Pacou

A banging techno producer and DJ based in Berlin, Pacou translated his influences from raw, early-dance pioneers like Underground Resistance and Todd Terry into productions of no-nonsense techno on a par with minimalists like Jeff Mills and Surgeon. Born Lars Lewandowski in Berlin in 1972, Pacou listened to synth pop before getting into the first wave of acid house and techno, courtesy of the German capital's fertile dance community. He began producing in 1993, and turned his occasional DJ spots at the legendary Tresor club into a residency by 1995. A steady stream of dubplates — often dropped in his own sets — announced the arrival of Pacou's first release, the 1996 EP Reel Techno on Tresor, followed by his album debut, Symbolic Language. For his second, No Computer Involved, Pacou stretched out with a set of radically different productions, each utilizing a different studio setup. After setting up his own label, LL Records, for releases by an array of producers (including the pseudonym Agent Cooper), Pacou returned in 2000 with State of Mind.