Substance / DJ Pete

Under the names Substance and DJ Pete, Peter Kuschnereit has been part of Berlin’s electronic scene since the early 1990s. As Substance he has developed a very stripped-down strand of dub techno built on dry rhythms, deep bass and a patient attention to space and repetition, with releases on Chain Reaction and in the Scion project, carried out with René Löwe (aka Vainqueur). As DJ Pete his DJ work broadens the spectrum considerably, connecting techno, house, dub, reggae, jungle and other bass-driven forms in sets that favor continuity and texture. Substance has also long been associated with the record shop Hard Wax, an important context for understanding his position within the flows between retailer, labels and clubs in Berlin. Over the years Substance has played in strictly techno settings as well as in more cross-cutting environments, with a regular presence at Berghain. Between production, curation and DJing, Substance and DJ Pete thus occupy a sustained trajectory marked by sound-system culture, a dub heritage and a restrained approach to club music.