Earlier this year, Nick Hoppner stepped down from his role as Ostgut Ton label manager, handing the reins to Jenus Baumecker without a hint of self importance or grand standing. The reasoning behind this decision was apparently so Hoppner could dedicate more time to creative pursuits and this has delivered some swift results in the form of Red Hook Soil, a three track 12″ for the label he no longer oversees. The release is Hoppner’s first for Ostgut since 2011, though he’s been active in the interim period gracing Kompakt Extra and Echochord with aplomb. All three tracks on the Red Hook Soil see Hoppner in a four-four mood, with the title track venturing into uplifting, and in parts, melancholic fields of production that share a similar, only more textured feel to 2010?s “Brush Me Down” from the EP of the same name. The B-side is met with strains of Italo on the verging-on-epic “Bait & Tackle”, though Hoppner does move into tougher techno territory with a dryer and regimented track in “Decal”.

listen