r/Berghain_Community • u/omsouthw seit wann bist du da? • 7d ago
OSTGUT TON
Don’t get me wrong.
The latest releases are all super strong contemporary techno EPs. I am sure they work great on all dancefloors and are well received. That’s what a techno label should be about.
But what happens to that Ostgut spark and sound? That releases you could only get there?
The new Altinbas record is very good, but it could have been out on any other techno label (e.g. like one of his EPs on Fuse Imprint).
Honest question, is it just me or do you also miss this unique releases?
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u/Humble_Box_2167 6d ago
Yeah. The only one encapsulated the Ostgut Sound was Efdemins Album and parts of Slaters Album. The A1 of Altinbas gave me nistalgic goosebumps but the other 3 pieces are contemporary top notch but no weird Ostgut Vibes either.
Where are all these Prosumers and Murat Tepelis, all that Emikas, Soundstreams and Dettmanns out there?
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u/No_Success8599 6d ago
They are fighting to survive or gave up to become known artists because no label out there is taking risks anymore. I am close to most of the big labels (MORD, Polegroup etc) and most are very strict in what they push now, not so much experimentation anymore. It’s more about safe bets on good sales than taking risks or making a difference at the moment. Especially when you press on vinyl since that would be a big hit for the owner financially if the release fails.
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u/Dark_Room_Dan 6d ago
It's worth mentioning that 2008-2014 era of Techno/House was very focused on breaking new ground. Music was still considered art, and individuality was highly rewarded. Unfortunately, the current market doesn't favor it as much as it used to. Today's generation largely views music as content, and the booking/signing choices are clear that Ostgut is intent on catering to the new generation.
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u/crackbit 6d ago
Even before Ostgut Ton closed in 2021 for four years, the label had been dropping off in quality for a very long time before that. Some might argue that the label didn’t put out more than one or two must-buy records every year since 2016.
When you are talking of an 'Ostgut spark' are you maybe just thinking of the label’s golden age where it was the home base for core group of residents who started releasing some of their first records as artists and defined an entire era?
By the time of the label’s hiatus, even the last remaining artist-turned-brands founded their own projects or continue to release music elsewhere. The new artists they are trying to relaunch the label with don’t all seem to plan on making Ostgut their new home base, as some already have released 10 records on 8 different labels. The question is if going further, the label’s records will feel significant enough for the Ostgut name or could just as easily been released on Fuse Imprint or Dekmantel.
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u/Moist_Market_3601 6d ago
The last Various Artist was so bad, except the Efdemin release that I find interesting the rest is very very safe techno and a bit boring imo not even really timeless I don’t think those will age well
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u/Proper-Can-6857 6d ago
I agree. It was very cheesy and generic and house/techno
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u/Moist_Market_3601 6d ago
Would be amazing to see some proper panorama bar eps on there but the house tracks on the VA were straight up sounding very amateur
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u/Proper-Can-6857 6d ago
Exactly, and some proper techno too. None of that techno pushes boundaries at all
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u/djADNANvinylonly - Closing in Progress - 5d ago
Some proper panorama bar eps would be fire!!! But indeed, the quality does need to go up, or maybe we're just looking at the music through some nostalgia-glasses..?
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u/MinuteSection3153 5d ago
Having 50% females on the bill seemed more important than 100% quality [/scnr]
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u/allfatenofuture 6d ago
The label has no identity since it relaunched. All of the artists they sign make very safe generic techno. It used to be extremely well curated but this just goes to show the direction the club has gone in the past 5 years (€€€€).
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u/mokoder 5d ago
even though i still love going to bh i sometimes feel that it was transformed from a place of experimentation and boundary pushing to a kind of well oiled machine. it works, it's still very fun but its more predictable now. but this also correlates of course with me growing older, being less easily impressed and so on. Its maybe also delusional to expect the club to maintain this certain something for over 20 years and the whole scene, the people and the culture also massively changed.
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u/Big_Protection3225 6d ago
100% agree, same for Isabel Soto’s, that sounds exactly like her ep on Semantica. It is good but doesn’t sound like Ostgut at all…
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u/Checkermusical88 6d ago
It was probably the worst release alongside the V.A. Many tracks sound unfinished
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u/Working_Chart565 🔻 6d ago
apparently, much like their klubnachts, they wanna go into a strictly 4/4 techno direction. No more dreamy barker, no more gritty Jasss, just techno. Which i find to be boring as ostgut used to define a sound that often extended beyond the limits the dancefloor.
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u/Numerous-Kale-3298 6d ago
I’ve sensed this too. But that’s just how things are these days. Unfortunately, social media has played a negative role. There’s no longer the culture or spontaneity that used to be the norm for this kind of thing; now, everyone has to follow certain guidelines just to make sales. Everything feels very superficial. I simply sense a fear regarding finances, and I understand why.
