|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12"
|
|
TRESOR 320EP
|
2023 repress. Dave Sumner returns with a new Function record, entitled Awakening From The Illusory Self. Released as a 12" EP on Tresor Records, it follows on from Existenz (TRESOR 315CD/LP), his last full-length album released in November 2019. Packed in a beautiful sleeve printed with three special neon colors, the EP kicks off with the fast techno of "Misinterpretations Of Reality", it features a minimal acid-infected crescendo and throbbing pulse. As ever with Function, this idiosyncratic rhythmic work finds a place out on a limb from contemporaries, shapeshifting impulses that infer and guide this raw drum sound. The second track "An Optical Illusion Of Consciousness", Function moves towards a different direction, bringing more elements to the mix. It recalls the Dutch '90s techno sound with its melodic blurred synth leanings stretching and morphing across saturated, playful drums and hefty low-end movement. Its bind is perfectly weighted, a phenomenal track that nurtures its inner dancefloor soul as melodies fade away and tighter patterns take precedence. "Spiritually Unconscious" points to all the trademarks of Function's celebrated sound. A smooth 909 groove underpins bubbling atmospheres and hallucinatory effects, and a nod to the Motor City vision with its fleeting synth strings. At the core is potent, repetitive simplicity, its beat playing with weight and dynamics but never at risk of being lost. Closing track "Compulsive Thinking: Repetitive and Pointless" kicks a juddering swagger, finding public addressed system emissions drenched in reverb resonating above bleak analogic synth drones. It haunts and creeps towards a thunderous apex, finding its depth in sparse drum movements. An enduring fixture in the techno and electronic music landscape, Sumner continues to step through new terrains, reinforcing his spike and vision. Awakening From The Illusory Self finds him as ever delivering the goods in elating moments of pure club heft. Includes download code.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2CD
|
|
TRESOR 315CD
|
Function's long career has seen him uncover a vast range of sonic identities, a mainstay through house, techno and industrial with collaborations with the likes of Regis, Damon Wild, alongside his highly influential Infrastructure imprint. With influences deeply tied to pop art, rave, and gay scenes, and early memories of block-parties emitting Kraftwerk and Strafe, he found himself seeking out the undercover illegal nights of the '90s on a quest of sexual unearthing, mixing the ever-yearning escapology mission of disco with the influential DJ sets of Jeff Mills. For his new album Existenz, he marks a clear step away from the corporeal techno of his recent releases. Pivoting around themes of religion, sexuality, trauma, and healing, it is a work expansive and celebratory, a clear liberation from a deeply internalized past. Formed from a collection of recordings made in a period from late 2016 to mid-2019, Existenz takes the form of a creative outburst in reaction to a number of traumas. Life partner Stefanie Parnow assisted the production process in its entirety, providing inspiration, spiritual healing, and featuring vocal contributions. Cosmic synths soar and swoop in "Pleasure Discipline" through towering stacks of rhythm that stutter and creak to a halt before rebooting, a firm robotic response to human intervention. "Zahlensender" reflects a spatial Tetris of urban life, as digitalization set within an XYZ matrix confronts the sprawling city. "The Approach" recalls the unification of the self, a state of delirium non-subjective and smooth, as all connections and functions give way to simple intensities of feeling, crossing the threshold into spirituality. "Golden Dawn", featuring Stefanie Parnow, marks a further elevation of dubbed-out euphoria. His ode to the effortless short-trip urban navigation "Kurzstrecke" finds Function in motion, upfront, and bold, snapshots of conversation and flickers of light. "Ertrinken" finds metallic bass jabs swamping snipped synthetic voices, with hidden stores of emotion set as a nod to the history of vocoders as a tool for encrypted military communication. House icon Robert Owens features on "Growth Cycle" and "Be", entrenching a celebratory atmosphere over Function's clubwise leanings. "Downtown 161" reflects the unmistakable filtered and squashed interjections of television, and sampled dance vocals -- a sound for the curious, dreamers and dancers. With Existenz, Function reveals an essential body of work -- thought experiments on the role of identity and spirituality after a lifetime of upheaval and trauma. Double-CD version includes a 12-page booklet.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
4LP
|
|
TRESOR 315LP
|
