ON OUR PLAYLIST

Sandwell District,

Where Next?

The Point of Departure

The Monitors,

Redux Palette Recordings

Highly respected techno producer and DJ Juan Mendez, best known as Silent Servant, sadly died in late January. As a result of the unexpected nature of his passing, the weeks following his death have seen the release of two reissue packages, both of which were scheduled well before Mendez’s death, but now act as sadly fitting testaments to his skills and influence.

Firstly, Where Next? is a newlycompiled collection of tracks from Sandwell District, the atmospheric techno outfit that Mendez belonged to alongside fellow producers Regis, Female and Function. Following last year’s reissue of their influential album Feed Forward – and in anticipation of scheduled live dates this summer – Where Next? compiles tracks from the group’s members that previously only saw limited releases, combined here to create what Regis describes as “the purest hit of the SD sound”. Among those tracks are several examples of Mendez’s best production work, including the pulsing, ominous synths of Mad Youth and hard-hitting, insistent percussion of Discipline.

Aside from showcasing Mendez’s personal talents, Where Next? highlights just how pivotal Sandwell District have been on modern techno in the decade-and-a-bit since the collective originally disbanded. In tracks like Function’s Ember and Regis’s Man Is The Superior Animal, as well as the group’s general sound and aesthetic, it’s easy to see the influence the four artists have had on the sound of their contemporaries in Berlin and beyond.

Separately, February also saw a vinyl reissue of a single Mendez released as The Monitors in 2011, in collaboration with LA-based producer John Tejada. With a little less emphasis on the industrial grit and post punk atmospherics of much of his Silent Servant releases, the two tracks here – essentially two versions of one idea – focus on synth-driven, minimal techno. This Redux take has new rhythm tracks created by Mendez before his death, along with a fresh master from Tejada. Si Truss