DJ-Kicks: Apparat (2LP) [!K7]

Format: 2x12" color vinyl. Limited edition for !K7's 40th anniversary.
CAT: K7270LP

Tracklist:
A1 Luke Abbott – More Room
A2 Patrice Bäumel – Sub
A3 Ripperton – Echocity

B1 Cosmin TRG – Tower Block
B2 Pantha Du Prince – Welt Am Draht
B3 Born Ruffians – I Need A Life (Four Tet Remix)

C1 Vincent Markowski – The Madness Of Moths
C2 Ramadanman – Tempest
C3 Phon.o – Intervall

D1 Spherix – Lesser People
D2 Joy Orbison – The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow
D3 Thom Yorke – Harrowdown Hill

Sasha Ring’s work under his alias Apparat has always been in a state of constant evolution; throughout three albums on the Shitkatapult label and the collaborative full-lengths with Ellen Allien and Modeselektor as Moderat on Bpitch Control, he has surprised many a listener with his output. Not confined to one definitive style, his music has perpetually remained in a continuous state of metamorphosis, exploring new territory while remaining true to his unique spirit of musical openness and his evident passion for sound design.

Jokingly stating that his selection for DJ KiCKs reflects his style of “not really having a style,” it's clear that Ring is well aware that his contribution to the series may appear “intellectual” on paper, with a tracklist bringing together artists as diverse as Oval, Autechre, Ripperton and Thom Yorke. Following his recent tour earlier in the year, however, this is simply a representation of where he currently stands in terms of modern music. “I didn’t want to make this kind of ‘clever’, eclectic mix that sounds like it’s made ‘on purpose’ – but I need to do different things to stay motivated”, Ring explains. “At first I wanted to do a collection of influences, all kinds of old tracks, but sometimes with those mixes it’s hard to keep a certain flow and they’re not very easy to listen to, so I ended up using good new music; music that almost gave me hope that there is something else out there than boring minimal techno”. Apparat’s contribution is as stylised as previous mixes in the series from Kode 9 and James Holden; here Ring takes the opportunity to create a mix that represents both his personality and his brave vision for club music. With a sharply honed talent for manipulating tempos and melodies, Ring includes tracks from various dubstep producers such as Dutchman Martyn – whose ‘Miniluv’ provides glorious rhythmic propulsion layered underneath Patrice Baumel’s ‘Sub’ – and Ramadanman’s ‘Tempest’ – whose melody practically dissipates at the optimal moment – seamlessly integrating and blending them with tracks from a wide range of genres, from Autechre’s percussive white noise to Oval’s erratically colourful sound splinters to the reverberating clicks of Phon.o’s ‘Intervall’.

“A mix needs a bit of dynamic”, he states. “There were weirder things I wanted to use, like this Four Tet remix (of Born Ruffian’s ‘I Need A Life’), and then there are some tracks I had to use as tools to tie everything together. The way I used the Martyn track is more like a tool for dynamically adjusting the Patrice Baumel track with the ones that follow. But most of the songs are there for musical reasons. All these artists have their own sound signatures and manage to inject that space into every new track they produce.”

By achieving a sense of progression in the mix both through his selections and his awareness of sound space, Ring manages to channel his enthusiasm for perfectly tuned frequency landscapes, often creating moments of sheer beauty from his composed, polarised parts.

“I guess the mix isn’t that balanced in terms of melody”, he continues, reflecting on the point. “There’s a lot of sweetness, but it’s also dark and mysterious at certain times. I think that bittersweet touch has long been something very much my own, and with this mix I just tried to give it a bit more spice.”