B is for Ben Klock

B is for Ben Klock.

When one thinks of techno, a few things come to mind. Probably "dunce-a-dunce-a-dunce-a-dunce-a" And that's all well and good, but, with Ben Klock, this kind of is the case. Ben Klock, of Berghain and BPitch Control fame, as well as recent releases for Ostgut Tontrager, specializes in a techno similar to that of Marcel Dettmann: skeletal, cathartic, and visceral to no end. Gritty low-ends, ominous synths, and propulsive, chugging drums highlight most Klock tracks, especially those off his stellar debut album, One, on Ostgut Ton.



"Underneath" pins an eeriely deep horn sample underneath (ahhh?? :D ) rippling, simplistic drums, a horror-esque pad screaming and yawning over the mid and low-end. A viscous thump of a heartbeat barrels in and further drives the track, easing itself onto the accelerator, followed by shuffling, spastic brushes and what sounds like a computer disk drive hiccuping every millisecond. A minimal groove with an eerie, otherworldly quality to it, as most highlighted by the peculiar synth riff that pops up every once in a while on the cut. Classic Ben Klock.




"Check for Pulse" is more straightforward techno for Klock. Hi hats and that menacing kick start off the proceedings, with a dirty, shuttering ping-pong of a synth layering itself underneath, almost pulsating sporadically with the beat. The track whines and groans as if its buckling under the weight of its own sound, threatening to splinter and shatter into a million fragments at any one time, building tension and never letting the listener go. Just like a good Hitchcock movie, though, the tension NEVER slackens, and the groove manifests itself into a snarling, sputtering, clicking monster of a minimal track.





I of course saved the best for last. "Coney Island" starts off with a ghostly, echoing bell synth that glides and floats in suspended animation for a spell, the waves of the shore brushing lightly against it. Disembodied voices whisper and groan under it all, before the main synth riff enters, an urgent, sinister riff that disappears as quickly as it appears. The majestic organ-like bell synth ebbs and flows with the synth line, and subsequently a skeletal, wiry guitar line creeps in, and the kick drops. This is what techno should sound like. Swift, powerful flourishes of sound rise and fall, growing larger still with no end in sight, before the hi-hats and snare enter, and the rhythm full on snags you refusing to let go no matter how scared and nervous you are! Driving, unbridled, and simply hypnotic, this is not only of Ben Klock's best, but it's all one of my favorite techno cuts of all-time.

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Klock is an expert at the maximal side of minimal; doing a lot with not much at all, focusing on dynamics over sheer volume. And it works to wondrous effect. You can check out more of "One" on YouTube, Beatport, or just buy the album from iTunes, Amazon, or Beatport. You won't be disappointed. Next up, the letter....C.

-NL