Celebrating 11 years of Klockworks with 11 classic cuts

When it was announced Ben Klock would be playing a six-hour at Fabric later this year, we were as excited as you judging by the social media response.

Fair enough too, the Berghain resident is one of clubland’s most popular DJs, revered for his commanding take on techno. He's established himself as a draw card wherever he goes and he’s knocking on the door of iconic veteran territory with nearly 20 years experience in the game.

But it's not just his selections that are on point in the booth. For the past 11 years his Klockworks imprint has been a bastion of quality techno, guaranteeing top-quality tracks with every release.

Initially a place for Klock’s own experiments the label has since become a home for other techno titans like DVS1, Rod, Etapp Kyle and the late Trevino. If you’ve released on Klockworks you're instantly afforded a certain level of credibility such is the reputation of the label.

So 11 years into the Klockworks journey, we look back at 11 classic tracks from the back catalogue.

The moment it all started for Klockworks, and what an introduction. From the first kick you knew what you were getting with this label, sleek, smart and rolling techno. An urgent bleep brings the tune into view before it opens up into a rumbling acid bassline and skittering percussion. At the halfway mark, it changes up once again, adding a stabbing chord progression over the bassline to keep dancefloors intrigued. A track that’s unlikely to have left any record bags since 2006.

Klock’s second release on his own label featured the heavy hitting, no prisoners taken attitude of ‘Onyx’. But it’s the b-side ‘Sean’ that we have placed on this list. An idiosyncratic tune with hints of dub and breaks, it’s a bit of a departure to the straight up and down techno of Klock’s debut. This track’s got swing and as it develops into that synthy bongo riff, the funk really shines through. Pure jam.

The inspiration for Klockworks’ scratchy artwork, ‘Pulse’ came out on ‘Klockworks 04’ in 2008 and instantly became an anthem for dark and dingy basements the world over. The track does what it says on the tin and pulses, only pausing to let in a glitchy snare and menacing hi hat as dubby delays whirl about in the background. Heads down listening for the heads.

A big turning point for both the label and the artist, ‘Klockworks 05’ was the first release on the imprint to not feature Klock and was DVS1’s debut. It showed how much faith Klock had in this music from Minneapolis via the spirit of Detroit. That motor city spirit shines through perhaps most on ‘Floating’, a minimal banger that lives by it’s melancholic pad stabbing out a riff that never fails to whip a dancefloor into a frenzy.

An absolute monster from Sterac AKA Steve Rachmad, 'Rotary' is the kind of track you lose your shit to at KappaFutur or Awakenings, an epic track best heard in an epic setting. Pumping drums are urged on to an early crescendo before the track drops back down to a meditative state and does it all again. Genius through repetition.

Having already released 'Rotary' earlier in the year, Klockworks was really on a roll when they procured 'Black Russian' for DVS1's third EP on the label. Probably the housiest affair on the label with its luscious pad riff, 'Black Russian' just bumps on and on through the night, giving us the feels every damn time we hear it in the club. An instant classic.

The death of Trevino AKA Marcus Intalex hit the music world hard. Not only had he made a name for himself as a drum ‘n’ bass pioneer but he also showed his Midas touch in the realm of techno. ‘Klockworks 14’ was his return to the label after three years and he produced the tracks ‘Eclipse’ and ‘After The Rain’, both excellent cuts that we just couldn’t leave out of this list.

'Eclipse', a true outlier on the label, warbles into view with all the drum 'n' bass swagger it can muster before emitting a wobbly bassline that blurs the lines of techno, breaks and garage. 'After The Rain' is a more experimental affair. Dark and brooding, it's not restrained to a 4/4 beat and again showcases Trevino's unique take on house and techno.

'Klockworks 16' was a return to more familiar territory for the imprint. Berlin's Etapp Kyle offering up four tracks of paranoid minimal techno. Lead track 'Axiom' is the stand out though, bubbling under the surface before exploding into a crashing middle section with haywire claps and ominous drone.

A bruising EP and another example of Klockworks giving fresh artists a fantastic platform. Jay Clarke had only released music on his own label Blackaxon until Ben Klock came calling. 'Magnetic' is a return to the stripped back, raw and heavy for the label. Powered by a grizzly bassline, the track weaves it's way through nearly six minutes of head-turning arps and grinding drums.

A floaty tune that harks back to the days of Chemical Brothers euphoria, 'Pull' is a mysterious track as parts mischievous as it is earnest. The first release on Klockworks this year, it's fair to say it's kept up our intrigue for the milestone of 'Klockworks 20'. Here's to many more after that.