nick hoppner: folk

Berlin-based DJ and producer Nick Höppner presents his debut solo album, Folk. From his tenure as the founding label manager and A&R man for Ostgut Ton to his extensive solo output and of course his genre-sprawling late-night DJ sets at his musical home, Panorama Bar, Höppner has managed to dance in and out of the spotlight, remaining an intriguing and perhaps a defining member of the Berlin techno/house community. Folk is a deeply personal and intimate album created for everyone; an album of idiosyncratic tracks that cross the vast continent of techno and house music. Each track is adorned with many different musical styles brought together by the unifying power of the 4/4 kick. From the submerged sounds of "Paws" through the upbeat slap bass rhythm of "Out Of" to the highly infectious vocal hymn "Come Closer," Höppner's open-minded attitude toward music leaves little reason to discriminate by genre. Recorded throughout 2014 in Höppner's Berlin studio, Folk is a musical statement that goes beyond the politics of his Hamburg-bred DIY roots. Höppner elaborates: "I decided to call my album Folk because I feel that we all work with a sonic vocabulary that was developed by a relatively small set of pioneers 20 or 30 years ago, that took their cues from disco which was influenced by R&B, funk, soul, etc., down to the most primal ritualism of tribal drums. This sort of traditionalism appears to have been passed on from generation to generation with everyone adding their own perspective to it, thus making it more difficult to trace it all back to a source. One can argue that a lot of it is passed through records but I feel the most important ways of experiencing, enjoying, and learning about the music happen inside a club. I also call this Folk as the blueprint of this music was laid out on what were originally cheap instruments from a dusty thrift store -- in 1985, the TB-303 was the equivalent of a worn-out acoustic guitar. Today this is reflected by the immense and accessible power of creation found in a $500 laptop running a crack of Reason or Ableton." Nick Höppner has brought Folk to the digital age. A full-length that can be easily listened to in the club or at home, a testament to his voracious appetite for music, and a significant addition to the soundtrack of Berlin.