In Session: Helena Hauff

In a relatively short space of time Helena Hauff has made herself an absolute must-see at club nights and festivals the world over.

Why? Her high-octane, rugged and always blistering mix of industrial electro and jagged, spanky techno results in sheer euphoria. It's no-nonsense electronic music that requires you to leave all your inhibitions at the door and let loose. Her all-vinyl selection is full of unearthed gems that reek of mechanical times-gone-by and, while her sets feel like they're pointing to the future, they're always steeped in nostalgia and history.

Of the times we've seen her recently, a headline performance at Brickworks in Nottingham stands out. For four hours she captivated and pummelled in equal measures and it wasn't just us that were amazed, the DJ sharing the bill with her also looked on in awe. As far as UK selectors go, Ben UFO is up there as one of the most revered of recent years and he couldn't believe what he was seeing either. When we asked him what he thought of Hauff, he simply shook his head and said, "She's literally my favourite DJ at the moment".

On that premise, anyone lucky enough to be going to Sonar this year should be checking the two go b2b to see those sparks fly. A particular highlight of the programming this year and history in the making, surely.

It's no surprise that her skills behind the decks are so proficient as a long-term residency at Hamburg's Golden Pudel helped her carve a name for herself and acquire the skills needed to conquer the world. The love affair with the club started when she first visited the beloved venue at the age of 17. That first encounter, although short-lived because her friend wanted to get a kebab, as she told us last year, led her to revisit the club numerous times before she started playing and eventually hosting her own parties.

Though her sets may have been the talking point over the last few years, her productions more than match up to the live spectacle. After a series of exceptional EPs via Werk Discs, Lux and Solar One, she jumped into long player territory in 2015. The first of two big releases for the German producer landed on Handmade Birds in the form a cassette release called 'A Tape'. When we first heard it, we were mesmerised.

It was grainy, murky and straight from the abyss and channelled the sounds that she showcases regularly in her DJ sets. It set the tone for her as someone more than capable of bringing together a full body of work that represented her DJ style and sound. Her official debut album though was released on Werk Discs, the imprint powered by Actress and 'Discreet Desires' was the toast of the year.

"What you hear when you listen to this album isn't the past – it's the pleasure principle. Yes, pleasure: it may sound dark, cold, gothic and rough around the edges compared to software-produced music, but these sounds have proved over the decades that they will set your synapses alight with delight. This style is, amazingly, still the sound of now as much as it ever was the distant past."

This was the summary of our 8/10 Album Of The Month review when it dropped in August last year and since then her worldwide bookings have sky rocketed.

Her induction into the In Session ranks is as impressive we thought it would be.

"It's a little tribute to the sound of Frankfurt of the late 80's early 90's (Dorian Gray Club/Torsten Fenslau), which became very influential on trance!," Helena writes us. "I've been digging this stuff for years now and I thought it might be nice to put it all in a mix together. By the way, Lhasa doesn't really belong to it but just seemed to fit too well!"

Funster is Mixmag's Digital Music Editor, follow him on Twitter here

[Photo Credit: Katja Ruge]

Tracklist:

Robotiko Rejekto – Injection (Robotiko Part 2)

Lhasa - Seduction

Indicate - The Latest Idea

Technoid - Technoid (Hypersonic Dub)

Tribantura - Lack Of Sense

Time Modem - Werkzeug Eines Fernen Willens

Klangwerk - Die Kybernauten

Scope - The Future (Cybotron Mix)

Recall IV – Contrast (Boing Mix)

Absurd – Der Akt (The Original)

Time Modem - Mantel Der Nacht

Force Legato - System (v.2.O.)

Konzept - Condemn Me (Fog Edit)

Master Program - Central Europe (Central Mix)

Blind Vision - Bestialic Beat

Blind Vision - Don't Look At Me (G-Mix)

Duce - Krieg Oder Frieden

Art Academy - Energie

Lhasa - Adhesive

New Scene - Out Of Control (The Belgium Mix)

Konzept - Human Transmission (Cybotron Mix 2)

Robotiko Rejekto - Rejekto (Perfekto Mix)