BnB Review: Tresor 20th Anniversary - Mixed By Mike Huckaby

Written by Youri Jozee

The legendary Berlin label celebrates its twentieth anniversary with a compilation featuring some of the most definitive tracks from the label’s vaults…

A lot has changed in the scene since the early nineties, but Tresor Records continues to be a stronghold for techno fanatics the world over. Since its conception back in 1991, Tresor has had an tremendous influence on the evolution of (Detroit-)techno and was among the first labels to spread the techno virus across Europe. Its discography is regarded by many as being of extremely high quality, and this collection aims to provide an overview of that. Mixing it up is Tresor club resident Mike Huckaby, one of the label’s many connections from Detroit. Here we go.

One of the most interesting aspects of this compilation is that it emphasizes the evolution of the Tresor sound. Its content moves from the loud and relatively minimally structured techno tracks from the early days to the richer and more melodic sound of today, all the while guaranteeing an adventurous ride in the techno rollercoaster. Surgeon's Remnants Of What Once Was (released in 1999) and the massive DJ Rush remix of Bam Bam – Where’s Your Child mark a smash opening, after which we’re being treated to a carefully selected batch of high quality evergreens. Among the many, many highlights included here are Joey Beltram’s massively slamming Ball Park (whose siren-esque sound still sounds as sick as it did back in 1998), Bam Bam’s filthy acid belter Give It To Me (1988) and the three tracks by electro/techno legends Drexciya. Any weak aspects too, you ask? Well, the tracklist could have been more diverse (given the fact that most of the tracks are delivered by just a handful of artists), and perhaps an additional disc with even more classics would have been the icing on the cake, but other than that we’re not complaining.

Our verdict:
This 20^th anniversary compilation has become a very decent overview of two decades of a monumental imprint. It houses some of the most memorable releases to date, and none of them has lost any of its magic over the course of the years. As said before, things could have been a bit more extensive but don’t let that spoil the fun.

Rating: 8.6/10
Label: Tresor
Release date: November 7^th, 2011

Tracklist:
1. Surgeon – Remnants Of What Once Was
2. Bam Bam – Where’s Your Child - Dj Rush Remix
3. Robert Hood – Master Builder
4. Mike Huckaby – The Tresor Track
5. Cisco Ferreira – Womans Scent - Hertz Rmx
6. Cristian Vogel – Absolute Time
7. Joey Beltram – Ball Park
8. Joey Beltram – Game Form – Mike Dearborn Remix
9. Joey Beltram – Game Form – Original Mix
10. Joey Beltram – Instant
11. Bam Bam – Give It To Me
12. Bam Bam – Where's Your Child – Original Mix
13. Surgeon – Returning To The Purity Of Current
14. Jeff Mills – Late Night
15. Robert Hood – Minus
16. Robert Hood – The Core
17. Joey Beltram – Instant - Paul Johnson Remix
18. Drexciya – Devil Ray Cove
19. Drexciya – Under Sea Disturbances
20. Drexciya – Digital Tsunami
21. Robert Hood – Chase
22. Surgeon – Black Jackal Throwbacks

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