Four LP version. Gatefold sleeve; includes six-page insert, an engraved side, and download code. Function's long career has seen him uncover a vast range of sonic identities, a mainstay through house, techno and industrial with collaborations with the likes of Regis, Damon Wild, alongside his highly influential Infrastructure imprint. With influences deeply tied to pop art, rave, and gay scenes, and early memories of block-parties emitting Kraftwerk and Strafe, he found himself seeking out the undercover illegal nights of the '90s on a quest of sexual unearthing, mixing the ever-yearning escapology mission of disco with the influential DJ sets of Jeff Mills. For his new album Existenz, he marks a clear step away from the corporeal techno of his recent releases. Pivoting around themes of religion, sexuality, trauma, and healing, it is a work expansive and celebratory, a clear liberation from a deeply internalized past. Formed from a collection of recordings made in a period from late 2016 to mid-2019, Existenz takes the form of a creative outburst in reaction to a number of traumas. Life partner Stefanie Parnow assisted the production process in its entirety, providing inspiration, spiritual healing, and featuring vocal contributions. Cosmic synths soar and swoop in "Pleasure Discipline" through towering stacks of rhythm that stutter and creak to a halt before rebooting, a firm robotic response to human intervention. "Zahlensender" reflects a spatial Tetris of urban life, as digitalization set within an XYZ matrix confronts the sprawling city. "The Approach" recalls the unification of the self, a state of delirium non-subjective and smooth, as all connections and functions give way to simple intensities of feeling, crossing the threshold into spirituality. "Golden Dawn", featuring Stefanie Parnow, marks a further elevation of dubbed-out euphoria. His ode to the effortless short-trip urban navigation "Kurzstrecke" finds Function in motion, upfront, and bold, snapshots of conversation and flickers of light. "Ertrinken" finds metallic bass jabs swamping snipped synthetic voices, with hidden stores of emotion set as a nod to the history of vocoders as a tool for encrypted military communication. House icon Robert Owens features on "Growth Cycle" and "Be", entrenching a celebratory atmosphere over Function's clubwise leanings. "Downtown 161" reflects the unmistakable filtered and squashed interjections of television, and sampled dance vocals -- a sound for the curious, dreamers and dancers. With Existenz, Function reveals an essential body of work -- thought experiments on the role of identity and spirituality after a lifetime of upheaval and trauma.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
INF 017EP
|
The third in a series of classic Function productions, appearing in advance of Function | Recompiled: Various Works & Pseudonyms 1995-2012, Infrastructure New York's 2CD compilation of 28 tracks from the past two decades of David Sumner's work. This installment includes "Montage" remastered in its full glory -- an eight-minute composition built on broken beats, dense atmospheres, and expertly-timed crescendos. Also on the A-side is "Isolate," a textural incidental piece originally found on INF 005, Reinforced. The B-side looks to the Sandwell District era, with a previously-unreleased version of "Immolare" followed by the power-music production of "Descending."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
INF 016EP
|
Eighteen years after David Sumner's Function inception, Infrastructure continues its reissue series of classic Function productions, leading towards a double CD package entitled Function | Recompiled: Various Works & Pseudonyms, 1995-2012, due for release in November 2014. Both "F3" and "F4" are lifted from the F(Q): Function of Bandwidth EP, while "Shift F1," originally a shorter live session included on the F(C): Function of a Constant EP, has been edited and extended by label co-partner Ed Davenport aka Inland.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2x12"
|
|
OSTGUT 073EP
|
After Function's epic debut album "Incubation" (OSTGUT 024CD/012LP), Ostgut Ton issues four remixes by Rrose, Vatican Shadow, Recondite and NSI. Like the album, the remixes transcend club concepts of electronic music and techno as they unravel in surrounding territories. Rrose's remix of "Against the Wall" picks up the hypnotic acid of the original and spins it into manic depths. Vatican Shadow hones in on the fragile beauty in "Psychic Warfare," and Recondite's remix of "Incubation (Ritual)" achieves a stunning grip with minimal texture, killer synth line and bass. NSI create a dark, brooding version of "Inter" that seems to close the circle between the then and now in living electronic music.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
OSTGUT 063EP
|
Sandwell District's David Sumner aka Function, announces his first 12'' on Ostgut Ton. Opening with the mood-setting "Gradient (Intro)," with its spatial ambience and sci-fi dramatics, we are launched into the earthy, modulating "Gradient I." "Gradient II" snakes its way through a filtering sequence, building on strong foundations. "Incubation (Prologue)," brings this bold EP to a conclusion, its pulsing acid bass and foreboding strings offering a suggestion of what might lie ahead.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2x12"
|
|
OSTGUT 012LP
|
