Modeselektor

Hailing from Berlin, the electronic pair Modeselektor combines an aversion to genre limits with a playful, nonsensical wit. Their initial output arrived via glitch-laden IDM EPs in the early 2000s that steered clear of the pretension typical in those circles, leading to a first full-length statement with Hello Mom! in 2005, where electro, hip-hop, dub, and further strands merged into a luminous whole. Ambitions expanded from that point, as Happy Birthday! in 2007 incorporated contributions from Thom Yorke, Maxïmo Park, Otto Von Schirach, and Siriusmo while moving between atmospheric selections and driving club cuts. Dancefloor-focused releases by the duo and their circle came through the short-lived 50 Weapons imprint they created, while the wider-ranging Monkeytown label took its name from their 2011 album. Wider recognition followed through Moderat, their pop-leaning project alongside Apparat (Sascha Ring). Modeselektion compilations appeared across the 2010s before Who Else, their fourth album, arrived in 2019 and the 2021 mixtape Extended presented a set of fresh productions. Tracks selected from the mixtape and its companion EPs were reworked into EXTLP.

Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary first crossed paths in 1992 after the Berlin Wall came down and began recording as Fundamental Knowledge, issuing an acid techno and electro EP in 1994. The name shifted to Modeselektor in 1996, drawn from a control on an analog delay unit. Live performances in Berlin soon followed, along with an ongoing partnership with design collective Pfadfinderei. A 2000 introduction to Ellen Allien led to a deal with her BPitch Control label and a run of EPs that opened with In Loving Memory in 2002. Remix work also continued, covering material by Miss Kittin, Knifehandchop, and Allien herself.

Hello Mom!, the duo’s favorably received debut, surfaced in 2005 with appearances from TTC, Paul St. Hilaire, and Sasha Perera (Jahcoozi). The expansive, festive Happy Birthday! arrived in 2007, containing the Thom Yorke track “The White Flash” and an Otto Von Schirach-assisted take on Scooter’s “Hyper Hyper.” Their first mix CD, the third installment in BPitch’s Boogybytes series, was issued next, followed two years later by Body Language Vol. 8 on Get Physical Music.

Modeselektor and Apparat unveiled Moderat, the self-titled debut from a partnership that had already produced a 2003 EP, in 2009. More immediately approachable and club-oriented than much of either artist’s catalog, the record crossed over to indie and dubstep listeners and turned the group into a sought-after live draw. That same year saw the launch of the Monkeytown label; club-focused imprint 50 Weapons also gained momentum after an anonymous white-label 12" had appeared years earlier. The respective labels released two compilations, Modeselektion, Vol. 1 and 50 Weapons of Choice #2-9, in 2010. Third album Monkeytown, which again featured Yorke and Von Schirach along with Busdriver and PVT, landed in 2011. Moderat’s II, home to the hit single “Bad Kingdom,” emerged in 2013 under Mute for American distribution. Two further Modeselektion volumes appeared before 50 Weapons closed in 2015, after which Moderat’s II and Live both arrived in 2016. Moderat declared an indefinite hiatus once their 2017 world tour ended.

Modeselektion, Vol. 4 surfaced in 2018, and the compact fourth album Who Else followed in 2019, with guests including Flohio and Tommy Cash. Extended, a continuous 27-track mixtape featuring Paul St. Hilaire and Jackson & His Computer Band, came out in 2021. A sequence of EPs built around chosen tracks from the mixtape appeared afterward. The full-length EXTLP presented unmixed, extended versions of material from the mixtape and EPs, among them “Komm” with Blixa Bargeld. Moderat’s More D4ta arrived in 2022, and Modeselektor contributed to Catnapp’s “in my closet.”