Dekmantel Podcast 094 - Derek Plaslaiko

If you manage to come up and make a mark on the Detroit scene, you are clearly doing something right. And that’s just how Derek Plaslaiko started: spinning his clinical yet sophisticated sets at various key raves around the Mid West of America before eventually establishing himself on the global underground circuit. Now, although Berlin based, you may caught his name on the flyer for the No Way Back parties (put on by Interdimensional Transmissions - the Detroit imprint that has put out several of Plaslaiko’s rare original releases) and is a resident for Bunker NYC and has been for years. He also releases his stylish brand of techno on the club’s in house label and has close ties with Ghostly International. Add to this the fact he played a sublime closing set at our festival back in August, and Derek is a natural choice to mix it up for our podcast series. The resulting two and a half hour selection is an exquisitely programmed ride through many shades of techno, from stripped back and thumping to eerie and heady via raw and nasty. Just when the pressure seems like it might get too much, Plaslaiko masterfully switches up the mood and takes you somewhere else, thus keeping you locked to his grooves. He says of the mix, “it was done in one take at the Resident Advisor offices in Berlin. The neighbours complained about the volume near the end of the recording, so I was forced to do the last few mixes headphones only. It's made up of about 60% current favourite tracks, and 40% unreleased material from a handful of friends. Kris Wadsworth, Jared Wilson, Todd Osborn, Dona, DVS1, Mr Statik, Secret Studio and Israel Vines all submitted tracks specifically for this mix. Will Lynch, Jim Beam and a massive amount of Burger King all played a major role in getting it done. I like a good story when hearing a DJ set, so that's what I was going for when programming the mix.