'Auferstanden Aus Ruinen' The Techno Sound of Berlin

In 1992 one of the greatest compilations of EDM was released through NovaMute. The album in question was 'The Techno Sound of Berlin', a showcase for the Berlin club Tresor. Although Tresor's modern incarnation is perhaps the most commercial of Berlin's current 'Club Mile' in the early 1990s (after the close of the seminal UFO club) it was undoubtedly the epicenter of the city's clubbing heartland.

Tresor's first home was the vault of a former department store called 'Wertheim' which had initially been constructed in 1896. The building on Leipziger Platz was badly damaged during the Second World War and during the latter half of the Twentieth Century fell into deep decline - a matter not helped by its unenviable location in the no-mans land between East and West Germany. The fall of the Berlin Wall on October 3 1990 breathed new life into the building and the surrounding area as the creative youths of the West - many of whom were driven to Berlin in a bid to avoid conscription and/or enjoy the city's burgeoning creative scene - met their Eastern or 'Ossie' counterparts.

The youthful exuberance of the now reunited Berlin was expressed through marathon sessions under the streets of Mitte which saw Detroit luminaries such as Eddie 'Flashin' Fowlkes and Jeff Mills play to packed dancefloors. The essence of these parties was first captured in 1991 with the release of X101 - a self titled project from Mad Mike Banks, Jeff Mills and Rob Hood a.k.a. Underground Resistance: perhaps the most important techno act of all time. Despite being an established record company as well as club Tresor's first release came through NoveMute - a subsidiary of Mute. Given the limit scope of Tresor's operations at this point it is understandable that a larger distributor was employed.

Outside of Germany the record was titled 'Tresor 01: The Techno Sound of Berlin' but the domestic release was given the title 'Auferstanden Aus Ruinen'. Although this is the title of the GDR's national anthem its translation 'Risen from Ruins' seems quite apt. As a city Berlin was facing an uncertain but optimistic future while as a club Tresor had quite literally been built from rubble. This sense of optimism, joy and indeed hedonism comes across clearly though tracks like System 01's 'Drugs Work' and especially the 'Long Hot Summer' remix of Microglobe's 'High on Hope'. While the former is a dark, cosmic and extremely druggy work out in primitive groove the latter is an all out piano rave anthem - fans of Shed's Head High alias take note, without this track 'Its a Love Thing' just wouldn't exist. Although many of the tracks emphasis on booming kicks and synth stabs can seem primitive their importance to the progress of Berlin's techno scene is unquestionable and just as importantly they stand the test of time for listenability both at home and in the club. Given the speed of change in electronic music this is an impressive feat and one which should be celebrated.