Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Surgeon Feature on Tresor Records 30th Anniversary Compilation

John Cameron — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:16:39 +0000

Tresor Records, the label offshoot of iconic Berlin nightclub Tresor, has announced a 30th anniversary compilation. Comprising 52 tracks across 12 vinyl records, the Tresor 30 box set highlights three decades of standout singles by techno and electro figureheads. It arrives October 1st with advance shipping available for preorders from September 1st.

Among the names gracing the tracklist are key Detroit techno trailblazers Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Terrence Dixon, Robert Hood and Claude Young. Techno artists from across the pond such as Surgeon and Moritz von Oswald are featured as well, along with electro mainstays like Drexciya, Helena Hauff and DJ Stingray.

The Detroit-Berlin Connection

Tresor opened its doors in 1991 – following the demise of founder Dimitri Hegemann‘s Ufo Club, and shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. It became not only a symbol of Germany’s reunification, but of the bond between its capital city and the electronic musicians of Detroit. The speaker system was fine tuned with DJs like Mills and Dixon in mind, and along with their contemporaries they became fixtures of the club.

Tresor Records was launched the same year, and it has provided a platform for innumerable artists over its 30-year lifetime. In addition to the aforementioned producers, Joey Beltram, Blake Baxter, Neil Landstrumm and The Advent have released on the label.

Preorder Tresor 30 on the club’s website and find the tracklist for the box set below.

Surgeon Curates Playlist of Black Artists for Bandcamp’s Juneteenth Fundraiser

John Cameron — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 10:40:34 +0000

Bandcamp have adapted their no-fee holiday concept to support racial equality initiatives in light of the Black Lives Matter protests. The website will donate their share of sales for purchases on this Juneteenth and all future ones to the NAACP. In addition, Surgeon has shared a playlist of songs by black artists on the platform to help raise awareness for the initiative.

Surgeon (real name Anthony Child) selected “techno (and techno adjacent)” music exclusively from electronic musicians of color. Included in the 31-entry list were releases by artists as notable as Robert Hood and Stacey Pullen along with those of undercurrent acts like DJ Bone, Terrence Dixon and Sterac.

Remembering the Roots

The Black Lives Matter protests have brought increased attention to people of color’s contributions to electronic music and the culture surrounding it. As we recently explored, techno in particular started out as protest music. Early Detroit techno mainstays like Underground Resistance often spoke out against the whitewashing of the genre as it achieved international popularity.

As the protests stemming from George Floyd‘s apparent murder by Derek Chauvin unfolded across the world, notable figures in electronic music became more vocal about this history. Minneapolis artist Dustin Zahn criticized the industry for remaining silent in an impassioned post, and Demuir discussed how to initiate a dialogue in a YouTube video titled “A Conversation on Race and Dance Music.”

Learn more about the Juneteenth NAACP fundraiser via the Bandcamp blog.

Surgeon | Selector

Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Surgeon Feature on Tresor Records 30th Anniversary Compilation

The Detroit-Berlin Connection

Surgeon Curates Playlist of Black Artists for Bandcamp’s Juneteenth Fundraiser

Remembering the Roots