Delsin is an Important Part of Any Balanced Techno Collection

Imprints brings you regular profiles of the most exciting record labels the world over, with input from the movers and shakers who contribute to their local electronic music communities.

Name: Delsin Records
Vibe A direct injection of post-Detroit techno, administered with a sterile needle by a European doctor and delivered straight to your domepiece.
Founded: c. 1996
Location: Amsterdam
Claim to Fame: Over the past 18 years, Delsin has established itself as a staple institution in European techno with a relentless output of high-quality releases from artists like Redshape, Mike Dehnert, Claro Intelecto, Conforce, and more.
By the Numbers: Last last year, Delsin released its 100th record, a compilation featuring cuts from its alumni—but if you count re-issues and special series, the label already passed that benchmark some time ago.

What's the deal?
I am a huge Shed fangirl. A lot of my first explorations with techno happened because I was exploring Shed's mixes and discographies, and one of my favorite finds was the label Delsin, the Amsterdam-based outpost responsible for Shed's very first full release—he had already put out a split release on his own Soloaction imprint. The rest of its prolific catalog, which is now over 100 records strong, lives up to the glorious might of Shed's debut offering (which came about halfway through Delsin's discography to date).

It started around 1996, when label boss Marsel van der Wielen pressed 50 copies of a cassette under one of his monikers, and over the years Delsin has become a staple label in any balanced techno diet. Originally, van der Wielen used the name for his pre-music blog website, which was later titled Forcefield. I found him on the Internet and asked him some questions about the label's history.

THUMP: Explain the name.
Marsel van der Wielen: The name is from a local fuel station in a small village I used to pass through by bus to the train station when going to university. I was looking for a name for my website which I had built, somewhere around the end of 1995, and the fuel station was actually called "Delsink," but the K had fallen off. I liked the word, so that's the complete story.

What's the scene like in Amsterdam these days?
If you mean the electronic music scene, it's pretty healthy and alive. Although I'm not that much of a club or festival person myself, each weekend we're spoiled with quality lineups, and each summer there seem like an infinite amount of festivals every weekend, which all seem to sell out. It really has become an industry over the last 20 years. Although I think we could also use some more serious talented music producers of, well how to say… eh… music I like? I mean, the last Delsin release from an Amsterdam-based artist was a while ago.

What labels, besides Delsin, have you been listening to recently?
Oh, all kinds of things: new stuff from [Funkineven's label] Apron, Erased Tapes, Sheworks, Objekt, The Trilogy Tapes, and so on. But recently, I was unpacking my records from the 90s, from labels like Irdial, 10th Planet, Likemind, and other things—gems everywhere."

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