ben klock: one

ltd repress. One is the debut full-length album by Berlin's Ben Klock. Stylistically, Klock draws on plentiful resources. There's the dirty techno in "Grip," the sexy, intermittent "Check Your Pulse," alongside ambient-like tracks such as "Init One" and "Init Two," as well as the dubstep-inspired "Goldrush." And then there are the outstanding cuts "Goodly Sin" and "Ok," featuring vocals by Elif Biçer. In comparison to her recordings with Prosumer & Murat Tepeli, here her voice has been reduced to the bare essentials. With its rugged bass line and crafty claps, "Ok" is even reminiscent of a contemporary version of Nicolette's early work with Shut Up And Dance, but first and foremost it expands the Berghain sound to include a notion of pop. One displays a depth and maturity of sound rarely found in this compactness. In all its stylistic variety, this album oozes with Klock's traditional understanding of techno. The special sound at Berghain, the low bass, the hiss and the rumble, the economic melodic fragments and the eerie atmospheres are unique and ever-present. Ben Klock defines techno as visionary music, and his work knows about its past, yet remains completely up-to-date without ever coming close to Detroit and minimal clichés.