I've bought exactly one record in the past seven years. It is called 'Dark Bliss' by Galcher Lustwerk, and it lives on Bandcamp. Mr. Lustwerk, whose real name is unknown, is a minimal techno/deep house producer living in Brooklyn via RISD via Cleveland, Ohio. He lays down dusty raps and spoken word verses over heavily textured synths, 808's, variant clicks and clacks, and impressively subtle drops, even in the context of the minimal continuum. 'Parlay', a joint with no bass line and that opens with a 45 second lay-down of a single note ("like a highway mirage", Philip Sherburne notes), perhaps best showcases his style.
Minimal techno is a funny genre, in that its tendencies of shared enthusiasm are elusive. It's easy to tell when people dig, but even easier to tell when they don't (a friend once asked why I was playing elevator music over the last beers of the night). But Lustwerk's own brand of minimal, in combination with lines about cars, wax, and clubs, can make even a kid from Northern Michigan like me feel cool - the first time I heard his music, I'd never set foot in a club. There's also something distinctly Midwestern about his music; it's industrial, it centers on driving, and it's deceptively simple (ridin' in a car//feelin like a star//ridin in a drop top// countin all my guap) . Despite remaining underground -- his most recent and first full release, 'Dark Bliss', was largely unannounced -- he's got a surprisingly prolific catalog. There's his own work under the Lustwerk moniker, then his collaboration with fellow White Material labelmate Alvin Aronson called Studio OST, and, last but not least, Road Hog, a project devoted to Turnpikes and roadside views.
In the car, at the gym, home from class, it's often Lustwerk for me. If there's a single redeeming quality of drab winters in Southeast Michigan, it's the facilitation of deep, dark, techno phases. So, might I recommend beginning yours here: