People say Berlin and for many walls and sausages spring to mind. However for a growing number of people Berlin means techno and Berghain. The hedonistic club has become synonymous with European clubbing, which has seen people travelling from far and wide to be turned away at the door by its mysterious and sporadic door policy. This adds to the mystic and allure of the place where cameras are forbidden and various urban myths have perpetuated their way through clubbing knitting circles. One thing that isn’t a mystery is the Berghain sound, devised by its two residents Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock. The dark and subtly punishing sounds of Berghain have become legendary through the magical club but also further afield via the record label Ostgut Ton. It’s on this label where the Berghain mix series has been running for the last five years. The critically acclaimed Berghain 02 was mixed by the club’s first son Dettmann, which really brought the sound to the masses. Two years on and the fourth instalment falls to the club’s second son – Klock. But in a world where the Berghain sound is admired, adored and imitated, how much of an impact can Klock’s mix make?

Whilst we’re comfortable with the “sound” it’s Klock’s impeccable track selection and mixing that has the impact to wipe entire species off a planet, highlighting him as a true grandmaster in his field. He mixes on a tight rope of precision rhythm where a mechanical pace is set from the very beginning. Around this Klock structures incredibly smooth and subtle transitions which never really register consciously yet subconsciously it brings absolute audio delight to your ears. Early on in the mix we hear this subtle finesse. The way the Gothic organs of DVS1’s Pressure just simply whittle away leaving behind the muted tribal kick drums of Dettmann’s reworking of Junior Boy’s Work, letting that breath before populating the minimalistic soundscape with Martyn’s mechanical clunking beats and gritty warping bassline on Mini Luv. It’s so simple and hugely understated, yet it provides such hypnotic appeal.

He uses this smoothness and hypnotism to neutralise the sting of the middle and latter sections of the mix made up of fierce techno sounds from the likes of Mikhail Breen’s Veracity, DVS1’s Confused, Rolando’s De Cago or Ruskin’s Graphic. Instead of being brash and in your face with relentless sounds, the smooth progression makes each track seem like a logical or natural step in intensity, culminating with the tumbling kick drums of Kevin Gorman’s 7AM Stepper. It’s a classic Klock trait making often ferocious sounds more palatable, and in doing so he is able to slot in more melodic and softer tracks such as the twinkling Loop 04 from STL or his own Elfin Flight; even the classic Chicago house of Tyree’s Nuthin Wrong seems to fit in with undisputed relevance.

Klock has not only hit the mark with this CD, he’s bludgeoned it into a smear that will be there for years. His understated mixing knits together that “Berghain” sound with such precision and class whereby he’s able to deliver intense techno in a way that’s inquisitive and addictive without even giving you a chance to turn your nose up at it. This makes Klock a master of his craft.

Buy Ben Klock – Berghain 04 from Amazon (CD), Play.com (CD ), HMV (CD)

Tracklist:
1. 154 – Apricot
2. DVS1 – Pressure
3. Junior Boys – Work – Marcel Dettmann Remix
4. Martyn – Miniluv
5. STL – Loop 04
6. Levon Vincent – The Long Life
7. Jonas Kopp – Michigan Lake
8. ACT – RoHd
9. Mikhail Breen – Veracity
10. DVS1 – Confused
11. Rolando – De Cago
12. Kevin Gorman – 7am Stepper
13. Ben Klock – Compression Session 1
14. Roman Lindau – Keppra
15. Tyree – Nuthin Wrong
16. The Echologist – Dirt – Ben Klock Edit
17. James Ruskin – Graphic
18. Ben Klock feat. Elif Biçer – Elfin Flight
19. Rolando – Junie