Berlin / Pankow

Mark Barrott follows up his 2024 album 'Everything Changes, Nothing Ends' with a companion release 'Epilogue / One Year Later’; a collection of eight tracks that explore the aftermath of his wife's passing. The first release from this poignant EP is the double A-side 'Berlin / Pankow’ which is dedicated to the time that Mark and his late wife spent in the city.

Mark has been a constant innovator throughout his nearly four-decade-long career and has never been one for sitting still musically. His first album 'Time and Bass' in 1996 paved the way for breakbeat futurism within Drum and Bass. His downtempo, introspective 2007 album 'Memories From A Fading Room' featured archival recordings of his family’s aural history and he founded International Feel in 2008 while living in Uruguay, before arriving in Ibiza and releasing the 'Sketches From An Island…' album series. In 2022, after several years working relentlessly as a producer for varied artists like South African DJ Themba and the late Virgil Abloh, he released 'Jõhatsu' on Anjunachill. 

Barrott began writing music for ‘Everything Changes, Nothing Ends’ during the eleven weeks of his wife's illness, using it as a form of therapy to cope with the overwhelming grief and loneliness that followed her passing on January 25, 2023. “I actually started writing music most nights throughout this process - it was therapy to mitigate the loneliness of coming back to a cold, dark winter home after spending the day with her at the hospital,” Barrott explains. What began as a way to process his emotions evolved into a project that would ultimately become the album. The album has received widespread acclaim, with support from BBC Radio 6 (Mary Anne Hobbs, Zakia, Nemone), BBC Radio 3 (Night Tracks, Hannah Peel), and KEXP, as well as coverage in Pitchfork, MOJO, Uncut, Resident Advisor, and more.

The two tracks on this single, ‘Berlin' and ‘Pankow', are deeply emotive and delicate; ‘Berlin is a stirring orchestral piece, while ‘Pankow' offers a gentler, more ambient reflection.

‘Berlin / Pankow’ is out now on Anjunachill.