Sascha Funke - QAM EP [Running Back]

Format: 12" in printed sleeve.
CAT: RB109

In the constant state of transformation that house and techno have been in since their inception, Berlin native Sascha Funke is both a stable figure and a reflection of the city's mutations. Probably best known for his work on BPitch Control, Kompakt, or the ever-present MZ, Funke's EP for Running Back is an amalgam of sounds, influences, and atmospheres. Contained rave euphoria, robotic techno-pop with disco influences, and echoes of Berlin's defunct "Dubmission" party ethos are reordered, extracted, and reconfigured with "German engineering" values.

Take the QAM ritual, for example. Using a sample and the legendary Morse code melody of the weather forecast at the end of every Tagesschau, and placing it in a completely different context, it becomes a clear example of a free approach to making music and turning nostalgia into something future-ready.

The same applies to the rest of the EP. Although titles like FEZ (Freizeit- und Erholungszentrum) or SEZ (Sport- und Erholungszentrum) refer to long-gone East Berlin spaces, the tracks are anything but. Nostalgic, precisely programmed, and full of joie de vivre at the same time, they all fit and complement each other. So much so that you'll find a new favorite with every listen.