Nick Hoppner, boss of the ever-impressive Ostgut-Ton imprint, has a new EP out on the label.

Ostgut have received much of the acclaim that surrounds them on the basis of Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann and Shed – the first two mainly on the strength of their DJ sets (Dettmann’s Berghain 02 CD is particularly acclaimed) and the latter more on the basis of his original material – though that could change with the imminent release of Dettmann’s debut artist album, Dettmann.

Label head Hoppner, however, remains one of the label’s quieter artists, but is no less worthy of acclaim, releasing a steady stream of My My (his collaboration with Lee Jones) records that range from functional to beautiful, and a handful of solo singles that include last year’s superb ‘Makeover’ / ‘Foundling’, at least one side of which is guaranteed to be spun at pretty much every party FACT throw.

We’re pretty excited about this then, a new four-tracker by your man. ‘Brush Me Down’ opens the EP with a track that subtly shifts from a shuffle to a swing; vocal chirps punctuating its dusty groove. Lee Jones follows with his own remix of the track; a number that keeps the original’s swing intact but weaves it in and out of sandy ambience, recalling FaltyDL more than most of his peers in the techno world.

The B-side takes the form of two Hoppner originals; namely the heavier ‘Umbrella Pitch’ and the ghostly, spindly ‘Dancing on the Head of a Pin’. If there’s one criticism that can be made, and indeed is made of Ostgut-Ton, its the label’s tendency to stay true to the pummeling, direct techno they’re best known for. Hoppner, as we’ve come to expect, here steers well clear from any sort of predictable thud with another excellent release. Brush Me Down is out now on Ostgut-Ton.