Erster Aufschlag

As the defacto clubhouse for Berlin's experimental electronic music scene, WMF nightclub became synonymous for ultra-hip elektro with a "k." And while the venue closed its doors in early 2002, its spirit lives on in the vinyl and CD releases of WMFRec. Mitte Karaoke's debut album is a well-executed collection of diverse, yet equally relevant dance music styles that found themselves in the sonic stew of WMF. "Begleitautomat" and "Tiebreak" offer up an ever-changing collage of fractured beats and noises in the alchemist tradition of Autechre, as well as German contemporaries Funckarma. The duo also strut their German lineage on Europop songs like "Robotertanz" and "Pandabär," complete with deadpan German vocals and retro-synthesizer melodies. But far from being xenophobic, Mitte Karaoke incorporate elements of American house music, most notably on "Suktinis," a post-disco jam that takes the smooth beats founded by proto-house pioneer Bobby Konders and popularized by Metro Area, and adds a layer of machine play to the mix. That extra layer is what came to define the WMF sound. It's a knack for taking seemingly difficult sonic gremlins and shaping them into playful electronic friends. ~ Joshua Glazer|