Psyk Debuts on Tresor Records; Q&A with with Paulo Reachi, A&R of Tresor
The A&R of Tresor spills some details about running the prestigious label ahead of the Spanish artist's debut.
Psyk is set to put out five-tracker Works on November 23, his first full release on the German techno label.
Having previously provided one track for a compilation of the label under his Maan alias, Psyk now steps up with five hypnotic cuts for his first full release on Tresor (including bonus track “Fist” with digital purchases). Active since 2009, he has issued releases on a host of other techno heavyweights such as Mote-Evolver, Drumcode, CLR, and his own Non Series.
You can pre-order the record at Juno.
Ahead of the release, we had a few questions for Paulo, A&R manager of the label.
How long have you been in A&R manager and what brought you to Tresor Records?
I moved to Berlin in 2009 to work for !K7 Records, and soon after I had the pleasure to meet Dimitri Hegemann, founder and owner of Tresor, in the Summer of 2011. At that point, Tresor was looking for someone to take over the work of Carola Stoiber, who had taken care of Tresor Records for the twenty years following its inception. It was also in the process of recovering from the consecutive shut-downs of two distribution companies–something which hit the label very hard.
Dimitri remains very committed to Tresor Records—for its substantial back catalog, and as a beacon for the future of techno. We found a lot of common ground, and soon, I was tasked with the restructuring of the label.
How do you go about scouting for new talent for the label?
When reviewing submitted works or searching for new music from emerging producers, my intention is to find music that will take ownership of an idea of what the Tresor sound is or could be, by being mindful of a certain spirit or sense of legacy, while always generating a new form, variation or sound. Then there is the exciting challenge of finding ways to contribute in more unexpected ways. Sometimes this comes from new artists, who we welcome into the label, or sometimes from old masters. It is a wonder to see how some of these names, who built the foundation of this institution, continue to redefine it. The most striking example that comes to mind is that of Juan Atkins and Moritz von Oswald and their collaborative work as Borderland. As a matter of fact, Borderland is currently at work in the Pablo Neruda Studios in Berlin!
The upcoming EP on Tresor is by Spanish techno producer and label owner of Non Series, Psyk, who has played the club many times. How did this relationship begin, and how did this EP come into fruition?
Psyk has played at Tresor regularly over the last few years and has also participated in some of the events we organize outside of our walls. His first involvement came through a track we signed as part of DJ Deep’s Kern mixed compilation. Works is a great example of how this young producer absorbs a set of nuances that pertain to a style, and successfully moves them in a modern and exciting manner.
What does the future hold for Tresor?
Tresor and Tresor Records will celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2016. We hope that the music continues to speak for itself.