Ostgut Ton’s Barker welds together a handful of live performances for this exclusive mix of original material.
Sam Barker grew up in the UK and was involved in music for many years before he made the move to Berlin over a decade ago. He quickly made a name for himself as one of the co-founders of Leisure System, the game-changing Berghain residency that help shift the German superclub’s focus from minimal techno into outer realms of rhythmic experimentation.
As a producer, Barker initially gained notoriety as part of Barker & Baumecker, a collaboration with German producer Andy Baumecker. The duo’s slew of releases – mostly for the Berlin-based, Berghain-associated Ostgut Ton label – twisted techno into unexpected places, following both producers’ diverse range of influences.
In 2011, Leisure System evolved into a record label, and Barker put together one of the first releases, 2012’s Like An Animal 12″, but didn’t release any other solo material until last year’s Debiasing on Ostgut Ton. This EP was a quiet triumph, fusing the echoing bliss of dub techno with the harmonic romance of trance, and disregarding the kick drum altogether. It was one of FACT’s top five records of last year.
This fall, Barker is releasing his debut solo full-length, Utility, and to celebrate has put together a special FACT mix of snippets from his recent live performances. Using his live setup of an Elektron Digitone, Elektron Octatrack, Nord Drum plus some modular gear and outboard FX, Barker glides through many of the themes on the album, exploring harmony, rhythm and texture.
Barker’s debut solo album, Utility, will be released on Ostgut Ton on September 6.
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