Double-digit action!

August 28, 2011
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Well, since this summer has been quite deplorable (at least in Berlin), we had to stay busy at Retreat HQ by putting the final touches on what will be our tenth release … Yes, your eyes are not lying, we’ll soon be 10 releases deep!

Needless to say that neither Hauke nor myself fully realize yet how far we’ve gone. Back in 2009, I envisioned Retreat as a hand-stamped, Vinyl-only white label. Flash-forward to 2011 and here we are, putting out records with proper sleeves, proposing label-merchandise and touring all over the world … with Retreat label parties in Australia, of all places!

But hey, despite the ups and downs of swimming with the sharks of the music biz, the most important thing is that Hauke and myself have faith in our label and most of all in the music that we put out. So for vinyl n°10 we’ve got a special treat coming your way: a 4-track EP from Matthias Reiling that is quite unlike anything Retreat has released so far … hence also a proper full print cover, courtesy of designer extraordinaire Gesine Todt!

As you know, we like to keep things on the hush-hush tip so we won’t reveal more information now…but you can be sure that a trailer will surface on this site very soon!

We’re also excited to offer even more choice for all you vinyl junkies out there via our dedicated online shop: apart from the full Retreat catalog and selected artist-related releases on other labels, you can now order Frank Music’s first output (featuring a killer rework courtesy of Iron Curtis) as well as the indispensable Fried Tofu edits, a series of Disco reworks that are known to turn any dancefloor upside down!

Stay tune for more news coming soon!

Retreat Label Party – Edelweiss, Berlin

October 5, 2010
November 11, 2010
20:00

Back in December 2009, Iron Curtis dropped a killer set at Edelweiss… but the best was yet to come a few months later:  the Iron Man submitted a mind-blowing demo to Retreat and the outcome is “Stumbled Across”,  a bold musical statement that gets released this week. Of course we had to throw in a special party for that!

Iron Curtis’ contemporary take on Chicago House through releases on Mirau, Mule or Jackoff has won him accolades left and right. But his musical knowledge is not limited to four-to-the-floor bangers and you can hear shades of Hip-Hop, Soul or Dubstep in Mr. Curtis’ productions. He’s also a very solid DJ and we can’t wait to see him turn Edelweiss upside-down once again!

We’re also excited to have Quarion back with one of his great live sets. He admits himself that Edelweiss is one of his favourite spots to perform and try out new music. Having just finished producing a rather interstellar EP for Retreat, the Q-man promises a live show full of surprises…but without compromising on the bounce factor!

Last but not least, Session Victim will make sure that the party starts RIGHT with their choice of quality Disco, Funk and slo-mo House. These musical brothers are currently one of Dance Music’s hottest properties, thanks to their distinctive “Cut-up groove” sound that burns dancefloors everywhere. And it’s only the beginning!

Definitely one of the best parties you’ll stumble across this month!

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Summer Time Gone

September 14, 2010

our own little retreat in the countryside...Changdeokgung in Seoul

Well, I was beginning to enjoy slacking around with my flip-flops but now it seems like I’ve got to wear thick socks again…Bam, that’s it, summer is gone, the show is over, time to get back to work. Thankfully, the bittersweet J-pop of Mai Kuraki prepared me for this doomsday: there was no way in hell you could have missed her new single if you were in Shibuya during the last week of August…

Indeed, I was lucky to spend the last days of summer travelling between Tokyo and Seoul: seeing old friends, meeting new people, performing in front of the ocean, eating the best food on earth and just enjoying this incomparable pacific vibe…yup, it was the good life. Special shout outs to DJ Kent, Udo and Baya for the amazing moments!

Now I’m back in cold, grey and rainy Berlin…but what the hell, I love this city! It’s still bubbling with creativity and for what I’ve heard in various home-studios or work-in-progress demos, there should be some spectacular music coming out soon!

Here at Retreat HQ, we’re particularly excited about our new artist, Iron Curtis. This young man has been hammering out track after track of old-school-tainted-yet-still-contemporary House but guess what: he actually kept his most bugged-out music for your favourite vinyl-only label! Hauke and myself were blown away by his demo and we’re very looking forward to release his EP in the upcoming weeks. Expect RTR07 to hit the stores some time in October!

Speaking of stores, we’ve also decided to add more material to our webshop, including other music labels who are also following the “strictly-vinyl” philosophy. It’s the age-old “united we stand” motto but it’s particularly suited to this tough business.  So as of this month, you’ll be able to purchase the mysterious Skylevel imprint, a label that specialises in quirky edits and whose etching on the record proudly proclaims “vinyl till we die”. Our kind of people…

More news coming up shortly so stay tuned!

Retreat Label Party – Edelweiss, Berlin

August 12, 2010
September 23, 2010
12:00

After a little summer break, we’re happy to continue our residency in Edelweiss with a magical lineup that should kickstart the indoor party season!

Our special guest this month goes by the name of tomtomgroove and has been an important figure in Berlin’s underground House scene since the late 90′s. Thanks to his deep musical knowledge and faultless mixing skills, tomtomgroove has been playing in some of the city’s best clubs (Tape, Horst and Arena among others). Tom is also a talented producer who has released on Polyfon and Konsequenz while his track “Mr. Funkman” got licensed for Dinky’s “Get Lost 3″ Mix on Crosstown Rebels.

