Running Back Mastermix: Marcel Dettmann - Edits & Cuts (3LP) [Running Back]

Format: 3x12".

DJ, producer, and a key figure in contemporary electronic music, Marcel Dettmann steps up to contribute to Running Back's Mastermix series. While previous Mastermix editions have focused on the sounds of legendary, now-defunct clubs like Wild Pitch or Front, Dettmann's curation precisely captures an artist in perpetual motion, unearthing from his personal archive a series of meticulously adjusted edits, used for years on the dance floor with devastating effect. In addition to the continuous mix, this release comes in a 3-LP gatefold and a limited-edition cassette.

Closely linked to the Berlin techno scene, Dettmann was born and raised in the former GDR, later immersing himself in the counter-cultural and uninhibited landscape of post-reunification Berlin. Initially influenced by post-punk, industrial, and new wave, Dettmann began DJing in 1993, constantly expanding and refining his repertoire. He later worked behind the counter at the influential Hard Wax store, and a decade after first dropping a needle, he became (and remains) a resident at the iconic Berghain/Panorama Bar club, where his instinct has helped shape the characteristic sound of both main floors.

Of course, you’re probably not asking yourself “Who is Marcel Dettmann?” More importantly, what gems does he deliver here? The journey begins with a simple upward pitch shift that transforms Identified Patient’s haunting “The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania” into a rush-hour delirium, before an alternate version of Toctronic’s “Bis uns das Licht vertreibt” emerges for the first time from the archives. Dated 1995 and an eternal Dettmann favorite, Cristian Vogel's “Untitled” returns to the bag with respectable cuts, while John Bender's “Victims of A Victimless Crime” opens the B-side with a new arrangement, transporting us to the foundations of a confident and refined sound.

Some subtle tweaks to Clark’s dangerously funky “Dirty Pixie” lead us to Dettmann’s remix for Junior Boys. Produced in 2010, this reinterpretation transforms the Canadian duo's sophisticated pop with Dettmann's pure minimalism at its best, becoming a much sought-after gem for discerning seekers ever since. The same goes for Experimental Products’ explosive proto-electro anthem “Who Is Kip Jones?”, rescued from Discogs purgatory with barely any adjustments. Deservedly placed among the foundational influences of Chicago and Detroit, it is flanked by Mutant Beat Dance’s raw and direct “The Human Factor,” and a brilliant new version of the earlier production “Water,” alongside his close friend and Ostgut Ton accomplice, Ryan Elliot.

The second half of the Mastermix seamlessly connects the mechanical past and digital present of EBM and industrial in a dancefloor key, guided by Dettmann's instinct. Severed Heads' “We Have Come To Bless This House” appears with just a few strokes, while Nitzer Ebb's “Shame” is completely reimagined as a rhythmic balancing act and tension builder, setting the stage for a sensual reinterpretation of the 2017 remix of “Limbo” by Swiss synth-pop heroes Yello.

Essential musical memories are stirred and re-signified with a new reading of Frank Duval's emotional classic “Ogon,” while Ian North's “Sex Lust You” and Ford Proco's collaboration with Coil, “Expansion Naranja,” pulsate with subtle adjustments, respectfully presented as “shadow versions.” Meanwhile, a simple breakbeat drives Albert Kuningas' “Astraalprojektio” towards wide-awake dance floors, while a new version of K-Alexi Shelby's “Season of The Real” surprises by sounding even funkier than the original.

The compilation closes by taking us back to “Das Tier” by the prolific experimentalist Conrad Schnitzler, whose enveloping synthesizers and hypnotic vocals are adjusted by Dettmann, although, as he himself says, only “in conversation with the original.” Concluding three records and thirty years of commitment to the dance floor, this Mastermix not only offers us the opportunity to hear that endless exchange but also to incorporate highly sought-after pieces into our own collections.