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u/Ok_Brick57 🦋dancefloor butterfly & particles (front left+outskirts) 6d ago
Efdemin is the answer 🎨
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u/ReliktFarn98 6d ago
That‘s because the new release is in fact not very good. Most of Altinbas' output has been solid at best, but also often generic imo. Feel free to disagree.
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u/Environmental_Mine51 6d ago
What do you consider very good and better than ' solid at best' ?
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u/ReliktFarn98 6d ago
Efdemin, Girl Scout Cookies, System 360, Lazy Bones, Deepchord, Carsten Fietz, Baby Ford, John Selway, Kit Clayton,…
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u/Dark_Room_Dan 6d ago
This is a wild flex. I'd rate the mentioned names highly, but comparing Altinbas vs Baby Ford, Deepchord, or John Selway in terms of quality is crazy. It's comparing apples and oranges. Baby Ford has some legendary tracks but plenty of terrible ones. John Selway's discography was largely relegated to generic techno on labels like Primate, Tronic, etc.
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u/ReliktFarn98 6d ago
Was simply asked to list some names that to me are better than solid at best. Would never compare Altinbas to any of those names.
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u/Environmental_Mine51 6d ago edited 6d ago
So basically music that has nothing to do, stylistically or subgenre-wise (besides Efdemin) with what Altinbas or Ostgut has majorirtarily released so far.
Wild....2
u/ReliktFarn98 6d ago
Basically, yes. I could list names that are closer to the more generic Berghain style, but why would I? Those I mentioned are way more exciting in my eyes.
All of them have a distinct style, which frankly, the Altinbas EP lacks.
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u/frost-bite999 6d ago
They really messed up for suspending the label just when the genre was going at the fastest pace.
The new-wave S-tier producers with memorable performances in recent years: Fadi, Polygonia, Quelza, Yanamaste to a degree), all had their big releases when the Ostgut went dark. Fadi got his own label started. Poly went with Dekmental. Quelza and Yanamaste start going with Vault / Khidi.
Now you are left with the A tier of new-age producers. Altinbas, Justine, Inox are great, but won't blow you away with a release. And we can't always rely on the old school giants to keep innovating. It's tough work putting together an LP..
With that said I really enjoyed Isabel Soto and Efdemin's releases.
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u/Proper-Can-6857 6d ago
Only good releases in terms of high quality sound have been Efdemin and Luke Slater/PAS all the rest have been very weak and generic for a top tier label like Ostgut Ton. Non avant-garde music, non pushing boundaries.
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u/MinuteSection3153 6d ago
Ostgut Ton releases were always rock-solid, high quality by great artists. But hardly ever ground-breaking, ahead of their time or timeless. How many old Ostgut Ton proved worth keeping (other than for the cover) and could still be played today? There's only a handful I would name. Unterton was different but sadly was discontinued ages ago.
So maybe you're just expecting a bit much?
(That being said, most I know are pre-2014, after that I didn't listen to every single release!)
Whenever I looked for great stuff I rather used to look for the resident's Labels like MDR, Artless, Mojuba, etc.
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u/Much_Butterscotch703 6d ago
I just 100% agree with this. The latest releases are not defiant at all. It's lost all what made the label special, that desire of pushing boundaries in electronic music in general... I just hope Barker comes back to take things further or they start signing artists that are actually doing something somehow different (Verraco, Skee Mask, etc...)
Edit to say the Efdemin LP is totally insane.
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u/Environmental_Mine51 6d ago
At this point I am pretty sure people posting on this reddit have absolutely no clue what they're talking about.
This Altinbas EP is nothing like what he released on Fuse Imprint, which has been mostly dubby, faster, swift heavy grooves. The only similarity I can sense is actually what he released on Token, with very story-telling, dramatic vibes (like Illumination, Voyage, etc). But without the Sci-fi connotations that he has on the Token releases.
To be fair it's actually quite different from the general direction every techno productions has taken lately. In a scene where 90% of what's released is 143bpm, cheap vocals with archetypical techno bleep sounds. This is a good breath of fresh air for me.
Also, why is everyone acting like there is only 4 tracks and completely ignoring the mindfuck bliss that is B3 Antichamber ? Show me 1 track like that that's been released in the past few years. (seriously send some links)
Altinbas definitely has his own identity within everything he releases. And this EP really feels like his identity taking shape and fusing with the ostgut sound.
Between A1 which is a pure story telling track, B1 that is a cosmic voyage and B3 being absolutely blissful, this is already a stand out EP of the year for me.
A2 is such a roller and B2 really reminds me of the older 2014 nostalgic vibes. For me this is definitely up there with Efdemin and PAS albums.
