I only added Selectors 005 to my discogs 22 months ago. And to be honest, I was already a very different person by then compared to the man who started collecting records back in 2016, fresh-faced and youthful...ish. I was DJing in bars, clubs and on radio in Bournemouth, near enough weekly, up until the pandemic shut everything down.
There’s something interesting about the passage of time. I guess it’s an age-old trope, but you really do think things will continue in the way they are when you’re younger. We always think we know better. Most of my years post-covid have been spent realising I’m now the unc in the room. Being 35 by the time I was properly listening to Lena’s curation, I heard it with very different ears.
Going back to my note on What is IBM — I did record a mix where I attempted to play in the vein of artists like Dettmann, Ben UFO, Ellen Allien and so on. It sounded ok, but will probably never see the light of day. I did pull for the Chekov re-edit of Voice of Command on C2. There’s something about the sparseness of the drums that lured me right in.
Aside from that, I haven’t spent much time with the rest of the music on this record apart from Parrish Smith’s Minima. I found a Bandcamp purchase from around 2018 for this track, and played it in techno sets in Manchester when I was visiting there regularly that year. It’s another metallic, colder affair, much like the overall theme of this compilation series, if I’m honest — it builds and builds into this angry growl as it climaxes.
I also found Lena to be an intriguing artist. There’s a certain way of living that artists seem to have. One I’m not familiar with, but am drawn to. By day I’m a BA in Canary Wharf, writing technical documents for how an investment accounting software product should operate. That’s so far removed from fine art, and those eerie liminal warehouses this type of creative can usually be found in. Perhaps it’s the abstract nature of her work that draws me in — what the hell is a residency at Salon des Amateurs, and why are you smoking fags all the damn time?
She’s been hailed as the founder of this new type of DJ — the “selector,” really. Someone who curates and assembles rather than performs in the traditional sense. The Dekmantel Selectors series is built around that idea, and Lena is its most extreme example: jumping from EBM to krautrock to industrial noise is untouchable territory for most DJs, but not for her. I think what really draws me to her work is that no-rules attitude of doing things completely her own way.
Writing this has inspired me to open YouTube, and my history shows a long list of clips she’s featured in — mixes, interviews, the lot. Maybe now I’ll finally choose to play through this comp in full. Another rabbit hole, as we say.
Her feature on Dekmantel talks about her being neurotic, but with an ability to be incredibly free. Something I wrestle with often, given my 9-to-5, but coupled with this monstrous obsession with music and wanting to understand the mechanics of things and objects, with an aim to edit them or customise in some way — perhaps that’s its own form of artistry. I’ll tell you if I find out.
Chapter 5: The Dystopian Transmission — Lena Willikens (Selectors 005)
Lena Willikens is the kind of artist who’s only capable of following one path - her own. In many ways, she's the archetypal selector, an unpredictable DJ who often eschews all notions of genre in favor of what she describes as different temperatures, different time zones, different moods and a healthy portion of chaos. Although her methods have certainly proven effective on the dancefloor, Willikens also refuses to be bound by its traditional limitations.
That willingness to buck convention also extends to this compilation, as the German DJ and celebrated Salon des Amateurs resident has elected to stock her contribution to the Selectors series with a surprising number of previously unreleased tracks. "I've been playing most of these songs for a while now," she explains. "I benefit from my friends and colleagues who constantly send me their unreleased music. Now I want to give something back by sharing these tracks with everybody.”
Nevertheless, those looking for vintage gems won't be disappointed, as Willikens has also included a handful of oddball favorites from her record bag. At the same time, she's made a point to avoid notably rare and expensive tunes. "There are already enough passionate people out there doing a great job digging and reissuing," she says. Instead, her curatorial instincts have taken her in a much more conceptual direction, which she describes as a "little trip through the dunes." She adds, "It might be challenging to walk or dance on the sand, so perhaps it's more comfortable to lay down and glide along without having a certain destination in mind."
JASSS "LITTLE LINES"
JASSS war definitely one of my most exciting discoveries of 2016. A while back she sent me a batch of unreleased tracks, which I absolutely treasured. For more than a year, they were an integral part of almost every set played, so when the time came to put this compilation together, JASSS was one of the first artists I approached. That's why I was so hugely disappointed when she told me that the track I originally had in mind was already stated to be part of her debut LP Weightless. Nevertheless, my disappointment quickly made way for euphoria, as "Little Lines" is just as mystical and outstanding as anything she's ever done.
