Reissues and represses were aplenty in 2014, but it’s not something we often cover here on Truants. In terms of a few highlights, Donato Dozzy & Neel put out the brilliant Aquaplano Sessions compilation, Berceuse Heroique put out an old 2002 Bitasweet record from one half of 4hero and Dance Mania went all out with a double disc release featuring 20 plus tracks chronicling some of the labels earliest releases from 1986 to 1997. Although not on as big a scale as some of the items just mentioned, a recent repress of Niels Luinenburg’s classic first Setup record has quietly landed at a number of online vendors amidst a tonne of end-of-year lists. Originally released in 2010 on Delsin sub-label Ann Amiee, Setup One: Decorum served as a starting point for a trilogy of releases that followed with Setup Two: Fusion and Setup Three: O/F/F in the following year. Enjoying a small rise to notoriety with just a small back catalog and a particular track called “Silhouette” being hammered in the techno community at the time, 2010 saw Niels capitalise on his penchant for functional techno on Decorum while also flirting with ideas of experimentalism and abstract ambience.
The first track on the record, “Abundance”, is arguably the track people might pull for the most at peak-time hours in the club. The exceptional claps alone and their rolling arrangement make this a highly effective weapon, with the bass/acid licks driving this all the way till the finish. Things fall into the deeper side of the techno spectrum with tracks “One’s Space” and “Please Identity”, while “Erosion” sees Delta Funktionen dropping the techno in favour of mesmerising ambient soundscapes, which rounds off the release nicely. Although the repress comes as a hand-stamped 12″, it’s probably worth pointing out the brilliant artwork by Boris Tellegen that blessed the original press and the following two records in the series. It’s very likely if you own any Delta Funktionen releases, for that matter, that you might recognise the Dutch artist’s signature style. Sure, Setup One: Decorum wasn’t the best techno release of 2010, but whether you source out the original on Discogs for the artwork or buy the just released repress, this is a must-have record for anyone wanting to beef out their club-ready techno collection.
Delta Funkionen – Setup One: Decorum is available to buy from the Delsin store, Phonica, Juno and other popular outlets.