played by martin haberland, james ornate, james what, agnostic rhythm, anna wall, lance desardi, kammerton
following the release of their debut lp, keep up appearances on their new label modelmaker, dan berkson and james what draft in frank & tony, dana ruh, dorisburg and alan doe for remixes. berkson & what have chalked up many releases on poker flat and crosstown rebels over the years whilst most recently turning heads outside of their own modelmaker imprint via singles for dogmatik and seth troxler s play it say it. the duo s lp, released in january, marked a new chapter in their production history and has seen support from josh wink, mr g and skream over the past few months. keep up appearances - remixes opens with anthony collins and francis harris superb frank & tony alias taking on seraphim which results in a tense but understated piece of layered, classic sounding house music while dana ruh, fresh from her excellent debut lp on underground quality last year, drops an eerie recreation of worship that draws on spacey synths and unsettling ambience. dorisburg, known for outstanding material on sweden s aniara amongst others, continues a sterling run of form with a rendition of feel free which employs soaring chords to fashion a luscious and elevating take on the original. rounding off the package is berlin producer alan doe, an artist who debuted on rue de plaisance in 2014. doe s worship remix is squarely dancefloor-aimed with punchy kicks, smokey effects and teasing keys

opening up with the deep space atmospherics of quiet life the album immediately transports you to another world. the title track is then a melodically lush and uplifting affair with curious synth patterns ebbing and flowing beneath crisp percussion. tracks like we search for answers combine organic, wooden textures with more synthetic and trippy synth sounds that are as far away from your standard sample packs as can be imagined. across the course of the album there are dark, moody and emotive pieces like worship (previously released in extended form on the mdl02 single) featuring qzen who reads a poem by patience agbabi in tantalising fashion as well as heavyweight, dubbed out techno groovers like shadow theory. make it true (of which seth troxler will be releasing an extended edit on his play it say it label, complete with high profile remixes) is another great collab featuring the vocals of jojo de freq, and the track itself is a harmonious, radiant house jam that is humid and human in equal measure. the otherworldly, snaking feel free again showcases berkson & what s ability to coax alluring emotions out of their machines and closer logan five wraps things up in suitably spangled, textural fashion. despite the fact much of this album will work on a dancefloor in the hands of the right dj, there s an invention and musicality to it that renders the whole thing hugely listenable away from the club. a testament to berkson & what s analogue invention and fluid ideas, keep up appearances really is a master electronic oeuvre.

modelmaker is a new london label from the collective minds of dan berkson and james what. the esteemed house duo has long been garnishing a range of international imprints with their inventive analogue house and techno sounds, but now they are focussing on their own outlet. initially launching with a couple of self penned eps, release number three will be the pair s long-time-in-the-making debut album, and after that a considered selection of other talents will join the ranks as the label pushes on. always primarily focussed on machine made, texturally rich house and techno, each release will come with unique artwork based on works from whats great grandfather, conrad felixmuller, who was a well known german expressionist.