DJ OF THE WEEK 7.25.11: SANDWELL DISTRICT

David ‘Function’ Sumner and Karl ‘Regis’ O’Connor are the German based super duo known collectively as Sandwell District. Like much of the music exported by their fellow countrymen, Sandwell District’s expertise is Techno, except that’s where all expectations cease.

Individually, Sumner and O’Connor are striving producers in their own right, with more than enough work both behind and in front of the DJ booth to keep them busy for a long time. Together, they are a super group that has been steadily changing the aural landscape of their countries major sound export, making them one of Germany’s biggest and most influential Electronic music acts of the last few years.

It might come as a surprise, but Sandwell District’s first Album ‘Feed Forward’ only dropped in 2010. Their second, ‘Sandwell District’ just dropped in April of this year. And as cliche as it might sound, they manage to bring a breath of fresh air to their big room Techno sounds with their sweeping and dramatic production. This is what has caught the attention of their peers and explains why they are in such demand. 2011, has been an especially busy year for the duo with countless singles and remixes dropping seemingly every other week; such as their own ‘Silent Servant,’ or the edgy remix of ‘I Believe,’ and the dreamy ‘Between Worlds’.

With so many great productions, it’s easy to forget these two get down on the decks too, and what great sets they are. When this duo gets together behind the decks and creatively feed off each other while manning an intimidating collection of digital and analogue equipment, you can bet you are in for a show. One can say their collection of outboard gear puts the tech in the name of their genre of choice, but that does nothing to explain the spirit they infuse their sets, and their productions with. Just press play on the following mix, and get introduced to Techno all over again.