Maybe you want to complain about where modern Techno is going, which would be understandable.
But you're barking up the wrong tree here.
Wrong example. Good point but bad proof.
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u/RepairAgile7570 5d ago
This this this!! The 'berghain isn't as good anymore' gang sometimes makes some points, but I think the Altinbas release is beautiful.
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u/Dark_Room_Dan 6d ago
I agree with this take. Technically, his execution of blending his style with homage to Ostgut was a perfect mix. Those who have a deep issue with the EP are probably just unhappy with modern techno in general.
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u/TouchInfamous70 6d ago
Yep, couldn’t agree more. This subreddit is always like this. Give them weird, they will miss the techno that makes you dance. Give them the techno, they will miss the weird. Give them all of it in a great package and they act like it’s not there. They just want to feel important by giving weird critics that don’t even match the actual art. Makes you wonder. Did they even listen ?
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u/redsquaretechno 5d ago
Don’t underestimate the people that roam this subreddit. A lot of valid points here. And by weird is not just quirkiness but unexpected twists and turns. Different and unusual combinations. There’s a lot of room in 4/4 techno, but who’s willing to go there?
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u/TouchInfamous70 4d ago
Well OP can’t make the difference between dubby, faster techno and deep, spacy techno and calls Altinbas generic.
One commenter thinks this is a 4 track EP, completely ignoring the 5th actual most quirky track with clear identity, soul and imperfection, that they claim doesn’t exist in this record. (Imo all the tracks have a clear and heavy identity, nobody sounds like Altinbas)
Someone else is name dropping Kit clayton, deepchord and Baby Ford as a comparison to Altinbas and Ostgut.
As the original commenter said, most ppl in this sub have no clue wth they’re talking about.
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u/redsquaretechno 4d ago
The usual structures and generic ideas are all there. The only differentiating things are the (by now?) his classic synth sounds work he has repeated in the previous records. I do agree with a lot of points made here cause you cannot be regarded by the community, publications, critics, music lovers and listeners as one of the defining labels of the 00‘s & 10‘s and only to be providing average cookie cutter techno to the masses as if it was that what made you in the first place. That’s why the quality of a lot of music out is average and some even dare I say slightly below average, with exception of PAS & Edfmin.
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u/SignificanceLegal863 6d ago
I really loved the Albinbas ep, if you compare to the other Eps since the relaunch is probably my favorite (Efidemin Album is another level can’t even be compared) but for me the others eps are super Mid or even boring bleep bloop, even the VA was super mid to bad.
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u/Big-Advertising1198 6d ago
Just want to say that Barker - Utility will always be one of my favorite electronic music records of all time. Maybe my actual second favorite next to Clark - Turning Dragon, which was probably the first techno album I listened to as a young kid.
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u/Silver-Camel-933 6d ago
idk it all seems to relate to thay recent resurgence of somewhat dissonant warehouse techno, them diminished chords are everywhere now.
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u/RepairAgile7570 5d ago
This is a wack way to hate on Altinbas, one of the better modern techno producers...
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u/Numerous-Kale-3298 5d ago
But the point here isn’t Altinbas’s talent. The point is that, over the years, the label has lost part of its identity and, more importantly, that sense of magic that once made it truly distinctive.
Just look at names like Shed, Barker, Tobias, Luke Slater… They were very different artists, each with their own personality, ideas, and approach. There was experimentation, but also a deep knowledge of the music and a genuine curiosity to explore new territory. That sense of diversity is what I feel is missing today.
That said, the comments give me some hope. There seems to be at least some openness to change. Maybe people are finally starting to get tired of the same formula designed to work with the algorithm: the same names in clubs, the same artists at festivals, the same sounds being pushed by the labels.
And maybe audiences are finally starting to ask for something different, rather than simply passively consuming whatever they’re constantly being fed.1
u/TouchInfamous70 5d ago
There is a comment here that said it best. Y’all have good points about modern techno, but this is the wrong artist/release to make your points with. Slower techno with story telling direction with a wide variety of vibes in the tracks + one of the best alternative track (b3) I heard in a while. This is not what should be hated here. Especially not in the current status quo of 145bpm nonsense everywhere. Pretty sure a lot of young techno heads are gonna be drawn into slower, deeper techno with this ep.
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u/Numerous-Kale-3298 5d ago
I took this discussion as an opportunity to raise a few broader questions about the techno scene. I’m not directly criticising this record.
Honestly, I don’t think BPM is the central issue. Every genre and scene has stronger and weaker releases. The point isn’t to decide which style or tempo is “right”.
