DJ & Producer · Berlin, Germany
Okain
Okain is Samuel Thalmann, the Paris-raised, Berlin-based house and techno DJ behind Talman Records, releasing on Tsuba, BPitch Control and Truesoul.
Okain, the recording name of Samuel Thalmann, has spent close to two decades moving between Paris, where he started DJing as a teenager, and Berlin, where he has been based since 2011 and where he now runs Talman Records. His music sits at the rolling, groove-heavy end of house and techno, built for long sets rather than peak-time drops.
A Paris Residency at Seventeen
Thalmann grew up in Paris immersed in the city's house and techno scene, drawn in partly by hearing DJs including Laurent Garnier play around the city. He bought his first equipment after a summer working a service job, and landed his first residency while still a teenager, at Sanz Sans, a club night in the Bastille neighbourhood known for extended, exploratory sets, a format that shaped his own approach to DJing early on. He began releasing music under the Okain name in the mid-2000s.
Berlin, Talman Records and a Growing Catalogue
Thalmann relocated to Berlin in 2011, and over the years since has released music on a run of respected European house and techno labels, including Tsuba, BPitch Control, Hypercolour, Quartz and Truesoul. In late 2015 he launched Talman Records, a label named after his own surname, based in Berlin and built as a platform for artists working in a similar melodic, groove-forward style, including Silverlining, Enzo Siragusa and Malin Genie. He also records as Lezar and, in collaboration with techno producer Paul Ritch, as Handycraft.
Live at RTS.FM
Okain's connection to RTS.FM comes from a DJ set recorded live for the channel's Budapest broadcast at 360 Bar in September 2016, part of RTS.FM's run of international studio and venue recordings beyond its original Russian base.
A Sound Built on Restraint
Across his releases and his label's roster, Okain has stayed consistent to a style built more on groove and repetition than obvious hooks, tracks meant to sit inside a longer set rather than announce themselves. That approach has carried him from a teenage residency in Bastille to a decade-plus career as a Berlin-based DJ and label owner, still working largely within the same melodic, functional strain of house and techno he started out playing in Paris.
FAQ
Who is Okain?
Okain is the recording name of Samuel Thalmann, a French house and techno DJ and producer who grew up in Paris and has been based in Berlin since 2011, where he runs Talman Records.
What is Talman Records?
Talman Records is the Berlin-based label Okain founded in late 2015, named after his own surname, built as a platform for artists working in a similar melodic, groove-driven house and techno style.
What other names does Okain record under?
Beyond his main Okain alias, Thalmann also records as Lezar, and as Handycraft in collaboration with techno producer Paul Ritch.
What labels has Okain released on?
Okain's discography spans labels including Tsuba, BPitch Control, Hypercolour, Quartz and Truesoul, alongside releases on his own Talman Records.
Has Okain performed at RTS.FM?
Yes. RTS.FM's archive includes a DJ set Okain recorded live for the channel's Budapest broadcast at 360 Bar on September 24, 2016.