Hailing from New York, Function (Dave Sumner) has become one of techno’s true underground heroes. He has been DJing and making music for over 25 years. He is a founding member of the Sandwell District collective, Ostgut recording artist and owner of Infrastructure.
Now, the legend returns with a new Function record that has been entitled ‘Awakening From The Illusory Self’. It’s going to be released as a 12″ EP on Tresor Records on April 16th, 2021, it follows on from Existenz, his last full-length album released in November 2019.
Pre order Vinyl: Bandcamp
Packed in a beautiful sleeve printed with 3 x special Neon colors, Tresor.320 kicks off with the fast techno of ‘Misinterpretations Of Reality’, it features a minimal acid-infected crescendo and throbbing pulse. As ever with Function, this idiosyncratic rhythmic work finds a place out on a limb from contemporaries, shapeshifting impulses that infer and guide this raw drum sound.
The second track ‘An Optical Illusion Of Consciousness’, Function moves towards a different direction, bringing more elements to the mix. It recalls the Dutch 90s techno sound with its melodic blurred synth leanings stretching and morphing across saturated, playful drums and hefty low-end movement. Its bind is perfectly weighted, a phenomenal track that nurtures its inner dancefloor soul as melodies fade away and tighter patterns take precedence.

‘Spiritually Unconscious’ points to all the trademarks of Function’s celebrated sound. A smooth 909 groove underpins bubbling atmospheres and hallucinatory effects, and a nod to the Motor City vision with its fleeting synth strings.
At the core is potent, repetitive simplicity, its beat playing with weight and dynamics but never at risk of being lost. Closing track ‘Compulsive Thinking – Repetitive and Pointless’ kicks a juddering swagger, finding public addressed system emissions drenched in reverb resonating above bleak analogic synth drones. It haunts and creeps towards a thunderous apex, finding its depth in sparse drum movements.
An enduring fixture in the techno and electronic music landscape, Sumner continues to step through new terrains, reinforcing his spike and vision. Awakening From The Illusory Self finds him as ever delivering the goods in elating moments of pure club heft.
Tresor.320 releases April 16th on 12” and digital. Stay tuned!
Cover Artwork.
Artist. Function
Title. Awakening From The Illusory Self
Cat #. TRESOR320
Formats. 12″ / Digital
Label. Tresor
Release date. April 16th, 2021
Tracklist.
A1 / 1. Misinterpretations Of Reality
A2 / 2. An Optical Illusion Of Consciousness
B1 / 3. Spiritually Unconscious (Dissolve)
B2 / 4. Compulsive Thinking: Repetitive and Pointless
Credits.
All tracks written & produced by Dave Sumner
Cat. No. TRESOR320 – All rights reserved
℗ & © Tresor Records 2021
http://www.tresorberlin.com
Press pic 1: Function Press Pic © Frankie Casillo
Press pic 2: Function Press Pic © Helge Mundt
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