First Floor – Barker & Baumecker and Avalon Emerson

Although Berghain played a big role in bringing Sam Barker and Andreas Baumecker together – the former was the venue’s booker for many years, the latter a founder of Leisure System, which throws its parties at the esteemed Berlin nightspot – the music they make as Barker & Baumecker rarely adheres to the dark and driving techno the club is known for. The pair’s 2012 debut album, *Transsektoral*, explored a variety of styles and sounds, ultimately winding up as one of that year’s most celebrated releases. Four years later, the duo has returned with a new LP, *Turns*, and here they speak to host Shawn Reynaldo about the new album’s genesis, the role of hardware in their music-making process and their thoughts on Berghain. Also joining the program is Avalon Emerson, an American-born, Berlin-based producer whose appetite for innovation and impressive run of records has now culminated in *Narcissus in Retrograde*, her debut outing for the Spectral Sound imprint.