Another highlight will be Session Victim‘s first ever live set for our monthly Retreat party! From Zürich to London via Hamburg, the dynamic duo have been turning many clubs upside down with their funk-infused live performance and we’re certain that Edelweiss will be no exception. Having just finished another wicked EP for Delusions Of Grandeur aswell as a few remixes, Hauke and Mathias are bound to make big waves in the upcoming months. Take notice!

Quarion will be in charge of bringing everyone into a frenetic dancing mood, something that he intends on doing with a sweet selection of Hip-Hop, Disco, Boogie and slo-mo House. The Japan-loving Q-chan has recently produced remixes for Plak and Meakusma while his follow-up to “Dusty Fingers” is currently getting padded…

Come and join us for another great musical treat!

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Retreat Label Party – Edelweiss, Berlin

June 28, 2010
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July 29, 2010
22:00

The heat is on, but Edelweiss is about to get even hotter than Beverly Hills!

We’re honoured to have Marc Schneider headlining this month’s Retreat showdown. Coming from Hamburg, Marc has been DJing since the dawn of the nineties and went international as early as 1994. His great taste made him a fixture in underground parties and many generations of DJs and producers listened, learned and fell in love with electronic music via Marc’s sets. His dedication to the movement also led him to set up wordandsound, one of the top distributors of House and Techno. Add to that some quality releases on Metamorphic or Einmaleins and you’ll get a clear idea of Marc Schneider’s pivotal role in the electronic music scene.

Quarion has been busy working on new tunes and is looking forward to test them out live in Edelweiss! Unlike last time, his beloved ARP Axxe won’t make it to the show, due to some ongoing crackles and pops…but Quarion promised us some keyboard action anyway so let’s see which tricks the man has up his sleeves!

Last but not least, the infamous Session Victim duo will be in charge of getting this party started RIGHT. This shouldn’t be a difficult task for these international players and their sure shot selection of Disco, Funk and House grooves.

An event simply not to be missed!

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More goodies!

May 3, 2010

Our online shop was looking a bit dull these days with 40% of our releases out of stock, but since last week, we’ve got some pretty neat new items in the Retreat bodega!
First of all, we’ve finally received represses of RTR03 and RTR04, so if you’ve missed Quarion’s classic “dusty fingers” ep or Hunee’s essential “barrio payment” ep, now is the time to complete your collection!
But what we’re the most excited to reveal is our own line of selfmade turntable slipmats! Available in 4 different flavors and crafted with love by Gesine at the Retreat HQ, these DJ essentials will help you cue, spin and scratch your records … not to mention make your fellow vinyl nerds drool with envy over the classic RTR design! These are available only on the Retreat webshop … don’t sleep!

Back from down-under

January 31, 2010

As you might have noticed, I generally leave the writing to Yanneck and take care of the administrative stuff at Retreat HQ . But  I just returned to Berlin after spending three weeks in the sunshine in Sydney and felt the need to thank all my friends and music lovers down-under for looking after me.  Special thanks to:
Jimmi, Ken, Richie and Adam for the excellent Mad Shuffle Party. Chad, Nathan and Jay from Future Classic for hospitality, great times at the beach house (and forcing me on the surf board) and hooking me up with some gigs.  Sinclair and Simon Caldwell for inviting me to your radio shows.

Autumn Madness

November 21, 2009
DSCN6121bw

This was actually taken in London

It’s going to be my fourth winter here in Berlin, but I still can’t get used to the following natural phenomena: how fast the sun is setting  between 4 and 5 in the afternoon. It’s almost as if you look out the window, write some nonsense in 140 characters and when you look out again, bam, darkness crept in… Read More »

Get your goodies!

November 2, 2009
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you love it already

you love it already

Quite a busy week at Retreat HQ: first of all we’ve got Hunee‘s amazing “Barrio Payment” EP droppin’ at a record store near you, so be sure to cop that one! We’ve also got our monthly party coming up this Thursday with special guest Mark August on the 1′s and 2′s. And…we’re proud to announce that we’ve now set up our own little online shop! Yep, if your favourite wax dealer can’t get you a copy of “Treats Vol.1″ or if you live somewhere with NO record shops at all, you can order vinyl directly from us! Get more than one record and we’ll throw in one of these 100% Cotton bags that come in handy for carrying 12″s, vegetables from the market or just cruising around Prenzlauer Berg pretending you’re a fashion designer or social network developer (don’t forget the tight jeans though). Of course, you can also just order the bags if you’ve got all our records or if you think our music sucks but the design rocks…

Pop the bubbly!

October 8, 2009
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july 2009 051

Yes my people, I hope you’re well. Once again, I’ve been mad lazy with the Retreat blog…please forgive me. It’s not that I don’t like updating our site (hey, who could refuse writing uncensored nonsense once in a while?), but I DO want these posts to have a little more substance than the usual 140 Characters. Read More »