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Sandwell district - Artists | Kozzmozz

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Sandwell district


References: Regis vs Function, GER

Sandwell district
Sandwell District is, without doubt, THE underground Techno label of the moment. With support from all quarters (they count Marcel Dettmann, Ben Klock, Len Faki and the Berghain crew, Laurent Garnier, Miss Kitten, Jeff Mills, Sleeparchive, Speedy J, Troy Pierce, among their many devotees) they have not just blurred the boundaries of techno, but have dissolved them and re-built it in their own unique image...

Function and Regis need little introduction, as stalwarts of the hugely influential Downwards Label they have been breaking down and re-arranging the D.N.A of conventional dance music for over a decade. Sandwell District however is very much its own animal and although it shares many of its ideals and energy with the iconic Downwards, it is very much a label of the here and now. As Beatportal recently put it, "Influential British techno label Downwards are causing waves with their new imprint Sandwell District, as is Marcel Dettmann, Shed and Sleeparchive, who have all picked up where Downwards left techno in the late 1990s."
 
With Function already scoring 2 massive hits this year, with his "Isolation and Anticipation EP'S " and Regis causing major waves on the underground as his alter ego Kalon, it seems as if in the past 12 months, Sandwell District can do no wrong. Going from strength to strength with every release, both Function's mighty 'Isolation' and the Kalon and Function mixes of Silent Servant's 'Violencia' earned DJ Mag Techno Record of the Month, Function's 'Anticipation' held the #1 Bestselling Techno Record position for 6 weeks on Juno and as well the label earned Resident Advisor's prestigious, Label of the Month. On top of that the Kalon and Function mixes of Silent Servant got major airplay and DJ Support. With mixes from Marcel Dettmann and Troy Pierce on other Sandwell 12"s, as well as Function remixing Miss Kitten, Heartthrob (Minus) and the Richie Hawtin, Joey Beltram and Mundo Muzique +8 classic, Final Exposure 'Vortex', 2009 was another major year for Sandwell District.
 
And it didn’t stop there as they were hailed in press and media in 2010, performed on big festivals as Sonar, Awakenings and an amazing performance on Time Warp. They are generally described as the frontrunners of the ‘new’ techno movement. Add to that their album ‘Feed Forward’ of this year. In the words of Andrew Ryce in Fact Magazine: “The result of the long-awaited collaboration is a record that seems to dip its toes into every trend and idea of underground techno in the past few decades, encasing each in a time(less) capsule lovingly wrapped in the sheen of the collective’s learned expertise. If it wasn’t so unerringly smooth it would be overwhelming, but that Sandwell have created something so accessible and approachable is a testament to their talent. For this kind of brooding techno to sound so brilliantly effortless takes a lot of – you guessed it – effort, but the obvious hard work put in by Function and company has paid off with a defiant techno statement that feels as utterly singular and unconcerned with trends as it is undeniably contemporary and relevant.”


As you would expect, Function and Regis's approach to live/dj work is forward thinking and challenges convention ... Digital and Analogue equipment is combined to create the maximum creative environment for both artists to feed off each other during a set so you know they’ve only got the best in store for us.