2015 repress; 2x12" version. An original electronic disciple hailing from New York, Sandwell District's David Sumner aka Function presents his debut album Incubation on Ostgut Ton. Like the soundtrack to a suspenseful techno-thriller, or retro-futurist sci-fi tale, it's a modern sound journey heavy on imagery. Over nine tracks we are guided through the varying moods and scenes of Function's musical temperament. Be it through writhing layered club tracks, soaring string-led atmospheres, or melodic pieces founded on classic electronic traditions, Incubation marks a new level of maturity for the Berlin-based producer. What begins as a lush and blossoming lesson in ambient synth arrangements, with the beautiful arpeggios and waveforms of "Voiceprint," quickly drops off the apex and into the depths of Function's filtering acid world as "Against the Wall" unfolds. This metallic, acidic concept is explored further too, in the final moments of the album with the chilling "Psychic Warfare." A spiraling, organic surge of warm synth tones and other-worldly arpeggios unravels itself in "Counterpoint," acting as an early bridge between some of the drum-led studies that follow. And thus, the pressure increases. "Modifier" presents itself with tight, snaking drum patterns and tense, late '90s kinetic warehouse energy. Opening a path into an alternate, yet not-too distant dimension then, "Incubation (Ritual)" takes form; its haunting and graceful waves of synths continue the sci-fi theme, while the tough modulating bass undercurrent reminds us of Function's big-room techno appeal. The final moments of "Incubation (Ritual)" glide effortlessly into the album version of "Inter," where ethereal melodies and snippets of spoken word surround a classic IDM-deep-house core. "Voiceprint" returns as a (Reprise) version, in what could become the crossover club track of the year. Coming on like a classic R&S or Soma release circa '95, the undulating synths are now caught in a rapturous groove, urged on by a perfect 909 drum pattern. "Psychic Warfare" brings the voyage to a close, its overlapping, ebbing metallic acid tones inducing equal measures of tension and elation. In the CD version of the album, "Gradient I" concludes the voyage. Earthy, modulating bass and 808 patterns merge as a cyclic, audio resolution occurs. In the final mixing stages of the album, Function brought the material to cult engineer and producer Tobias Freund (NSI). Incubation is a bold and powerful album from one of modern techno's key players. Inclined to hold back, rather than release too much, Function has let his sound develop and mature, fusing analog synths and drums with modern production techniques to create something unique and timeless.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
OSTGUT 024CD
|
An original electronic disciple hailing from New York, Sandwell District's David Sumner aka Function presents his debut album Incubation on Ostgut Ton. Like the soundtrack to a suspenseful techno-thriller, or retro-futurist sci-fi tale, it's a modern sound journey heavy on imagery. Over nine tracks we are guided through the varying moods and scenes of Function's musical temperament. Be it through writhing layered club tracks, soaring string-led atmospheres, or melodic pieces founded on classic electronic traditions, Incubation marks a new level of maturity for the Berlin-based producer. What begins as a lush and blossoming lesson in ambient synth arrangements, with the beautiful arpeggios and waveforms of "Voiceprint," quickly drops off the apex and into the depths of Function's filtering acid world as "Against the Wall" unfolds. This metallic, acidic concept is explored further too, in the final moments of the album with the chilling "Psychic Warfare." A spiraling, organic surge of warm synth tones and other-worldly arpeggios unravels itself in "Counterpoint," acting as an early bridge between some of the drum-led studies that follow. And thus, the pressure increases. "Modifier" presents itself with tight, snaking drum patterns and tense, late '90s kinetic warehouse energy. Opening a path into an alternate, yet not-too distant dimension then, "Incubation (Ritual)" takes form; its haunting and graceful waves of synths continue the sci-fi theme, while the tough modulating bass undercurrent reminds us of Function's big-room techno appeal. The final moments of "Incubation (Ritual)" glide effortlessly into the album version of "Inter," where ethereal melodies and snippets of spoken word surround a classic IDM-deep-house core. "Voiceprint" returns as a (Reprise) version, in what could become the crossover club track of the year. Coming on like a classic R&S or Soma release circa '95, the undulating synths are now caught in a rapturous groove, urged on by a perfect 909 drum pattern. "Psychic Warfare" brings the voyage to a close, its overlapping, ebbing metallic acid tones inducing equal measures of tension and elation. In the CD version of the album, "Gradient I" concludes the voyage. Earthy, modulating bass and 808 patterns merge as a cyclic, audio resolution occurs. In the final mixing stages of the album, Function brought the material to cult engineer and producer Tobias Freund (NSI). Incubation is a bold and powerful album from one of modern techno's key players. Inclined to hold back, rather than release too much, Function has let his sound develop and mature, fusing analog synths and drums with modern production techniques to create something unique and timeless.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
12"
|
|
ECHOCOL 020EP
|
Echocord Colour presents an EP by Function aka Dave Sumner from Sandwell District. One of techno's true underground heroes, Function (Dave Sumner) has been DJing and making music for over 15 years. "Obsessed" is a super-powerful, floating track for the dancefloor, a typical Function production. Also includes remixes from Substance and SCB aka Scuba -- both peak-time tracks. On blue vinyl.
|
|
|
|