MUSIC RECOMMENDATION

Claudio PRC at Terraza Club in Colombia (Medellín Style, 2020):

TRIBAL TECHNO

Claudio PRC usually carries Italian hypnotic techno on his sonic shoulders, but in “Challenger Deep” can be sensed all the family of his label 012: “Hiako” brings the elegant touch of Dycide for instance, while “Kaikõ” reminds Zemög and Forest On Stasys’ typical grooves from South America, where Claudio PRC has been touring in June this year and in 2020. These influences nicely symbolise tribalism, which is first and foremost a gathering. As a result: a virtuous deep tribal techno work, well-inspired and innovative. The name of the EP, referring to the deepest-known point of the seabed of Earth, and the track titles, evoking some traditional language while representing each the name of a submarine, add more to this idea of “tribalism getting deeper”. It’s an EP where Claudio PRC, humbly enriched by his peers, reinvents himself, and we love it!

Inside Samuli Kemppi’s spaceship:

ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO

Here, we rehabilitate a superb yet one-month-old EP that we missed, probably due to some collision of parallel universes. We however finally received the cosmic radio message from the opening track, and “Houston”, sorry “Helsinki, we are go for launch!”

Neel’s remix fires the rocket while the next two tracks bring us to empty space, the occasion to look back at Earth, and see how small and fragile our home planet is: the EP conveys a message through the law of “Cause and Effect”: “We don’t inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children…” (Ref. in Bandcamp)

It’s becoming threatening with “Sustain” and its remix by Dark Division, the trio behind Hidden Tapes. Then Neel’s slow version of the opening radio signal closes the loop, as to insist that “communication is key” and that it begins with connection…

ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO

No, don’t jump into these tracks like a savage, listen to them in full, take the time for it, you’ll thank us for not missing “the trip of the century”. Long mixes are usually necessary to get such an effect, but the album is rich, consistent, creative, even if you may recognise some harmonies here and there yet merged in an ocean of sounds: there has been obviously a lot of work in this production. We are happy to witness how RTNH and SVRA, fine selectors, constantly give voice to such talented artists in their project Unheard. “Iron Age” is the type of album that warms up our fire to dig for new music week after week. If you enjoyed it the way we did, we also recommend “ACCENTAPE007“, released four days earlier on Sub Accent’s label (Saïph’s part in particular, for the similar aesthetic).

ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO

John Plazza is a “hard worker”. Even though he only started producing atmospheric techno last year, he then accumulated numerous releases, crafting his art fast thanks to his assiduity. In August, he launched his own label Linderluft Records, with “Bosque EP“, showing his readiness to meet the level of our great artists. For the new present EP, he invited two Italian producers; Save Your Atoll, whom we know from his “Bioma” EP, and SAAM, from his “NFR013“, and as expected from these works, the trio composed very beautiful journeys.

DRONE-ISH TECHNO

Van Morph, behind Khoros, used to sign more or less talented artists for his label in the past, not that his critical ear was dysfunctioning, but because he’s an extremely nice soul, ready to support everyone. His experience and the arrival of Alexskyspirit in the management led him to be more careful, and since 2022, only great releases are coming out, “Propheties” being the new one. In charge: ØSC from Italy, an enigmatic character, living under the radars with ups (“Tantric“) and downs (“Ninami“): a rich yet strange mind, as sensed in his music.

DRUM’N’BASS

Meanwhile in Switzerland, the underground scene evolves in very deep floors but has difficulties finding a clear identity, in the image of Hendrik van Boetzelaer who vindicates a certain eclectism, or of the interesting label re:st, which deploys many subgenres of DnB, from experimental to hardcore. Human Space Machine, on his side, is Dutch, so you would think that he’s not very concerned. He however usually produces dynamic space electronica and obviously chose re:st’s sonic orientation here, which suits him particularly well…

TEXTURED TECHNO

We are very humbled in front of this incredible piece of art by Notzing on his label Knotzept. The Madrid-based artist is a UFO in the Spanish School. Sure, he has inherited the textured language of his peers, Reeko and Mulero, as sensed in the first track. But the ones that follow indicate that we are not in such known territories. Conceptualised around the stifling sensation sometimes lived in dreams, the EP offers new perspectives: the game of tension, subtly brutal, is one of the most subversive we’ve witnessed this year.

Sannhet:

INDUSTRIAL TECHNO

The Ukrainian war keeps on inspiring musicians (see our dedicated “love board“), and who better than tortured artistic souls to translate the rage musically? Bassist of the post-metal band Sannhet, Annunziata brings his know-how from the rock and ambient genres in his new electrifying single on Faktor Music, along with two guests: Moment Of Terror from Ukraine and Guilt Attendant from the USA, a pretty symbolic collaboration.

The tracks are interesting for their warrior motives, for their sudden twists inside, somehow illustrating war’s brutality, for their efficiency on the dancefloor and for their message:

“STOP WARS START RAVES!”