Where the Wind Blows

Iconoclastic Berlin DJ and producer Ellen Allien has always drawn inspiration from the stark minimalism of early deep house and Detroit techno. Her homegrown imprint—BPitch Control—became renowned for its independent spirit and challenging, often austere, electronic soundscapes. The release of the BPitch Control compilation Where the Wind Blows ushers in the label’s 15th year of existence, and it finds Allien and her stable of eclectic artists continuing to surprise audiences and frustrate the expectations of critics. Tracks like Allien’s own “Gate of Light” and David K’s “Last Touch” continue waving the flag for the glacial, deep house–influenced aesthetic that characterized the label’s earliest releases, but some of the most satisfying selections here make unexpected concessions to pop-song structures. Take “Feel the Fall” by Dillion and Telefon, a dramatic slice of synth pop that owes as much to Depeche Mode as to Frankie Knuckles, or Eating Snow’s “Siamese Twins by Choice,” a loping electro ballad that evokes the Bowie-aping futurism of ‘80s pop outfits like Japan and Tubeway Army.