Written & produced by JASSS / 2018, Dekmantel
GARLAND "SEPSES"
Garland is a project that secretly and organically developed its own language through years of collaborative improvisation. The two producers behind it, Phillip Jondo and Simon Weins, met as teenagers and soon after began to exchange music, experiment with various sounds and gradually refine their own distinctive aesthetic. Jondo actually first caught my ear some years ago as one of the most interesting young DJs in Cologne, and I started to invite him to play regularly at Salon des Amateurs. He quickly became a resident and continues to host his own nights there. Even so, I was shocked when I heard the Garland productions for the first time - the music was just so precise and elaborate. I loved it from the very first second.
Written & produced by Phillip Jondo & Simon Weins / 2018, Dekmantel
SANDOZ MORNING STAR (DUBMIX)
Sandoz is one of the million pseudonyms used by Richard H. Kirk, who's best known as a founding member of Cabaret Voltaire. As different as all of his projects sound, they are nonetheless united by the unfailing artistic signature of their creator. Over the, past few decades, Kirk has created a treasure trove of incredible music, not to mention a unique aesthetic that has influenced and continues to influence - so many producers. As Sandoz, he explores the world of Jamaican dub, filtering those sounds through his own unique paradigm. Some years ago, I saw him walk onstage with a briefcase, moving with the nonchalance of someone who was simply going to work, and I was struck by his authority and commanding presence. These qualities are also mirrored in his productions, but I couldn't help but think that there was no better take the stage and start performing.
Wetten & produced by Richard H. Kirk / 1996 Intone Productions
VROMB "AMALGAME"
Vromb is an artist I essentially stumbled over on accident. Back when I was working at a-Musik in Cologne (one of the most interesting and best sorted record stores for experimental music around), I found myself one day standing in front of the long-ignored CD shelf. I could smell the hidden potential, and it was there that I luckily discovered the label Ant-Zen, which mainly releases harsh industrial sounds. Vromb, however, stands out from rest the label roster with his hypnotic productions. "Amalgame" in particular takes me back to parties at EGO, the legendary illegal club in Düsseldorf and the place where I had my first contact with "real" techno. Whenever I hear this track, it sounds like a distant, pitched-down memory of EGO's dark and foggy dancefloor.
Written & produced by Hugo Girard / 2001. An Zen
LE MATIN “OIL”
Several years ago. Le Matin opened for me at the Maintenant festiya in Rennes I really liked his live set, and it felt so easy and natural for me to take over behind the decks. Later on we chatted and exchanged contacts, and some weeks later i received a little package with his cassette releases. From that point on, I started including a fot of his tracks in my radio podcasts (especially from his Shitrain tape, which was more experimental and atmospheric) and also in many of my DJ sets. And with my passion for Dada - and meaningful nonsense in general - "Oil" was something I just couldn't resist. "Oil is the best thing I ever drank. Oil. Black oil. I love Oil. Yeah."
Written & produced by Charles Torris / 2015 Consternation
ANATOLIAN WEAPONS "DISILLUSIONED"
I met Aggelos Baltas in Cologne in 2014, right after his debut EP Pathways (which he made under another alias, Dream Weapons) was released on the Holger label. The record had already caught my attention and I was very curious to meet the artist behind it. The two of us sat smoking in front of an Italian restaurant, chatting about records and the scene in Athens (where he is based) for so long that we almost missed the artist dinner. Since then, Aggelos has sent me a bunch of fantastic tunes and re-edits (the latter of which he makes under the name Fantastikoi Hxoi). I never get tired of listening to and playing his stuff, and "Disillusioned" is easily my favorite thing he's ever done.
Written & produced by Aggelos Baltas / 2018, Dekmantel
PARRISH SMITH "MINIMA"
"No elitism, no prejudices, no 4/4, no genre..." Those are the opening words of Parrish Smith's official artist biography, and they are words I can absolutely relate to. After hearing his first release on Knekelhuis, I contacted Parrish to tell him how much I liked it. Soon after, I happily received a bunch of his unreleased material, including the outstanding track "Minima." I loved this track right away- it's simultaneously simple and complex and also has a uniquely percussive rhythm. I can still remember my adrenaline kicking in the first time I played it out, as I brought the track in right before the point in the song (about 3 minutes in) where the beat suddenly stumbles and flips around. Needless to say, my mix was a total mess.
