2006 and I’m sat in Crosstown Rebels HQ working as a label assistant. When I say HQ, I mean a house in Dalston (London) that doesn’t get-going until 10am and serves as a party house well into the early hours. My stay with Crosstown Rebels was short-lived, and back then the label consisted of just a few of us; head honcho Damian Lazarus (who has since taken the label into the techno-stratosphere) and Label Manager Matthew Styles (a successful producer in his own right) between them, putting out a unique blend of minimal-induced-techno unconstrained by a specific genre boundary.
One of the releases I remember from my time with Crosstown Rebels, was a track by Minilogue called Hitchhikers Choice. Not only was it a defining minimal-techno track, but it featured an amazing accompanying video – one that led to many more in the same style. Similarly, the music led me to even more; it opened-up my world to Traum Schallplatten. My favourite techno label was home to Minilogue’s previously released Certain Things, several other EP’s in the forthcoming years and ultimately Animals; Minilogue’s first album featuring an ambient disc alongside the quirky-minimal techno we all came to love.
A few years later, and Sebastian Mullaert, begins to peel off from his Minilogue partner-in-crime, Marcus Henriksson to create music in his own realm. The brilliant Mule Electronic becomes his home for several EP’s and eventually his latest album alongside Eitan Reiter,Reflections of Nothingness. This album has been on repeat for me recently; ambient and experimental; rooted in Sebastian’s techno roots and paying due diligence to the detailed live approach that went into its production.
It’s a story that spans nearly ten years, revolving around an artist I’ve followed since I first stepped into the music industry. Needless to say, this is very special isolatedmix for me, and another moment to help me reflect on an amazing journey over the years that’s led me to experience literally thousands of new artists and productions. From Minilogue’s own music, to the discovery of labels such as Traum Schallplatten and Mule Musiq, to Sebastian’s efforts today with Eitan Reiter.
As for what’s next for Sebastian, it doesn’t hold up. An EP on Traum was just released, called Direct Experience, another Sebastian Mullaert EP will be released on Joris Voorn’s label Green in May, and a new Wa Wu We EP will be released in the summer. A new solo album is on the horizon as well as a bunch of remixes for Jurek Przezdziecki, Leo Anibaldi, Malbetrieb and Bluetech. And later this year, a live/DJ album with Ulf Eriksson who runs the Kontra Musik label.
The mix? Well. Where do I start. It’s a DJ mix at heart. It’s over two-hours long and pretty much puts an arrow through the heart of everything Sebastian stands for and has going on. Immersive ambient, minimal and deep techno, percussive elements and an over-riding sense of evolution. In the spirit of Sebastian’s trippy Animals, we’ll see you down the rabbit-hole.
“As most of us do, I love a wide range of musical expressions and energies and since music is they way I mostly express my creativity I also like to play with all forms of music. My DJ mixes over the last couple of years have been mostly aimed at dancing, but this time I’ve mixed music in a more alternative way; both ambient music but also slower dance music … enjoy the journey” – Sebastian Mullaert / Bali, February 2015.
Download.
