The last we heard from Sam Barker, he was subverting his distinctive “kick free techno” approach on the 2023 EP Unfixed. The four tracks were centered on shifty basslines, translucent percussion, and snotty knob tweaks. An exploration of low-end thuds, the EP was snarling and conceptual. Previously, Barker’s fingerprint had been languid and elven — not quite ambient, but certainly not far from it. Unfixed stood in stark contrast to the serenity of his prior releases Utility and Debiasing. The Leisure System imprint founder is an enduring Berghain resident and was a cornerstone of the club’s Ostgut Ton label from his formative days as a member of the duo Barker & Baumecker. But it wasn’t until Unfixed that he had been so clearly impacted by imposing warehouse contours.
