NEWS
EVENTS
Ellen Allien: House DJ
Thursday 3rd November 2011 | Osh
Berlin’s long-standing experimental techno producer is well worth a listen.
There is an alarming ignorance in London of Berlin’s musical output and for anyone reading this who doesn’t know what I’m on about, I’m pointing my finger at you. For those who want to learn more about the German capital’s electronic music class, a decent place to start is with Ellen Allien. From the perspective of some younger readers she’s been around for a while, having made her debut as resident DJ at Berlin hot-spots Bunker and Tresor back in 1992, but you’re foolish if you let that put you off. Berlin’s music scene does seem to operate in a much more roots-centric way than London’s and this has been integral to the development of the cities sound today. Understandably then, Allien’s music is steeped in history; her first album, 2001’s Stadtkind, is inspired by and dedicated to a newly reunified Germany and as you might expect from a concept album the sound is experimental as well. Much of her musical output includes her own vocals and on older tracks this might sound cheesy to British ears. On newer tracks like ‘Sun the Rain’, however, they take on a brand of whimsical nostalgia that is truly beautiful. Listen to Orchestra Bubbles, her collaborative album with Apparat, for a good introduction to her work.
There is an alarming ignorance in London of Berlin’s musical output and for anyone reading this who doesn’t know what I’m on about, I’m pointing my finger at you. For those who want to learn more about the German capital’s electronic music class, a decent place to start is with Ellen Allien. From the perspective of some younger readers she’s been around for a while, having made her debut as resident DJ at Berlin hot-spots Bunker and Tresor back in 1992, but you’re foolish if you let that put you off. Berlin’s music scene does seem to operate in a much more roots-centric way than London’s and this has been integral to the development of the cities sound today. Understandably then, Allien’s music is steeped in history; her first album, 2001’s Stadtkind, is inspired by and dedicated to a newly reunified Germany and as you might expect from a concept album the sound is experimental as well. Much of her musical output includes her own vocals and on older tracks this might sound cheesy to British ears. On newer tracks like ‘Sun the Rain’, however, they take on a brand of whimsical nostalgia that is truly beautiful. Listen to Orchestra Bubbles, her collaborative album with Apparat, for a good introduction to her work.
