Sasha Ring’s work under his Apparat moniker has always been evolving; over three albums on the Shitkatapult label and the collaborative full lengths with Ellen Allien and Modeselektor as Moderat on Bpitch Control, he’s surprised a lot of listeners with his output. Confined to little or no definitive style his music has always been in a constant state of metamorphosis, simultaneously breaching new waters and staying true to his unique spirit of musical openness and his obvious passion for sound design.
Achieving a sense of progression in the mix through both his selections and his awareness of sonic space, Ring manages to harness his enthusiasms for frequency perfect soundscapes, often creating moments of sheer beauty out of his polarized composite parts.
Review:
The selections on Sascha Ring's contribution to the !K7 label’s DJ-Kicks
series date back to the early ‘90s, but there’s technically no looking back
on the part of the DJ/producer. They’ve all been “recently discovered.”
The majority of this set does originate from 2006–2010, incorporating lean
dubstep and streamlined techno with a couple outliers. 69’s “Rushed,”
released by Carl Craig in 1993, is easily the most physical and intense of the
lot. Strangely, it’s deployed as the second track in the sequence. Very
shortly thereafter, the mix switches from charging to relatively sedate –
alternately melodic and abstract material suited more for home listening than
clubbing. A handful of the highlights come off newer dubstep/post-dubstep 12"
releases: Cosmin TRG's scuffling “Tower Block,”
Ramadanman’s pinging/churning “Tempest,” and Joy Orbison's buoyant
“The Shrew Would Have Cushioned the Blow” (the latter two of which were
included on Scuba’s earlier Sub:Stance mix). Ring’s own “Sayulita,” an
exclusive, is one of his most evocative, dynamic productions of late, full of
space and percussive friction.
All Music Guide – Andy Kellman