Kollektiv Turmstrasse releases new EP, YAP, on 1st July. The 3-track-release marks the first new material since 2019, presenting an ever-evolving sound that channels the legacy of the artist’s dancefloor savvy roots combined with a playful exploration of the lighter sides of house and techno.
Few producers encapsulate the full spectrum of the underground like Kollektiv Turmstrasse. 2010 debut album Rebellion der Träumer firmly planted the artist at the heart of Germany’s electronic music scene, and since then the project has been a key figure in the export of dancefloor culture around the globe.
As clubs and festivals have come back to life in 2022, the three tracks have been tried and tested in the legendary live shows, receiving explosive reactions on the dancefloor and endless requests from eager fans looking to ID the unknown and unexpected creations.
“These tracks came from a period of spending long sessions in the studio during the pandemic. I created an entire album-worth of material which had a very dark and introspective theme to it,” Nico Plagemann explains, “but getting back on the road again and seeing the reactions to these tracks allowed me to see and hear them in a different way. Now they are a bit like my diary entry to this period of time, and to the people around me”.
Kolllektiv Turmstrasse steers into unexplored sonic territory and an introspective space with this new EP. Meticulous production skills combined with a soulful joy shine through with opening track, “YAP”. The track is a celebration of the pure and euphoric feelings human beings develop for one another (“You Are Perfect”), and demands the listener shimmies, shakes and forgets the outside world. The track starts on a methodical and hypnotic trajectory until vocals, synths, snares and hi-hats fly in from all angles to create a mosaic of grooving sound. Kollektiv Turmstrasse has a knack for blending multiple genres in one track, and the R&B vocals adding an unexpected garage flavour. With “YAP”, Kollektiv Turmstrasse creates a musical alchemy, occupying that dreamy space between evolution and nostalgia.
“Terror” is a high-energy electro banger that conjures images of malfunctioning robots or a rogue Pac-Man. Using a variety of vocal styles, the track touches on themes of societal change, capitalism, inequality and power struggles. The artist wrote this track in the midst of lockdown after a decade of non-stop touring, so it champions a mixture of emotions – relief at having the space to be creative alongside a sense of yearning for the dance floor.
“I’m OK” plays with the limits and edges of house and minimal, combining 4:4 rhythms with scattered synths and sharp vocals. The track explores our tendency to create facades to cover our inner turmoil, reflected through builds and drops that add tension and texture, while giving a packed out dance floor no choice but to move.
Fresh from a series of headline shows at the likes of London’s fabric, Amsterdam’s De Marktkantine and Hamburg’s Uebel & Gefährlich, summer dates include an appearance alongside Carl Cox for his new run of events at Ibiza’s DC10, a double header at Germany’s mighty Hurricane and Southside Festivals, Amsterdam’s Loveland and a headline show for Berlin’s Watergate openair.
Kollektiv Turmstrasse’s ‘YAP EP’ drops on Not Sorry on 1st July 2022.
