German deep house stalwarts Tube & Berger are currently celebrating 10 years of Kittball Records. Since 2005, the duo’s homegrown, independent imprint has served as a home for everyone from Swedish techno queen Ida Engberg to Hungarian powerhouse Jay Lumen.
For the 100th release on the label, the duo are curating a 10-track compilation titled A Decade of Kittball featuring some of Germany’s finest underground talent like Sascha Braemer and Oliver Schories. The lead track on the compilation is Tube & Berger’s “Back Drop,” a collaboration with fellow Kitball-owner Juliet Sikora.
With its pitched-down vocal and rhythmic piano progression, the single is a clear nod to early rave records. The faster tempo and steady arp make for a more upbeat affair than Tube & Berger’s usual output, supplying a well-executed dip into tech house territory. Ultimately, the track is a perfect embodiment of the Kittball ethos: feisty and dancefloor-driven with a charming panache.
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Tube & Berger said of the track: “We haven’t been in the studio with our sister Juliet Sikora for quite some time and all three of us were very much looking forward to that. We knew that trying to produce a follow up for ‘Set It Off’ would put us under pressure, so we bought some beer and started something new from scratch. We messed around with a pitched trumpet sample and after a few hours we knew the track would be more old-school and ‘undergroundish.’ Instead of letting someone ‘sing’ on the tune we invited our buddy David and asked him to ‘talk’ about that feeling when he was a young raver back in the day. The rest is history.”
The Kitt 100, A Decade of Kittball compilation will be released via Beatport on Sept. 22. Tube & Berger have also announced a 10-date U.S. tour.
Oct. 22 – Spy Bar, Chicago, Michigan, United States
Oct. 23 – Bijou, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Oct. 24 – The Nest, Toronto, Canada
Oct. 26 – Sound, Los Angeles, California, United States
Oct. 29 – Q Nightclub, Seattle, Washington, United States
Oct. 30 – Boondocks, Houston, Texas, United States
Oct. 31 – Brkfst @ Nite, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Nov. 5 – Do Not Sit on the Furniture, Miami, Florida, United States
Nov. 6 – ?Bar Standard, Denver, Colorado, United States
Nov. 7 -? Audio, San Francisco, California, United States