as watergate carries into its 12th year as one of the worlds elite clubs, it seems more than fitting and possibly long overdue, that pan-pot, who has been an integral part for nearly the entire lifespan of the club, will be curating the 17th installment of the illustrious watergate cd series

you can forgive a band who set out to create something even just a little bit different and get it horrendously wrong, but its tough to have sympathy for a band who shy away from the challenge altogether. such was the case with autokratz on their first album, animal, which, apart from a passable opening track, consisted of a series of bland electronic pastiches Ð dance music that conversely made the listener want to sit and wait it out. that didnt stop the hype building around the duo, though, thanks in no small part to the fact that the album was released through in-vogue french label kitsunŽ music. the confusing positivity surrounding the lp suggesting, perhaps, that style overcomes substance once a record company has received the hipster seal of approval.this time around, however, kitsune has stepped aside, with autokratz releasing the follow-up on their own label, bad life. but has the sense of responsibility that surely comes with this step made them re-evaluate their direction? has it inspired them to inject a much-needed shot of creativity into their work? not a hope. if anything, autokratz descend even further into mediocrity on self help for beginners. once again, their best tunes are loaded towards the front of the album, starting with the lead single, -opposite of love. its far from outstanding, helped in no small part by the terribly contrived lyrics, but does possess a catchy synth melody Ð enough to earn it a place on club playlists, at least. its a similar story with -becoming the wraith, which has peter hook on hand to deliver an overtly new order-esque bassline. beyond that, however, the quality dips dramatically. tracks like -the seventh seal and -r.i.s.e. are typical of the selection on offer, underwhelmingly vapid, derivative tunes which show up a disappointing, but not totally unexpected, scarcity of guile on the part of their creators.where autokratz do excel is as producers Ð a quality evident not only in their own work, but also in their remixes for other artists. unfortunately, this only serves to exacerbate their deficiencies on the other side of the control room desk. ultimately it may mean that, having failed to address the shortcomings of their debut, autokratz will be fated to be filed under -also rans in the annals of music history. thats assuming, of course, that someone out there will actually remember them at all.

closely related to underground resistance, scan 7 is a mysterious detroit underground collective gathering seven artists. the group is most famous for its ninja like appearances, often dressed in black with black masks and hats, the use code names to protect there true identification, they believe its not who you see, but what you hear that is the most crucial element in techno! associated with such labels as underground resistance, soma & f communications, scan 7 via their own imprint have brought together a double cd of detroit influenced techno.

surgeons fabric-cd sprŸht vor leidenschaft & imagination. zwei eigenschaften, fŸr die diese techno-legende steht. in seinem set verbindet surgeon bewŠhrte rave & techno-sounds mit moderner bassmusik, stellt links her zwischen oppression & reduktion, die bislang in dieser form noch nie decodiert wurden und erschafft so ein einzigartiges, generationen Ÿberwindendes kunstwerk!