Housemeister is a Berlin staple- a career DJ and producer whose works always reflect the city itself- and his “STAND UP!” EP brings us the blueprint for 2018 in the techno capital. The 5 course menu presented here with “STAND UP!” brings elements of Dance Mania, EBM, dizzying 90’s techno and hot tape lo-fi minimalism that alone seem deceptively different, but as a whole create a darkly harmonious flavour for the season.

Deftly edited by Boys Noize, title track “STAND UP” finds firm footing in Detroit and Chicago from which it winds, shifts, builds and surprises, trading the repetitiveness of its influences for an evolving 6 minutes of club weaponry. “BØDYMVS1K” has Housemeister dropping a tough as nails, EBM arpeggio-led stomper to the mix– the only track lacking the percussive groove found on the rest of the EP, but also marking a certain energetic peak.

The remainder of the EP takes us to the later hours, and is also where Housemeister’s drum sequencing really shines. “Anark” departs into delirious, cavernous, and maddening techno, while “TAKE1BAB3” is a minimal lock-groove built around a hypnotizing and haunting vocal sample. The Dance Mania returns with the closer, “Come Back,” which also serves as a synthesis of the EP’s wider vision. Three minutes in, a single synth and some open hats lift the track to unanticipated dancefloor heights– the night, apparently, is far from over. This is Housemeister’s Berlin, after all.