Written & produced by Parrish Smith / 2018, Dekmantel
VAROSHI FAME "VOICE OF COMMAND (CHEKOV RE-EDIT)"
It was two years ago that I met Laurence Huntington a.k.a. Chekov for the first time. I played on a magical Sunday night at Golden Pudel and he stopped by the decks to ask me if it would be okay to send me some of his music. Sometimes, this is how friendships start. The tracks he sent me were fresh and full of tension and I've enjoyed playing them a lot. And this edit of Varoshi Fame, it's clearly a banger. Every time I drop it, I'm brimming with anticipation for the moment when that heavy bass drum kicks in. Laurence recently debuted on Shanti Celeste's label Peach Discs, and I can't wait to get my hands on more of his releases in the future.
Written & produced by J. Szoges, additional production by Laurence Huntington / 1987, Afterbirth Records - 2018, Dekmantel
TOWLIE "CONAN"
"Conan" is the sort of track that I love to play. It comes at you directly, with no deviations or detours and just enough roughness and honesty to make the whole thing really work. That's towLie 100%: no small talk, no bullshit. The first time she appeared on my radar was three years ago, when a friend of hers handed me a stack of records from towLie's label Käften and also Born Free (where she released music as one half of Empfänger). Bundled with the package was a typewritten letter from towLie explaining how sorry she was that she couldn't come and deliver the records in person. Between the letter and the music, especially the Empfänger tracks that I started playing out the very next weekend, I felt this incredible connection and I just had to get to kner her. Luckily, just a few months later, she opened for me with an amazing set at Under Bron in Stockholm. Since then, we e become friends and have played together a couple of times. And every now and again, I receive another package with her latest records and, of course, a beautiful, typewritten letter.
Written & produced by towLie / 2018, Dekmantel
SYSEX "DEEP SPACE"
Heinrich Tillackis one of these mysterious producers who only appeared for a short period of time, dropping a few golden eggs before quickly going back under the radar. During his brief heyday in the 90s, he released music on three of the most influential techno labels of all time: Plus 8, the Frankfurt-based Force Inc. imprint (as Absolute) and Munich based Disko B (as Festival). "Deep Space," which originally came out on Plus 8, has these counter-rotating synth loops that might leave you feeling a little dizzy. Every I time play this track, it's like watching some sort of visual puzzle where what you see depends entirely on where your focus is concentrated. I enjoy that sense of disorientation... for just a little while, of course.
Written & produced by Sysex / 1994, Plus 8 Records Ltd.
BORUSIADE "NIGHT DIVE (AN EXERCISE IN INDULGENCE)”
More than anyone I know, Borusiade is capable producing incredibly haunting music. Everything she touches turns into an apocalyptic ghost dance on the edge of dystopia, with no chance for escape. Simply put her tracks sound like they’ve been made for imaginary film scores, as suspense is the essence of each and every element. Almost four years ago - back when I was still doing my regular nights at Salon des Amateurs - I listened to one of Borusiade’s SoundCloud mixes (which I discovered via female:pressure) and right away I invited her to come and play a night together at Salon the following month. That was the first time we met and I clearly remember that when picked her up from the station, it immediately felt like, I was meeting an old friend.
Written & produced by Miruna Boruzecu / 2018, Dekmantel
DOSEZERO "TRIBAL DOSE”
As a fan of Most Significant Beat (M.S.B.), one day I found myself buying my very first CD on Discogs: a split by M.S.B. and DoseZero called Control Remoto 2.0, which was released on CD only. Before this, I didn't know anything about DoseZero and was only vaguely familiar with Maurizio Martinucci, who was the link here as one half of both M.S.B. and DoseZero, a short-lived project with Simone Carraresi, More recently, he's been doing music under the name Pragma, and his Dusk EP features a wonderful Esplendor Geométrico remix that I also play a lot. Somehow, between all of his aliases and releases, Martinucci crept into almost every set I played last year.
Written & produced by TeZ, Simone Carraresi / 1996 Geometrik Records