut it to acetate.
VR03: 2000 And One & Daniel Stefanik remixes ∞
Vakant, based in the shadowy hedonic capital of Berlin, once again calls out to its sunlight fearing brood to unite and rejoice in their salvation. The freaky dual podium of Vakant and remix-only Vakant R continues to deliver its message of solemn tomfoolery and whimsical gravity with its latest VR03.
While some purveyors of truth dilute their central message with foreign remix filler, the head of Vakant, Il A. Papino, proclaimed “Let there be VR” and as such Vakant R was born from the rib of Vakant original productions.
Third in Vakant R’s installment of virtuous interpretations, these remixes stand on their own with sincere reverence to their original creations. On our man from Istanbul Onur Özer’s ‘Red Cabaret’ is paid homage by Amsterdam’s Dylan Hermelijn aka 2000 And One, by some means pushing the corpulent funk ever skyward. Flipping the black disk finds Jena’s Mathias Kaden’s ‘Synkope’ taken to deeper depths of murky understanding by Leipzig’s Daniel Stefanik.
Trust in Vakant. The message is clear.
VA015: Mathias Kaden – Myal EP ∞
Our man from Gera, with a smile that melts the hearts of Justin Timberlake fans the world over, returns with his 4th installment on Vakant. Team Vakant’s now infamous wild expeditions to the Sub-Saharan Dark Continent as well as to the International Space Station (ISS) have surely paid off yielding crazy mutated fruits of both dark guttural rhythms and mind bending expansive space resonances.
Each track on the Myal EP sits squarely between these two worlds, one earthly, one cosmic beyond the grasp of human comprehension. Whether your mood is to storm your neighbors village, make contact with the gods, or get your aerobic freak on the dance floor, Mathias “The Chieftain” Kaden digs deep to deliver solid motivation for all tasks worthwhile.
A side ´Rhythma´ at once war cry and rain dance, combines the best of thick Nubian bottom and percussion from the world over to prompt wild tribal behavior from the most reserved of techno nerds. B1 ´Myal´ is particularly suited to inducing thoughts of connection to the divinity of your choosing. Finally B2 ´Obeah´ distinctly supports the current scientific theory that Africa, the birthplace of modern humans, will eventually float off into space and spawn a new breed of humanoids with a particularly striking adaptation of possessing both rhythmic melodic genius and technological fluency. This unique blend of left + right brain mastery is of course a rarity among current earthbound humans with the exception of a select few, such as Mr. Kaden himself.
VA011: Mathias Kaden – Synkope EP ∞
Mathias Kaden is definitely someone who no longer needs any introduction. The Young gun from Jena, one half of Hemmann & Kaden and a big part of the Wighnomy / Freude Am Tanzen family returns to Vakant for his third solo outing.
A Precision tactician, Mathias differs much from the current crop of artists who feel the need to drop an EP every week. Instead Kaden perfects his craft slowly, working his songs until they feel just right. The results are immediately noticeable on this EP as he strips back the frivolous detail and goes back to his roots for a full out modern Chicago via Germany dancefloor jam.
The Synkope EP ushers in a new sound for Mathias, one that is more full and less percussive than before yet also one that will not leave previous fans in the dark. Taking his cue from his keen knowledge of the world’s dance floors, Kaden translates this awareness straight on to vinyl without losing sight of today’s complex sequences and sound structures. With the flood of faceless releases that threaten to sink even the most discerning record buyer theses days. There is a growing sense of urgency to make records that will remain classic and listenable even 10 years into the future. If you don’t mind us saying we think this might just be one..
VACD01: Mathias Kaden & Onur Özer – Momentum ∞
It’s been a busy couple of years for Berlin’s Vakant label. Kicking off in October 2004 with Alex Smoke’s Simple Things EP, Vakant has gone to strength to strength, releasing a tightly curated set of records from new talents (Onur Özer, Tolga Fidan) and old hands (Robag Wruhme, Mathias Kaden) alike, as well as launching the remix sublabel Vakant R and the audiovisual division VX.
Now, with 11 pieces of vinyl safely under its belt, Vakant invites the turntable-impaired to join in the fun with the release of Momentum, the label’s first CD. Not simply a compilation of hits, Momentum recreates the feel of Vakant’s infamous parties at Berlin’s Watergate club with a seamless mix of 14 of the label’s most propulsive tracks, expertly blended by Mathias Kaden and Onur Özer.
In contrast to the prevailing trends in mix CDs – either resolute analog purism or fussy, edit-heavy digital sessions – Momentum strikes a middle path. After plotting the CD’s track selection, the tag-teaming duo banged out the mix in true old-school fashion using two Technics 1210s, a CD player and a sampler. Afterwards, they went back and judiciously added samples from elsewhere in the Vakant catalog, from diamond-hard staccato accents to lush ambient washes. The result is an ever-spinning, constantly mutating vortex that draws the listener in via propulsive rhythms and jagged hooks, and then pulls out the rug with subtle upsets and topsy-turvy layers.
