Javel – Into The Abyss 022

On a personal note, Norwegian-based artist Javel is our favourite DJ and it is all of a symbol for us, to start this brand new series of reviews with one of his mixes.

In March 2022, his contribution to Iffie’s fabulous podcast “Into The Abyss” reached our shores like a tsunami, blowing away all the furniture of our office (kiddin’, no office here, just a nerd behind a laptop).

For the 22nd episode, Javel, formerly known as Pijãr, simply created what we consider to be “the perfect mix”, coming as a “game changer” back then.

And now we have to explain why…

The mix starts with 14 minutes of ambient music, which is usually considered as too long, but not here, as the introduction installs the Polar nights which have inspired the artist, with intriguing drones and vocals that grow interest and set the peaceful mood – “peaceful”, but where the listener stays alert thanks to the subtle multi-games of tension.

Delusional Circuits once said that the hypnotic techno aesthetic has the particularity to create and release tension all the time, conveying the impression of being constantly on the knife’s edge between recovery and disaster, contemplation and loss of control. This is perfectly illustrated here, through the chosen tracks grouped around a mood, at the same time consistent and intriguing.

The global energy is built around the “mountain pattern”, the most efficient one to provoke an emotion, and particularly well-crafted here, with an explosive climax at 47:20, through the dope track “Opia” by RDG & Gaze III. Moreover, the choice to express the hypnosis through halfstep, followed by drum’n’bass when approaching the climax, increases the progressive feel, and therefore grows the emotion.

That second aspect makes the mix particularly modern and innovative: “modern” because the current underground electronic music, in its most contemporary representation, is basically a fusion of genres that somewhat includes bass music. Think for instance of the music from Well Street Records, merging dub techno with bass music, creating a much more impactful experience. Here in this mix, we have the usual codes of atmospheric techno, but expressed with half-step beats, and this, for us, defined “the future of hypnotic techno” after the Italian saga, already well-anticipated by artists such as Lemna from Horo, but with a combination particularly well-merged in Javel’s mix.

Technically: each transition is perfectly set; the listener is never ejected from the journey because of some bad drop of energy or abusive bass cuts. It’s fluid like a river. The mastering of the mix is also top-notch, with a crystal-clear sound, set a the right level.

We wish you a great listening and maybe, hopefully, you will agree with us that this mix is “one of a kind”…