played by martin haberland, james ornate, james what, agnostic rhythm, anna wall, lance desardi, kammerton
following the release of their debut lp, keep up appearances on their new label modelmaker, dan berkson and james what draft in frank & tony, dana ruh, dorisburg and alan doe for remixes. berkson & what have chalked up many releases on poker flat and crosstown rebels over the years whilst most recently turning heads outside of their own modelmaker imprint via singles for dogmatik and seth troxler s play it say it. the duo s lp, released in january, marked a new chapter in their production history and has seen support from josh wink, mr g and skream over the past few months. keep up appearances - remixes opens with anthony collins and francis harris superb frank & tony alias taking on seraphim which results in a tense but understated piece of layered, classic sounding house music while dana ruh, fresh from her excellent debut lp on underground quality last year, drops an eerie recreation of worship that draws on spacey synths and unsettling ambience. dorisburg, known for outstanding material on sweden s aniara amongst others, continues a sterling run of form with a rendition of feel free which employs soaring chords to fashion a luscious and elevating take on the original. rounding off the package is berlin producer alan doe, an artist who debuted on rue de plaisance in 2014. doe s worship remix is squarely dancefloor-aimed with punchy kicks, smokey effects and teasing keys

opening up with the deep space atmospherics of quiet life the album immediately transports you to another world. the title track is then a melodically lush and uplifting affair with curious synth patterns ebbing and flowing beneath crisp percussion. tracks like we search for answers combine organic, wooden textures with more synthetic and trippy synth sounds that are as far away from your standard sample packs as can be imagined. across the course of the album there are dark, moody and emotive pieces like worship (previously released in extended form on the mdl02 single) featuring qzen who reads a poem by patience agbabi in tantalising fashion as well as heavyweight, dubbed out techno groovers like shadow theory. make it true (of which seth troxler will be releasing an extended edit on his play it say it label, complete with high profile remixes) is another great collab featuring the vocals of jojo de freq, and the track itself is a harmonious, radiant house jam that is humid and human in equal measure. the otherworldly, snaking feel free again showcases berkson & what s ability to coax alluring emotions out of their machines and closer logan five wraps things up in suitably spangled, textural fashion. despite the fact much of this album will work on a dancefloor in the hands of the right dj, there s an invention and musicality to it that renders the whole thing hugely listenable away from the club. a testament to berkson & what s analogue invention and fluid ideas, keep up appearances really is a master electronic oeuvre.

berkson & what are next up to release on seth troxlers acclaimed play it say it with make it true feat. jojo de freq, a harmonious, radiant house jam with a sharp kick, acid tinged bassline, sultry vocals and smooth synths. unsung hero luke solomon delivers a remix 4 turnings version turing it into an almost new track with a grooving bassline, funky melody, spoken vocals and prominent hats. legend larry heard aka mr fingers heads up the b-side, with his psychedelic jungle mix doing just it says.

berkson & what incl. neville watson remix! dogmatik records deliver the goods once more with a quality release from berkson & what with the psychedelic underground. the 12inch comes with the original mix and a remix from neville watson, as well as another fine berkson & what original production back to me.

modelmaker is a new london label from the collective minds of dan berkson and james what. the esteemed house duo has long been garnishing a range of international imprints with their inventive analogue house and techno sounds, but now they are focussing on their own outlet. initially launching with a couple of self penned eps, release number three will be the pair s long-time-in-the-making debut album, and after that a considered selection of other talents will join the ranks as the label pushes on. always primarily focussed on machine made, texturally rich house and techno, each release will come with unique artwork based on works from whats great grandfather, conrad felixmuller, who was a well known german expressionist.

modelmaker is a new london label from the collective minds of dan berkson and james what. the esteemed house duo has long been garnishing a range of international imprints with their inventive analogue house and techno sounds, but now they are focussing on their own outlet. initially launching with a couple of self penned eps, release number three will be the pair s long-time-in-the-making debut album, and after that a considered selection of other talents will join the ranks as the label pushes on. always primarily focussed on machine made, texturally rich house and techno, each release will come with unique artwork based on works from what s great grandfather, conrad felixmuller, who was a well known german expressionist.

