VARIOUS ARTISTS

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Techno in 2018 and Cocoon Recordings in 2018: What on earth is left when everything has already been said, done, produced, sampled and triggered, then revisited and re-imagined once again for good measure – and all that, knowing full well the wheel can't actually be reinvented... but hang on a second, isn't that exactly the point? Isn't that the real core of this music? It just keeps on turning like a great, infinite wheel!

The revolution in sound, that magical moment at the very beginning is now, admittedly, a distant memory. To this day however, the origins of the movement reappear time and again as stylistic features in current productions. The uncompromising, distorted rhythms of Detroit, the euphoria of UK Acid House and the subsequent “Second Summer of Love“ or the magical "Bring Down The Walls" vibe of Germany’s post-reunification years which still shapes the Berlin scene today, not forgetting of course, the Hessian excess of the Techno-freaks from Frankfurt.... all this has very little to do with contemporary Techno. The meaningful element of this music, the true core of quality techno lies in itself, not in what once was or where it came from. That's exactly why this music still works, even for those who have been on the bus from day one.

In the meantime, the wheel has turned so far that every conceivable genre has been defined and then packed full of memorable moments. Techno, Minimal, House, Tech House, Deep House, Electro, EDM, Acid etc, etc, etc. Names, styles, references... it’s all smoke and mirrors. Yes, they certainly help us to categorise a track on first listening, but it’s listening to the music, dancing to it and simply letting it be that’s by far the most important thing. Society as a reflection of cultural development shows us where persistent labelling can lead. Left, right, up, down, all this ultimately leads us to lose sight of what’s really important. Music and dancing connect people, overcome language barriers, skin colours and national borders and we have to start looking at our music in this light. Almost 30 years after the Second Summer Of Love, it's time to classify our music not by origin and category, but by the feelings it triggers and how it works.

Which brings us to Cocoon Recordings and above all to Cocoon Head Sven Väth, who demands exactly this from himself and "his" music. Few other DJs embody the ability to "think outside the box" like Frankfurt’s honorary citizen, whether he’s dropping Sade’s version of "Why Can't We Live Together" to close out the night or ushering in Monday morning with the Bangles’ "Just Another Manic Monday". Of course Sven and Cocoon are also synonymous with Techno, nevertheless we should look back over the last few years of Cocoon Recordings with great pride and recognise that strict style guidelines and exaggerated pigeonholing no longer apply. It’s especially true for the compilation series, which having now reached the letter R(ecordings), impressively shows the arc the Frankfurt label’s output continues to span. From soft and melodic with a lot of depth to highly functional and extremely crisp – there’s a creative range on offer that very few labels can boast.

"I listen to and play everything that I like and that touches me. I always pack a genre-spanning record bag, I’m particularly interested in those special tracks - that's exactly how my vision of Cocoon Recordings is about!" (Sven Väth)

The current compilation "R" not only continues this idea, it is a prime example of the label’s philosophy. The illustrious circle of artists on the latest compilation is peppered with such prominent names as Isoleé, Lusine, Pig&Dan, Inigo Kennedy, Ambivalent & Alden Tyrell, ROD and Mano Le Tough. Label representative and Frankfurt original Ingo Boss is once again on board and with contributions from International Anything, John Heckle, Cristi Cons and Eduardo De La Calle, promising new faces from further afield are also represented. Of course, all this doesn’t say much about the actual content, but that's exactly what it's about. Known vs. unknown, origins, discography etc, it’s not important on this LP-Box. Cocoon Recordings delivers what the label stands for and what it does best: promoting new artists, bringing celebrity names on board and above all, not building any musical walls either on or off the dancefloor. With releases like this, it’s clear to us that the journey is ongoing and the wheel will continue to spin. All we have to do is join in and stop trying to label everything we don't know and put it in a box. Our music isn't new anymore, but it remains great and has the energy to connect us, no matter what category or subcategory it belongs to.

That’s enough talk for now... "Go out and start dancing!" (Franz Beckenbauer)