Barker & Baumecker precede their upcoming album 'Turns' with the new two track 12“ 'Love Hertz / Cipher'. With Barker & Baumecker things are never black or white, straight and narrow, either-or, on/off – the two Berlin-based producers and DJs Sam Barker & nd_Baumecker have a musical mind all of their own and share multifaceted musical interests not restricted to floor functionality alone – behind the decks they feel equally at home with House- and Pop-friendly vibes at Panorama Bar or the darker shades of bass music on the Berghain floor, they have sweet spots for Disco music in the Berghain Garten and experimental and ambient sounds in the Halle for Elektroakustischer Salon. Long story short: Barker & Baumecker love sonority, both in terms of various genres and high fidelity. Preceding their album 'Turns' – out via Ostgut Ton on 25 November 2016 – Barker & Baumecker return with a double faced two track 12“. “Love Hertz” is a blissful, uplifting, melodic and – at times – bluesy UK Bass-inspired cut, shuffling and playfully flicking throughout. The record’s alternate lead track “Cipher” on the flip side is a rework of a two-part track from the forthcoming 'Turns' LP: while the album’s “Encipher & Decipher” puts focus on the home listening-aspect, this 12“es’ “Cipher” is made for the club. The track’s atmospheric build-up eventually turns in favor of a heavy, dark kick drum and multi-layered percussion, feeling at times as if the duo’s hammering onto Berghain’s steel staircase. Barker & Baumecker are sound fetishists, carefully and scrupulously sculpting their clang on analogue synth machinery, all without turning to cacophony and always staying compositionally sound – established, grown-up club kids with attitude and love for music.
‘Voids’ is in a few ways markedly different than previous Martyn records; it features no guest appearances or collaborations and at 9 tracks, is musically stripped down to the essentials. It’s also a highly personal take on forging new paths forward in genres where the Berghain/Panorama Bar resident has long been known for his production wizardry and innovation: post-dubstep and UK garage.
The LP is roughly split between these musical foundations, recontextualized with elements of Nyabinghi, drum ‘n‘ bass, and gqom to form snarling, bass-driven hybrids. The direction was hinted at last November on his ‘GL Outtakes’ – reworks of his landmark 2009 album ‘Great Lengths’. In contrast however, ‘Voids’ is also an attempt to work through personal trauma and loss, including recovering from a heart attack and dealing with the passing of close friend and fellow producer Marcus Intalex aka Trevino, to whom the track “Manchester” is dedicated.
The sound of ‘Voids’ is big and unapologetically rough around the edges. It is music as therapy, drawing on the healing elements of music past, but is far from retrospective. Indeed, Martyn is no stranger to electronic futurism, as his numerous solo productions for Ostgut Ton, Dolly, Hyperdub, Brainfeeder, Ninja Tune, Warp and his own 3024 label (run together with visual collaborator Jeroen Erosie) have shown. On ‘Voids’, however, these futuristic sonic qualities coalesce into something darker, more biographical and untethered from expectations.
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