london based masters of the groove berkson & what are back on pokerflat with another sublime excursion into deep flowing hypnotic and modern house music. the pairs infamous live show has taken them far and wide, delivering their detailed and unparalleled electronics from berlin to miami and back... now their story continues with the >ghosts ep<. the extended, jacking trip that is >ghosts< is a strong grooving reduced house track in the purest sense of the phrase. tough, tight chicago style beats flare and snap as a melancholic and mysterious synth motif dances around the funk-meets-dub bass sequence. all manner of ethereal spoken word passages, uplifting vocal meanderings and cuts are then intertwined in a complex ambiguous narrative that fills the room with the ghosts of house and soul music gone by... understated, uncompromising and super functional! next up the boys lay down a tribal house groover, full of thick keys, richly embellished drums and spiritual vibes a-plenty. no doubt first jammed out during one of their long studio sessions, the live feel and flowing arrangement opens up beautifully with soft key flourishes and tender vocal hooks.

tweaked monosynth lines and rich polyphonic pads are featured on most tracks, and single note patterns of various timbre often reinforce the grooves. the title track on the a-side is as simple as effective and the name relates to some of the percussion parts which reminded them of a rodent digging a hole in the ground. first on the b-side is >if i was a man<, a slow-down groover with a dark and funky atmosphere, inspired by barbara alcindor s abstract spoken words, becomes more and more twisted towards the end of the track. last but not least, >zig zag<, which is named after the wobbly monosynth phrase which is being tweaked throughout the tune. all tracks speak of sweet, riding rhythms and nights full of action. pure quality

next brilliant techhouse shaker by berkson & what after the great >the dig< on pokerflat 70 !! supported by anja schneider, matthias tanzmann, dj t., james flavour and karotte

finest techhouse , incl rmxs by stimming (diynamic), two armadillos (four:twenty) , king britt (ovum rec)

excellent deep grooving techhouse with a splash of acid, feat sexy robert owens vocals on top !! sexy !! flipside (onika) sounds more like the hyper modern remote area sound. tip-top

the first release on sounderground records with a taste of things to come. a minimal/tech funk offering from the unstoppable pairing of dan berkson and james what. already receiving rave reviews this should see out the summer nicely. idj magazine gives it 4/5!

cacao records returns on wax re-releasing 4 tracks from their digital back catalogue

volume six of this excellent pokerflat series comes with exclusiv tracks from steve bug, jeff samuel, cle, guido schneider & florian schirmacher, d julz, dan berkson & james what and ryo murakami

since 2000, d julz produced and released his tracks on labels such as dessous, ovum, brique rouge, se rial, 20/20 vision, paper, music for freaks and end recordings, and we are happy to present his latest tracks on poker flat. >runny< is a great euphonious, techy and percussive track around an alienated violin sound. the remix has been contributed by dan berkson and james what, who released already their >cantina< ep (pfr77) on poker flat. their mix comes in the typical berkson and what sound with warmer keyboard sounds and a groovy bassline. >sign< on b2 is a deep, but pushing tech-house tune with a great build-up. super-cool ep!

boxersport presents the first 12 inch excerpt from the new matzak album >live beginnings<.. incl finest minimal floating remix by pokerflat guys dan berkson & james what

poker flat rec proudly presents it s fifth label compilation! the 2xlp version holds the six tracks which have been exclusively produced for this album by john tejada & bilal bashir, dan berkson & james what, steve bug & clé, philippe autuori and jamie jones. altogether >poker flat volume 5< is a huge package incl state of the art songs in the field of techy & reduced house and techno from one of the coolest labels around !!

after a short production break, daniela stickroth re enters with stories from the attic e.p.the musical scene. ghost in the attic ranges in minimal fields with thick bassline and much groove. dan berkson & james what continue the path of their last pokerflat release and create a deep, techhouse groover with much atmosphere. in the original mix,chest in the attic is a deep, melodious track with much heartfeeling, which gains in the remix of pablo akaros ( karmarouge) newer and rougher elements, and which also forms a nice antipole to the original mix

the limited edition box set - strictly limited to 2000 handnumbered copies wordlwide - contains the regular double-cd + bonus-cd with 10 classic poker flat tracks selected by steve bug + a deck of uniquely designed poker flat playing cards, 100% plastic casino quality + free poker flat sticker!