oskar offermann: le grand to do

When the dancer disappears and only the dance remains, it is meditation" --Indian philosopher Osho. For the Frankfurt-born, Berlin-based producer and DJ Oskar Offermann, music is some kind of meditation, too. For him sound has the power to go beyond time and space. He began making music as a teenager, primarily as a drummer in grunge and punk bands. When he was 16, hip hop hit him hard and he started to produce beats on an MPC that he still uses today. At 20 he moved to Berlin, and one night he ended up at Panorama Bar, where Zip was celebrating a "Get Perlonized" night. All of a sudden the virus called dance music infected him. Before dropping his first house tracks, he launched the White label in 2007 with a friend. It was followed by a second label, Rimini, in 2011 -- a musical outlet for special edits that go beyond the dancefloor. After countless EPs and a celebrated album on his own labels and others, including Aim, Thema, and Riverette, Offermann now drops another magical long-player, this time on Japan's Mule Musiq -- his second release on the label following a deeply moving EP in 2012. Le Grand to Do was mostly produced in 2014, a year in which Offermann became a part-time vegan and dove deeply into himself through meditation -- changes influenced by his interest in new age music and his desire to compensate for his wild and sleepless life as a DJ. The tracks from this introspective period are disciplined works created with cheap drum machines including an Alesis HR-16, a Boss DR-660, and a Yamaha RX 70, plus a computer and other synths. For Offermann, "music is the direct access to the soul"; each track on Le Grand to Do is intended to go beyond the party. They are his reflection on esoteric spheres, without being fully esoteric. You can hear his past as a drummer and lover of hip hop breaks in tricky tracks like "I Wonder" or "Find Yourself". With gems like "Carol's Howl" or "Banunanas," he serves house that deeply massages body and mind. Vocal samples float around, heartfelt chords bewitch, and gentle melodies pop up to twist the senses. And even though it's heavily influenced by new age, the album is meant first for the dancefloor. It relieves tension, spreads meditative energy, and delivers emotions that stay. Forever.