End Beginnings by Sandwell District

Karl O'Connor & David Sumner announce details of a new album, End Beginnings, under their Sandwell District moniker.

Photo by Steve Gullick

The new album sees Karl O'Connor and David Sumner return to Sandwell District with an out-of-the-blue follow-up to their era-defining 2010 album, "Feed-Forward." "End Beginnings" is a majestic coming together of cinematic techno and mind-bending dancefloor dynamism. It has its roots in underground techno - long-time connoisseurs will recognize Motor City impulses and 80s European industrial electro, while recent disciples will appreciate the post-Berghain rush - but it's also a considered home listening experience.

The album marries Drexciya's idea of techno being an act of seditionary innovation with a sense of unbridled fun, an imperative that means a lot to O'Connor. “Having a good time is pretty much why you get into it in the first place,” he explains. “And it is fun. I think we feel a lot more fortunate now, especially with what happened with Juan. We're grateful.”

"End Beginnings" is also a moving requiem to a fallen soldier - Juan Mendez [Silent Servant]. Soon after the box set reissue of their debut album, at the beginning of 2024, Mendez tragically died. Mendez's stunning artwork and visuals were always a central pillar of Sandwell District, and he was working on a piece of art entitled "End Beginnings," which was mooted to be the album cover. That work was never finished, but O'Connor and Sumner took the title to honor their friend's contribution.

The initial catalyst for Sandwell District's reunion was unexpected. Over a decade since Sandwell District's last acrimonious blowout, O'Connor explains, “I struck up a really close friendship with Mark Lanegan before he died, which was weird. Mark Lanegan - king of grunge, friend of Kurt Cobain - he told me to keep going and revisit Sandwell District.”

It took time for relations to thaw, “You have to decentralize the ego for the good of the project,” O'Connor explains, and, with the lessons of their fractious relationship of the past learned, O'Connor and Sumner worked on the album remotely - in London and Berlin and brought in Simon Shreeve, Mika Hallbäck (Rivet), Seth Horvitz (Rrose) and Sarah Kranz (Sarah Wreath) to add to the collaborative spirit the collective has always benefited from.

Sandwell District - End Beginnings LP
Release Date 28th March 2025
Label The Point Of Departure

Tracklist
01. Dreaming
02. Self-Initiate
03. Will You Be Safe?
04. Restless
05. Least Travelled
06. Citrinitas Acid
07. Hidden
08. The Silent Servant