As far as techno goes, I feel that any average listener these days is a member of one of two camps: the minimal side of techno, or the darker side of techno. Cadenza tends to exemplify the former camp; rich, bubbly, organic productions that ebb and flow with the typical reserved minimal beat. Thomas Melchior, Loco Dice, Reboot, Ricardo Villalobos, etc. These productions tend to be long-winded, with no real peak or end. Even those with one find it much curtailed and subdued for the sake of atmosphere, texture, and headspace.
In the other camp, however, lies the true power of techno. Cocoon Recordings, to me, exemplifies this camp, home to ominous, brooding, visceral, variably "cold" productions. Where the warmth of Cadenza's minimal cuts fill one with awe and seek to define every space with sound and atmosphere, Cocoon looks to fill space with snarling, blisteringly unflinching techno, a much darker sound, but every bit ready for the dancefloor, much more so than Cadenza.
In short, Cadenza is the warm day, Cocoon is the cold evening.
But this doesn't mean Cocoon doesn't have something for everyone. Founded in 2000 by German DJ/producer and Ibiza mainstay Sven Vath, Cocoon has a general focus on techno, with occasional forays into tech house and minimal techno. The structure of the label itself allows for young producers to get their music out without the binds of a major label. A noble pursuit that you don't really find in the music business these days.
This leads to me to one of my favorite things about Cocoon and my first point on why you should check them out: their variety of producers and sounds varies widely, and the volume/frequency of releases will keep listeners coming back for more and even send some curious folks deep into the back catalog of this wonderful Frankfurt label. You have big names like Steve Bug, Argy, and Martin Buttrich releasing 12"s besides fairly lesser known producers such as Lucio Aquilina, David K, Egbert, and Phonogenic. I absolutely love this variety and big name next to unknown, and its a testament to the mission of Cocoon stated above. Luckily, quality is shared by most releases: anything on Cocoon is going to find itself being spun by the biggest names.
Another thing I love about Cocoon is the sound. As I said above, it's a much darker, straight-forward sound than minimal techno or Detroit techno for that matter, but the use of sound effects and the general atmosphere and mood of tracks varies, and you can bet most Cocoon productions will bring to mind such words as urgent, sinister, brooding, ominous, relentless, thundering, pulsating, and clicky. Ah, clicky. That's the final thing I'd like to point out about Cocoon. Tracks here are very "electronic" sounding: blips, clicks, whirrs, various sounds of electronic gadgetry give these songs life, albeit a very hollow, robotic one. This is true electronic music, and it unflinchingly warms to this label. Best spun at late night parties, and whenever you're feeling...rigorous.
Here are some highlighted tracks from Cocoon that I love:
+++++++++
Egbert - Groots Uitpakken
I know, the name is unpronounceable. But this is classic Cocoon. Synths writhe and snake beneath a hissing, bottomless bassline that, with the crisp, sharply produced drums, sound like its being strung over a gaping cavern, with all manner of creatures peering from inside and just waiting for the cut to make a mistake and plummet to its doom...dark, whirring washes of synth brush over the warped bassline, and at one point you even hear the voice of a girl...to bad she takes an unfortunate fall. This track breathes atmosphere, and gives immediate credence to the dark, borderline "evil" sound of Cocoon productions. Oddly enough, there's something about this cut that still sounds sensual, and in the end, this is still made for the dancefloor. Tightly produced, dynamically varied, and firmed rooted in techno.
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Phil Kieran - Wasps Under a Toy Boat
Another seizure-enducing production. Phil Kieran brings a laser-esque pad, thunderous kick, and sickly, morose synths to a heavy-handed, immoveable beat that shakes the foundation of the track and nearly beats the low-end to a bloody pulp. Uncomfortable, yes. Listenable, definitely. Danceable, absolutely. The buzzing, whirring synths wrap nicely around the bombastic kick and snare, before cutting out and starting from scratch, spiraling the same synths up that hive of abrasive, ugly bees. Whining, groaning, and sputtering until the end: a great track, and certainly a startling one at that.
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Stefan Goldmann - Yes To All
Stefan Goldmann outdoes his great Innervisions work with this masterpiece, one of my favorite Cocoon cuts of all-time. Sinister even in the melancholy old movie sounds it samples, Goldmann's "Yes To All" is a rubbery slice of techno complete with a catchy, simplistic synth riff that bubbles and bounces right along with the equally elastic bassline. Sharp, clean drums are the order of the day, as is the case with most Cocoon productions, but Goldmann's drums are especially so, meshing crisply and deftly with the synth line. Around 4:30 a dark, equally simplistic bell riff pops in, complimenting the main riff nicely, though arguably unnecessary and downplaying the main synth riff. For me, this little bell riff doesn't really add anything that the track didn't have before, and it is wisely removed a few minutes later. The track is left to bounce itself until there is no more bounce left, and it does just that. A rhythmically addicting little number that gets top marks from me.
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Martin Buttrich - Hunter
This final cut is from one of my favorites, Martin Buttrich. His Planet E stuff will always remain untouchable in my mind, but his Cocoon stuff definitely is worthy. "Hunter" kicks off with sparse drums and licks before rolling in one of the most sinister and deep basslines I have ever heard. The kick is equally forthright, and toms come in half a minute later to build a foundation for the bleeping, urgent synth riff. While not exactly memorable, this synth line fits the track well, with the entire cut giving a sense of urgency and command to the listener, as if they're a hunter themselves, searching and sneaking to find their prey. A good track that highlights the pros of Cocoon: dark, cold, and rhythmic to no end.
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Pig & Dan - Deliverance
Holy shit. How could I forget my favorite Cocoon cut of all-time? "Deliverance" is brooding and then some. A huge kick bangs things into gear, with a trickling, clicking tom in the background, with a hi-hat dropping a minute in. Soon after, a gargantuan, heaving monster of a pad comes out of the dark, clouding the entire track and breathing an evil, pulsating life into it that carries to the drop of main synth riff: a careening, thumping beast of a riff that sticks in your head. Paired with a staccato trancey-sounding harmony, the track goes nuts and plows through all other noise and sound around you. "Deliverance" is defined by command and presence, with the tempo, beat, and synths of dark techno if ever I heard it. Of all the tracks, I recommend this most and feel this most closely represents the feel and sound of a Cocoon Recordings track.
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Enjoy, folks! More Cocoon can be found on Beatport, and you can search Discogs too for a back catalog to find more great Cocoon tracks, because I can promise you there are WAAAAAY more than I outlined here. Go nuts, and once again, enjoy!
-NL
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