Aril Brikha

Originally released on Kompakt in 2007, back when Berghain was something else. This Winter EP arrived during a different era of Berlin techno - when the underground still felt properly underground, before the city became shorthand for a certain kind of clubbing.

Aril Brikha's stock rose considerably through the mid-2000s on the back of his deep, hypnotic productions. Kompakt was the natural home for this sensibility - a label that understood how to market minimal and progressive techno without ever feeling slick about it. Winter sits comfortably in that catalogue context: patient, architecturally sound, with the kind of restraint that rewards repeated listening.

At 45 RPM, this 12" demands to be played properly. The productions unfold with space and intention, the kind of record that works in the right room at the right moment, not the kind that announces itself immediately. If you remember this era fondly, or you're curious about what Berlin's underground actually sounded like before the postcards, this is the artifact.