D-Node 113: Dustin Zahn | Enemy

 
A monster behind the decks, Dustin Zahn is one of North America’s youngest world-touring techno veterans. He’s recorded with some of the genre’s top producers for a long list of labels, including his own imprints Abiotic and Enemy. Zahn took a moment from his busy schedule to record this mix for D-Node.

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Zahn sheds some light on a few of his track selects.

Tony Rohr – Slow Burn (Dustin Zahn Remix) – Weave (23’00)
Slow Burn originallly came out around 2003ish, and immediately was one of my favorite tunes from Tony. I was really feeling the progressive house crossover vibe in techno at the time so it hit the spot perfectly for me. 7 years later, he asked me to remix it, and I knew the parts would be great so I couldn’t turn it down. At first, I thought about keeping it deep like the original and doing something similar to my output on Truesoul, but Tony said to break out the rave hammer. I obliged, and this is the result. It’s an industrial-tinged cruiser with some heavy low-end and ravey shit that comes in halfway through. This one’s for the kids.

Dreamlife – Dreamlife – Plus8 (41’30)
One of Woody McBride’s best tracks in my opinion…it’s extremely hypnotic and groovy which fits perfectly with my tastes. It’s really heady without any frills. Actually, it’s pretty much a trance record without any cheese or fluff. I dropped this at Berghain and the place went mental.

Winx – How’s The Music (Philly Mix) – Ovum (58’00)
Another heady techno record. It’s a perfect tool for when you’re in the zone during the morning hours. The “house music” vocal gets a little obnoxious after a while, but whatever. Concentrate!

Freddy Fresh – 5 More Mouths – Enemy (62’00)
One of my favorite Hawtin mix CDs is the Mixmag! live compilation from the mid ’90s. Pretty much every track on the CD is an acid house classic and the erie 303 line on this track certainly stood out, making it one of my favorite warehouse vibe tracks ever. It’s super weird but cuts through the mix nicely. I’ve actually just licensed it, and it will be re-released in February on Enemy.

Subjected – Vault Series 1.0 – Vault Series (66’00)
I played this record all the time in 2010. It has a chordy feel similar to Ame or something left over from the 2006 Ibiza minimal explosion, but much darker and moodier. The low end is super heavy and chugging so once it comes back in and it’s coupled with the chord sequence, the place always goes mad. If people aren’t on this wavelength when you bring it in, they will be by the time the beat kicks back in after the break.