Around the time of the reunification of Germany, law enforcement was uncertain and vacant warehouses were aplenty. This was the setting that truly influenced and inspired Sascha Ring, otherwise known as Berlin's electronic musician Apparat. He exemplifies a potent form of merging cultures, as East and West came together and the overflow of cultural attributes blended. It was a time of raw new-found exploration and in the air was an irresistible sense of curiosity.

Apparat is a prime example of how environmental influences truly seep into the artistic culture of a scene. With industrial inspiration and an intense vibe, the heavier influences are noticeable on his tracks. Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) is an often overlooked and beautiful genre. With Apparat's minimal distortions, a galactic flow, and lyrics that reach great poetic depths, he has developed a sound that appeals to the deep thinker; it's soothing meanwhile intellectually satisfying.

"Back in the days, those DJs played all types of music at these parties but for me, it always, it had to be something raw, and uhm, yeah, equally fucked up," said Ring during an interview for Bloc Festival. A wonderfully produced interview, he expands on how the darkness of industrial Germany enticed him into this type of sound.


His story is exhilrating and thought provoking. Since the laws at the time were relatively vague, Apparat became deeply enveloped into the scene. It's a story of an aspiring musician during a time when records were difficult to find. He built himself by seeking the crevices of his world for anything to satisfy his dedication to music.
Apparat has put out six albums, one a project album under the name Moderat co-produced with Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary of Modeselektor. If you're a Breaking Bad freak, you'll recognize his song "Goodbye" as Gus enters the hospital right before the jaw-dropping finale scene of the fourth season, pun intended. His most recent album release, The Devil's Walk, is beautifully symphonic and exploitative - it is organized chaos that seems to have every intention to release your inner demons.

"I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to sound but I also think that it is always really important to have some chaotic elements in the music," said Ring.