TuneLab
AnD
Awakenings x 9x9 invites ADE 2023
When the invitation for Awakenings x 9x9 invites ADE 2023 includes AnD, you know you're in for a lesson in auditory punishment, and we mean that as the highest compliment. This is hard techno in its most relentless, industrial-strength form, a set that feels less like a musical journey and more like being strapped to a rocket sled heading into a concrete wall. The vibe is pure bunker mentality—dark, dense, and physical, where the only currency is kinetic energy. On a technical level, it's brutally efficient. Averaging a punishing 158.3 BPM and oscillating between the 12A and 7A keys, the sound is a wall of distorted kicks and screeching mid-range frequencies.
The energy balance leans into the mids (0.2525) and highs (0.1732) more than typical techno, creating a razor-sharp, aggressive texture that cuts through the low-end rumble. The mixing is fast and furious, often using hard cuts and loops to maintain a near-constant state of peak-time intensity. There's no room for breath, only forward momentum. The track selection is a weaponized arsenal. It opens with the tribal chants and pounding rhythm of 'kamarasa & Dj Eko (ES) - Make Feel the Sound,' immediately setting a militant tone.
Sara Landry & Alt8's 'Heaven (Victor Krum Remix)' is a standout, its haunting vocal sample twisted into a dystopian anthem. ASLØ's 'Where Have You Been (Acid Flip)' provides a welcome shot of 303 squelch, and the bizarre inclusion of Michiel van der Kuy's 'Lord of the Rings' theme is the kind of absurd, edit-heavy humor we live for. Bastet & RASCÒ's 'Daimonic Spirit' and ARGOT's 'CLUB BIZARRE' keep the pressure at maximum. The journey is a linear assault: it begins with the call to arms of 'Make Feel the Sound,' reaches a distorted, euphoric peak with 'Heaven,' and finally grinds to a halt with the punishing finale of Per Pleks' 'Sins.' Not for the faint of heart, but essential for the hardened rhythm soldier.