DE:BUG #133 – June 2009
Groove #119 – June 2009
Session Victim – Out on Love – RTR02
Welcome to the 2nd chapter of the RETREAT saga!
Contribute was just a teaser for Session Victim so with Out On Love, Hauke Freer and Matthias Reiling show their true potential through three tracks of undiluted funkiness. Continue reading “Session Victim – Out on Love – RTR02”
Inside the groove part 1: Test Pressings
It’s not always fun and games to run a brand new vinyl label: bills to pay, stress from the pressing plant, release sheets to prepare (I mean, sometimes you’re just not inspired to write about music, right?), Computer DJs nagging for promos…
But there’s one special event that always make the Retreaters überhappy (my german teacher says “über” is the new “awesome” in American schools, I somehow doubt her): the delivery of Test Pressings! The DHL box that gets carried 4 stairs (the employees love us) to the Retreat HQ is always treated like a gift from the gods…
The fun part doesn’t stop there since we (I mean Hauke) then spend a whole afternoon stamping our T.P.’s with an infamous R and print info sheets that will slide between the record and it’s paper sleeve, just like the old days.
This week, we received promos of RTR02 (a super fresh EP by Session Victim) and 45 lucky DJs/Music Lovers/Bookers/Friends will get a nice shining copy. But before the records are posted or given hand to hand, it looks a bit like this at Retreat HQ:
2 weeks in the life of Retreat
Yes. That’s it. Now it’s official. After numerous months of gestation the first release of RETREAT hit the vinyl shops worldwide! It was a lot of work for Hauke and I (especially for Hauke because he’s more the computer nerd…plus I can be a lazy mofo sometimes), but of course it was all worth it! The vinyl smells good, Gesine’s artwork looks extra tight, the sleeves are solid and most importantly the tracks sound HEAVY, thanks to the scientists at Dubplates & Mastering.
We threw a release party on the 10th of April at the marvellous Tape club in Berlin. Playing live for the first time in Berlin, Session Victim absolutely rocked the place! It was honestly the highlight of the night. Agnès performed a bouncy DJ set and I had a great time doing the warm-up, but Hauke & Mathias got the whole crowd going crazy and the industry headz at the bar taking notice…Yes, Session Victim are set to do damage this year!
It also looks like Retreat will start a monthly party in Kreuzberg best kept’s secret location…I organised a marvellous party last thursday with Tokyo’s finest DJ Kent and sonic grandmaster Hunee. The vibe was so warm and friendly that Hauke and I have decided to turn the spot into Retreat’s HQ for some monthly madness…more infos to come very, very soon!
Reviews of RTR01
Treats Vol.1 by Quarion/ Session Victim got reviewed by the two most important German music magazines:
Groove #118:
De:bug #131:
Quarion/Session Victim – Treats Vol. I – RTR01
Is there a better way to introduce a label than by releasing 2 exclusive tracks from its founders? Quarion and Session Victim (featuring Hauke Freer and Matthias Reiling) show what RETREAT stands for with this pancake-hot split EP!
A Night At the Zukunft was inspired by the marvellous club in Zurich and has been a standout during Quarion’s live sets in the last months: shakers and dubby stabs introduces the track that gets later anchored by a tuff beat. You’re already hooked on the floor when the sub bass drops and you’d be happy if the track stays that way… but wait! Rising from the background, Detroitish chords respond to the initial pads and before you know it, you find yourself screaming as the track breakdowns with THAT vocal sample! And since we’re all about the fine things in life here at RETREAT, the A-side ends with a bonus in the form of Zukunft Beats …
As you flip the record and the needle hits the first bars of Contribute, you instantly know you’re listening to a floorfiller: the funky guitar and flipping hi-hats make up an exciting intro that leads to a perfect disco loop, featuring counterbeat rhodes chords and a drunken triangle! The groove is just infectious and could convert any non-believer to the power of the ONE (as in the Godfather Of Soul’s meaning of the word). Staying on the JB tip, Contribute then breaks down to the sweetest of bridges, with analog synths and all, before resolving back to the main pattern with a vengeance. Irresistible!
A1 – Quarion – A night at the zukunft
A2 – Quarion – Bonus beats
B1 – Session Victim – Contribute
Release: April 15th 2009