Dubfire
Château de Fontainebleau in France for Cercle
Nothing quite captures the absurdity of electronic music like a bloke in a black t-shirt blasting minimal techno at a literal royal palace while the French aristocracy’s ghosts look on in horror. The drone shots are immaculate, and this Dubfire Château de Fontainebleau in France for Cercle tracklist is proper serious. The ornate Renaissance architecture of the Château provides a surreal, grandiose contrast to the dark, mechanical thud of underground techno. Precision is the name of the game in this Dubfire live set.
Locked rigidly at 130 BPM, he utilizes the 12A key to create a tense, linear energy arc. It’s a masterclass in Techno minimalism, with long, slow-burn mixing that relies on subtle mid-range modulation and a rock-solid low-end groove. The selections are appropriately dark and bizarre. "Return of the Mack" by Temido is a cheeky groove, but club kids getting Rickrolled by a Katy Perry "Last Friday Night" remix? Absolute madness.
Stephan Crown & EiZer G’s "Bouncing" brings it back to the warehouse. The eerie, textured opening track "Unbroken Continuity" by Dadub sets a menacing tone. The energy boils over with AndReew's "Move On", before the eccentric, wildly percussive closing track, Fango's "Dritto (Rebolledo's Action Sequence)", leaves the royal courtyard in pieces.