As Tresor Records gear up for their latest release–a diligent dancefloor work-out from one of the club and label’s longest-standing members, Pacou–we asked the born and bred Berlinner to tell us about a few of his favourite records. In his own words:

“Here are my picks for this, these are *some* influential records for me. I could go and list 100, so don’t put any particular order or weight on this: they are influential in a general sense but also indirectly played a role in this new single I made.”

Alphaville – Jet Set (extended)
 

 
Around 1984-85 I got into the 12 inch/ extended mixes of pop music (mostly electronic). It was getting fashionable to have longer mixes for the DJs to play the tracks in a disco. At the time I was a small teenage kid, but I was immediately fascinated by this concept and started looking for these “special mixes”. I was not aware tho that it would be that influential to me at a later time. The tracks were rearranged, stripped down in parts to only drums and synth sections and mastered more oriented for club use for the 12″ pressing and cut at a louder volume. Nowadays mastering has become almost the most important point of the entire production process.
 
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome (Fruitness mix)
 

 
Trevor Horn was one of the best producers of this typical 1980s studio sound at the time. FGTH was mostly just a regular band, but he gave them sonic superpowers with his studio productions and edits. At the label ZTT they were making fun of the 12″ trend and just put out 3-5 different mixes on different pressings of each release, completly confusing and stirring up the fans. I really love the synth sounds and effects he used.
 
Carl Craig aka 69 – Ladies and Gentlemen
 

 
Now already a classic on its own, this kind of “DJ tool” Jeff produced as his signature release reflecting his own DJ style in the 1990s, using a blend of different samples and drum tracks and editing everything into 5 minutes of relentless perfection. One big thing I learned from this kind of stuff when I started releasing my tracks was, I dont need a specific song structure. No intro, no breakdown, no snare roll, just play with elements like drums, little melody, sequence, and filter and give them some space to shine and stand out. That is all it takes to make a theme – that is probably one big point of techno.
 
Aphex Twin – Isopropanol
 

 
Early Aphex Twin production, again something always to keep in mind. Be radical and abusive with sound but keep an eye on the level of the elements and the the balance of the track. This one worked out perfectly. This is something that could and should be in bold letters written at the beginning of each recording session.
 
KLF vs. Pet Shop Boys – It must be obvious UFO mix
 

 
Another example of a radical approach. Both acts are kind of teenage heroes to me beside the obvious like Depeche Mode et al, back then PSB often used the freedom they had (selling millions of copies of the regular radio pop version) to pick their personal faves for the 12″ vinyl, and giving them 100% artistic freedom to deconstruct the original track. Result is more like dramatic play than a song, but makes perfect sense looking at KLF’s philosophy. Always the right sounds in place, staging a kind of sonic anarchy.
 
Pacou’s Sense EP is poised to drop on Oct 24th. To mark the occasion, the Tresor stalwart will be playing in the club basement this Saturday alongside Dutch DJ-producer Dimi Angélis and New Rhythmic honcho Joton.