Kobosil on Ostgut Ton: The Album Behind the Dark Techno Myth
· re:union Radio editorial · 3 min read
Kobosil on Ostgut Ton: his debut album We Grow, You Decline, the path from Berghain resident to R-Label Group and what came after the label ended in 2023.
Kobosil and Ostgut Ton – that's not a new EP but a piece of Berghain history: on 29 January 2016 the club's in-house label released his debut album We Grow, You Decline. If you want to understand why the Neukölln native stands for fast, aggressive techno today, this is where you start.
At a glance
- Kobosil's real name is Max Kobosil, born 5 April 1991 in Berlin-Neukölln.
- His remix of "Silo" for Barker & Baumecker came out on Ostgut Ton in January 2013 and is regarded as his breakthrough.
- From December 2014 to 2019 he was a Berghain resident.
- He shut down his label R-Label Group at the turn of 2023/24.
We Grow, You Decline: the album behind the myth
The debut album is not just a club tool. In 2016 GROOVE described experiments with drone and noise, dull Doepfer basses and repetitive melodic arcs that tip between ecstatic and melancholic. The pieces were made over two to three years and still form a coherent whole.
Quieter tracks such as "Reflection" or "The Exploring Mountain" get room here instead of disappearing as B-sides. The dragging groove almost becomes a leitmotif.
| Artist | Kobosil (Max Kobosil) |
|---|---|
| Title | We Grow, You Decline |
| Label | Ostgut Ton |
| Release date | 29 January 2016 |
| Formats | limited 2LP, 2LP, CD, download |
| Tracks (CD) | 11 |
| Tracks (2LP) | 9 |
| Influences according to GROOVE | Musique concrète, Electronic Body Music, techno, industrial |
The tracks at a glance
The CD version runs from "Telling The Truth" via "To See Land", "Aim For Target" and "The Living Ritual" to "Eihwaz" and "They Looked On". Only the CD includes "When I Speak" and "While The Stars Be Not Darkened" – the double LP leaves both out.
He explained his attitude to DJing to GROOVE without hedging (translated from German):
"I can be a pretty stubborn guy when it comes to music."
— Kobosil, GROOVE (2016)
From Berghain resident to his own universe
At 17 Kobosil was playing techno and house in Berlin; at 18 he entered Berghain for the first time. There he met Andreas Baumecker – the contact that led to the "Silo" remix. In June 2013 he founded his label RK and released his debut EP RK3, followed later by Mdr 10 on Marcel Dettmann Records.
RK later became R-Label Group. It put out records by Rikhter, Parallx and In Verruf, plus collaborations with Ufo361 and Rosa Anschütz. With Ufo361 he also made "Lucifer" in 2022 for his EP RK5. If you want to dig deeper into dark Berlin sounds, also read Neue Dark Techno EP: Ancient Methods – The Void.
The label's end and Tote Sonne
In July 2023 R-Label Group celebrated ten years, including a party at Berlin's Velodrom. At the turn of the year it was over; R009 by Ueberrest was announced as the last vinyl release. At the same time Kobosil founded Tote Sonne with Klangkuenstler – a booking agency and label that also represents Aiden and Somewhen.
He stayed active musically: 2024 brought the singles "Eiskalt (Short Mix)" and "Radiance". For an overview of current releases in the genre, see Dark Techno August 2026 – Die besten neuen Releases & Labels.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Kobosil EP called "The Final Experiment"?
No such title appears in the discography in the sources. On Ostgut Ton he released his album We Grow, You Decline in 2016.
What is Kobosil's real name?
Max Kobosil, born 5 April 1991 in Berlin-Neukölln.
What is Tote Sonne?
A booking agency with a label that Kobosil announced together with Klangkuenstler in October 2023.
Source: Wikipedia – Kobosil, GROOVE – Kobosil interview 2016, GROOVE – R-Label Group: Kobosil shuts down label