In good dubplate style, the mix features several unreleased tracks: Kaden’s “Nuance,” Özer’s closing “Untitled” and VX artist Spenza’s “kunstfehler,” which kicks off the mix in a haze of oily static before “Nuance” cracks things wide open with chugging polyrhythms and faraway drones that set the tone for the remainder of the mix’s dry whirlwind of dirty beats, disorienting effects and subliminal voices.
The CD also features bonus material in the form of two videos by Spenza, featuring the artist’s original music and visuals, and rounding out the release as the rare project designed to stimulate the ears and eyes.
Just as black holes aren’t empty at all, Momentum proves that despite the label’s name, Vakant thrums with commanding grooves, unique sounds and compelling visions for dance music’s alternate future. Power up to warp speed and hang on.
VR01: Mathias Kaden/Onur Özer ∞
P. Diddy may have, ahem, “invented the remix,” but now Berlin’s Vakant label is turning the concept on its head – using the remix to (re)-invent the label itself. Vakant R is the newest addition to the imprint’s crowded house; alongside the parent label and audio-visual offshoot Vakant X, Vakant R rounds out the minimalist trinity with a stunning debut release featuring Mathias Kaden and Onur Özer going head-to-head in a no-holds-barred battle of the remixes.
On the A-side, Kaden, well known for an accelerating string of productions and remixes on labels like Vakant, Freude Am Tanzen, Sender and Traum – both solo and as one half of Hemmann & Kaden – tackles Onur Özer’s ´Twilight´, from Vakant 008. Where the original was a long, psychedelic burner filled to bursting with meaty snares and eerie chords that dissipated like noxious fumes, Kaden subtly reshapes it into a streamlined groove that corkscrews ahead with intricate drum programming and sly atmospheric bursts. Bumping, burbling and bounding across the spectrum like a supercharged ping-pong ball, the details – and in particular, that rubbery, insistent bassline – show Kaden at the height of his people-moving capabilities, even as spooky washes of color work like an undercurrent of doubt, tugging everything into a murky netherzone perfect for programming in pre-dawn sets.
On the flip, Özer – another Vakant and Freude Am Tanzen alumnus with a fast expanding rep, thanks in part to his main-stage appearance at this summer’s Loveparade – tries his hand at Kaden’s ´Pentaton´, the lead cut from Vakant 007. Where the original was a crisp exercise in hardscrabble drums, channelling African percussion through minimal techno at its most hyperkinetic, Özer piles on the dread with a hazy scrim of Pan Sonic-like oscillator swoops, industrial-grade white noise and oily, penumbral chords. This is true horror-core – gothic techno at its most seductively gloomy, kitted out with ominous plucked strings and drums as rattly as a box full of bones. Özer proves that the dead can dance as he works all these elements into a jacking house pattern that commands your body to move even as it’s tying knots in your gut. If John Carpenter ever makes a horror film set in Berlin’s vampire-like club scene, he’ll know where to find the soundtrack.
VA007: Mathias Kaden – Pentaton EP ∞
The young gun is back and is # 1 with a bullet. After his fabulous Circle Pit EP ; the much talked about newcomer Mathias Kaden is putting his money where his mouth is with this monster EP. The Pentaton EP is another twisted rumble through dark and bleepy terrain. This time Mathias steps up the swing and shuffles you furiously around the room like a drunk sailor on a sinking ship. Deep bleep to move the most hardened partyier. Check!
Pentaton is a drunken tribal broken beep affair. Someone fire this drummer because he¹s off the hook. Moving bass lines keep him in time and slowly you
realize where it’s all going. Swing low Sweet Cadillac..
Train is a more sparse affair, straight and narrow like an arrow to the forehead with enough sub-bass to make your pants full. A perfect tool for when it’s time to go a bit later and a bit darker.. Turn out the lights andclose your eyes.
Next up.. Spank, this it what happens when you get dropped on your head as a child. Super weirdo funk for only the most mature and twisted of us all. But don’t turn away too fast there bird brain, listen for the micro funk elements and get busy by yourself in front of the mirror. Tonight we have a date with the dance.
Overall a blistering ep from a very hot talent!
VA004: Mathias Kaden – Circle Pit EP ∞
Quickly developing a name for tough groovy minimal with a glitch edge the Berlin based label vakant once again delivers some hot wax in our laps for the coming summer months. This time it’s Mathias Kaden, the 24 year old DJ, producer and resident of the excellent Muna club in eastern Germany in the pilot’s seat. Launching 3 refined micro bombs for our listening enjoyment the ´Circle Pit EP´ is well tuned and energetic with its own distinctive appeal.
Delving deep into warm sound planes of bubbly basslines, low-fi drum cuts and warm hypnotic grooves the A1 cut ´Circle Pit´ will penetrate the darkest club floors
´Maybe´ is the B1 track. Smooth, complex but with lot’s of groove and edge its precision sounds saws through the night and cuts straight to the vein. A serious hypnotic torpedo .
B2 ´Syroc´ closes up, a menacing track that moves slowly through deep bass and heavy filtered sequences, brooding and effective, it creates an atmosphere that is powerful and addictive .. Keep out of reach from Children.
All in all another winning EP from vakant that will be comfortable in the bags of diverse DJ’s. Rude !
