Track By Track: Dvs1’S Mistress Recordings: Various Artists – Mistress 05

 
Music

Mistress Recordings is the sub-label of DVS1's imprint Hush as you may already know.

It's the arm of the label that gives "versatile producers an opportunity to chance their arm and try something a little further from the beaten track." 

The latest release on the imprint comes in the form of Mistress 05 – a 12 track album featuring tracks from 12 different artists.

Here, each artist talks us through their contribution;

Jonas Friedlich – Thuesdub (A1) 

I did the track on a dubby Tuesday in autumn 2013. I was jamming around with a bunch of samples I recorded. Some of them created digitally, some analog and some even acoustic with a microphone (like a hi-hat coming from a real cymbal). Most of them messed up with various effects or transposed until everything kind of matched together. I was jumping back and forth from halftime-dub to the techno groove, so I tried to keep both in the final version. 120bpm actually seemed quite fast for me at that time and I didn’t consider it as a peaktime-track, so I couldn’t believe DVS1 telling me he played my track at Berghain on 134 (!) and it worked quite well. 

ASOK – Purple Saturn Day (A2) 

This track came about like many do – by accident. The analogue baseline was accidentally made by a drum machine. The drum machine was accidentally turned on by someone by accident. The sweeping pads in the background were an accident, and the drums and percussion happened accidentally. The name came about completely by chance, and of course the best place to listen to it is on an accidental holiday (to a distant solar system). The best thing about it is that sometimes, accidents are meant to happen.

Nicson & An Gelo – Freek (B1) 

This track was the result of one of our very first studio sessions together and was mainly sample based. We are record lovers and we like to dig for old gems and we often spend hours chopping samples from vinyl. The vocal on this track was sampled from one of our records from Phreek, disco project from the early 80s. We built the track around it, using classic Juno strings for the melodic part and a 909 and Casio Rz1 for the rhythmical section. We used a DX7 for the bassline, which adds some digital distortion that is the base of some of our tracks. The result was a blend of Detroit House and Techno with Disco Influence, that we found perfect for this compilation. This track can be played easily in both House and Techno sets, giving a wide range of flexibility to all kind of DJs.

Kirill Mamin – Cutting (B2) 

The technical idea is to use turntables to create the whole track. I get some samples from my favourite vinyl and do my own groove. Pitched down kicks works very well for the bassline sound. Pitch your favourite tracks from 45 RPM to 33 RPM and listen. Construction of my tracks is always like a tool, I mean how it's arranged for live mixing, for more then two turntables..My stuff must be more linear, but still have some interesting accents, exclusive message… I like to dig into colour and try to find some unique forms of my own sound.

Ombossa – Bonish Thuggish (C1) 

A good way to explain my process for making Bonish Thuggish is to simply explain the title. Bone Thugs and Harmony has always been a big influence for me. I love the spooky atmosphere coupled with a thug attitude. While my track is very different in form from their music, the vibe I aimed for was exactly that: goth + attitude. Jack + Spook. It came out as you heard it. I feel very comfortable in darkness but I don't recognise myself in the emo vibe. The vocal comes from one of my mottos in life: Silence. Patience being the other one. When I get more 'air time', I'll explain why!

Jerome Baker – Track 20 (C2) 

When I made Track 20 I wanted to create a groove that could lock you in with it's simplicity. I wanted to create something for the speaker jackers, and revisit the vibe of Classic Chicago raves. The best way to listen to it is in a basement with a strobe light and the bass turned all the way up. 

Juxta Position – World Domination (D1)

This is just an acid jam I had kicking around which I played to DVS1 when we were working in my studio on the finishing touches to Mistress 02 (Juxta Position Vol 1.). He really loved the track, but it didn't seem to fit with a lot of my other works. When the concept for the compilation came about, Zak found the matching tracks to my one, so we decided to put it on the compilation. It was kind of inspired by a Gene Hunt track 'Sound Drome' which Rush Hour released a few years back, but I think it has a slightly more industrial quality than that.

Discrete Circuit – Incursion (D2)

We created the track on a weekend jam session. In a 6 min run we recorded it from beginning to end. We ran it through an old analog Soundcraft mixing desk, which gave it even more rawness. We just used one drum computer, one synthesiser and a sequencer, nothing special. At first we were a little skeptical about its simplicity, but the well known principle of 'keeping it simple' always produced good results, especially in techno music.

Nutype – Noisy Ride (E1)

Noisy ride was born as a video soundtrack for downhill’s bikers for the brand Dainese. The rolling percussions and the noises were in sync with the crazy images of this bike that flew over the French countryside and the bass was the heart of it all. When DVS1 contacted me telling me that he had played my track, I personally thought there is not an ideal place to play it, but rather an ideal moment: in the break before another more dangerous jump.

Mike Gervais – Grind (E2)

Grind was written in the middle of a studio/production binge during the (bitter) cold Minneapolis winter. I was throwing lots of ideas at the wall looking for something to stick. Not looking to re-invent the wheel or write something genre defining, just good tracks I could use with positive dancefloor results. Various tracks from that period have been released and some are still forthcoming, but Zak has that special ear for gems and here we are.

Opinion – Autobahnkirche (F1)

Autobahnkirche developed back in fall/ winter 2011, arriving at home after a stormy 8 hour car ride. It was one of my first tracks that featured a kick drum on every quarter. 
The beat emerged throwing field-recordings (breaking wood, hitting sheet metal) in my DAW, which became the drums. The rather long and deep single note bassline on Autobahnkirche, helps to make the track function at faster rpm as well. Have fun!

A&S – Xenix (F2) 

The first thing that comes up in our minds is just one word: sweaty! The track was recorded during one of our studio sessions back in the summer of 2006 in Jeroen's studio located in Rotterdam at that time. The tune is just our vision on techno music, nothing more – nothing less, straight forward and uncompromising. 


Check out the Mistress 05 YouTube channel here and their Facebook here.