Monolake

German minimalist and software designer, Robert Henke, has been a fixture in the deep techno scene since first emerging on the Berlin label Chain Reaction in 1995. Since then, Henke is best known for his contributions to Ableton Live music production software. Plumbicon Versions is a compilation of all three Plumbicon twelve-inch vinyl releases from 2006, which include mixes by Henke, Sleeparchive, Rebreather and Montreal’s Deadbeat. Each mix offers something unique to the project; Sleeparchive takes things into an old school direction reminiscent of early Warp material, Deadbeat’s mix is the most dubby with a downright dancehall-inspired rhythm, and the Rebreather version meanders its way from a stillborn start to the frantic pace of emergency room electronics, bleeping and buzzing during a crisis. Henke’s "Plumbicon Epilogue” is perhaps the most interesting yet subtlest of the mixes — a rhythmic ambient song with dramatic pads, punctuated by subtle blips and stretching out over ten minutes of chilled-out bliss.