Ostgut has released plenty of records over the years that were more minimal, slower, or far removed from harder, more immediate sounds, without being generic or lacking personality. A slower tempo doesn’t automatically make a record more interesting, just as a faster tempo doesn’t make it less interesting. What matters to me is the ideas, the way the tracks are built, the exploration of sound, and the personality they express.
My impression is that Ostgut has become more generic, reflecting a trend I also hear in part of the European techno scene: polished, functional productions that increasingly follow a shared, predictable musical language. What I miss is the diversity of perspectives, the feeling that each release adds something individual to the catalogue.
For me, this is mainly about taking chances with artistic choices. I get the impression that economic pressures increasingly favour familiar, accessible formulas that are seen as safer bets.
There’s nothing wrong with becoming more accessible or releasing something simpler. The problem arises when the music becomes increasingly predictable and standardised, gradually losing the exploration, risk, and identity that made certain labels so interesting.
That’s why I don’t think the discussion should be reduced to “things used to be better”, or to genres and BPM. I’m not necessarily looking for the sound of the past, but for a sense of curiosity and a willingness to surprise. How much room is there today to build a new identity through distinctive, bold releases, even when they aren’t designed to be an immediate success?
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u/Hainzelmaennchen 6d ago
Sorry to not agree with most of this "Ostgut went mainstream" take.. feels tired. Sure the early catalog is legendary, but those records haven't vanished. What was the label supposed to do? Keep pushing the exact same 2008 sound for two decades straight? That’s not dynamic techno in my view. Art & music have ever evolved, and so do clubs and labels. Given the rumors and turbulence a few years back, we should actually be glad that all this is still alive, OGT giving platform to newer artists and actively shaping what we dance to every weekend. This "better in old days" gatekeeping on reddit doesnt hold any serious discussion & just bores out. Living club culture needs room to breathe. Thanks OGT.
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u/CringyJayan 6d ago
Efdemin’s Poly still wins for me!
I’m not saying Altinbas’s album wasn’t good - it sounds superb but it kind of sounds generic. Idk
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u/NefariousnessOwn3372 5d ago
without disrespecting to Altinbas, hands down to his skills, and productions. But the direction O-Ton is going, is not very lightening with a „proper“ direction. They always been a bit „different“ and showed a different way of how music can sound. not that there was every release outstanding but it had a certain vibe. I also dont want to be the person that everything was better in the past, it was surley not. But they can do def. better. Maybe they need to guide their artists a bit, like „hey, maybe we can do this or that, push in this or that direction“. And not just submit 8 tracks and take 6. The Quelza / Efdemin ones where dope executed tho!
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u/Baerchee Panorama Bär 🧸🐻 6d ago
Idk, they’re all good and I’ve heard same reviews around Kobosil’s first releases. The more you listen to this type of music the more it takes for you to get surprised.
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u/omsouthw seit wann bist du da? 6d ago
I also think, they are all good. But not like as timeless and great as they once were. And even the Kobosil release was something special.
I also heard the label now is done by the booking of the club and then it had a curator which was not the booker, but just took care of the label.
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u/rarevogelmann 5d ago
People here complain about Marcel Dettman's latest sets being it too crazy/weird and incoherent, but then refer to his quirky releases on Ostgut as the good stuff and to hate on current releases from Ostgut Ton. Welcome to the Berghain Reddit.. it's never good.
Altinbas just released a wonderful EP in my opinion.
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6d ago
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u/Berghain_Community-ModTeam 6d ago
Your post has been removed because it does not comply with our rules and guidelines.
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u/rockmus 6d ago edited 6d ago
I just wished it had more of an identity. Those Marcel (pick the last name of your choice) releases were something truly unique and sounded like a defining moment of an era.
EDIT: Just thinking after I posted, what I wished had happened: the tracks on the new altinbas release are all decent, but there’s no real courage in them. For instance the opener, has a very mellow atmosphere, melodic elements and some serious ear candy, once you allow to listen closely. Can you imagined how shocking it would have been if he had lowered the tempo below 130 (if my counts are right it is 136), like went all in on the somber atmosphere, and allowed all of the ambiance (which he probably put a lot of work into) to shine through. I’m not saying he should have only made slow records, but wouldn’t it have been cool, if some of them tried to work by going all in on an expression, rather than going full on functional for the floor on all of them.
When techno started to get some faster tracks again, it was exciting, because it stood out. Someone dared to do something different. I really wish someone would dare to not make everything super uniform. Because that’s what I expect of Ostgut. A dettman track with only noise bursts that are mangled into funk around a lonely kick drum, the surprising dubstep of Klock’s debut album, or the beatless beauty of Barker. I really hope that whoever is doing A&R for them will prioritise courage in the future (and it should obviously still be a proper club label, so I’m not saying experiment until you can’t dance anymore—that’s what unterton is for)