Moderat - Even More D4ta (2023)

How much is too much? For Moderat, a group that have never been shy about going big—or opening up their production vault—the idea of “too much” doesn’t really exist.

Following an extended hiatus, the celebrated Berlin trio—which consists of Apparat (a.k.a. Sascha Ring) and Modeselektor (a.k.a. Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary)—returned to the spotlight in 2022 with MORE D4TA. The band’s fourth album, it captured Moderat in top form, their emotive pop and fluttering electronic soundscapes emitting a warm, almost bioluminescent glow.

Moderat spent the bulk of 2022 touring the globe, but while they were on the road, they turned over MORE D4TA over to an eclectic set of remixers, all of whom were encouraged to deconstruct the songs and actively expand upon the album’s original soundworld. EVEN MORE D4TA is the rollicking end result, and while it’s undeniably oriented toward the club, it’s not hopelessly tethered to the dancefloor—or even the original source material.

The album is bookended by none other than UK soundsystem warrior The Bug, who opens the LP with a gut-rumbling rework of “FAST LAND,” and later closes out the proceedings with a second remix of the track, diving deeper into the abyss under the guise of his ambient-leaning Kevin Richard Martin alias. He’s far from the only low-end manipulator on board; South African gqom king DJ Lag delivers a high-stepping, siren-filled take on “DRUM GLOW,” London hero SHERELLE turns up the tempo while transforming “NEON RATS” into a galloping drum & bass cut and Bristol alchemist Batu strips “DOOM HYPE” down to the studs, reconstructing it atop a shuffling techno pulse.

EVEN MORE D4TA is full of surprises, and perhaps the biggest one comes from Montreal electro-punk Marie Davidson, who puts the mic down and instead offers up a sleek, trance-infused version “FAST LAND” that hums like a luxury sports car. In the hands of Berlin-based Australians Big Ever and Logic1000, “COPY COPY” becomes a chunky house shuffler, while Singaporean talents yeule and Kin Leonn mold “EASY PREY” into a glittering, post-R&B stunner, complete with their own dream-like vocals. Elsewhere, Monkeytown’s own Sylvere injects slithering, dancehall-flavored drums into “MORE LOVE,” and Egyptian polymath ZULI chops “UNDO REDO” into oblivion, creating what’s arguably the album’s most maniacal banger.

There’s a lot to digest, but that’s kind of the point. EVEN MORE D4TA is an expansion of the Moderat universe, and it boldly marches their distinctive sound into places it’s never been before.