3 Killer Deep Electronic Music Tips: “…a slow-paced minimal, melodic techno track that builds beautifully over 7 minutes.”
This is Perfectly Deep Weekly #44, a free newsletter that makes it easy to enjoy quality deep electronic music every week. This week we review:
Primal Code, Absis, Hüma Utku
Intro:
Another Friday, another opportunity for me to serve you with some deep electronic music that I am super excited about. This week is focused on new stuff, so without further ado, I hereby share with you the three brand new gems that have been in the highest rotation this week at the Perfectly Deep HQ in sunny Copenhagen, Denmark.
I hope you will enjoy this newsletter as much as I did putting it together.
Keep it deep,
Christian Villum
Primal Code — Black Wave 047 (2022)
Black Wave
Tags: #minimaltechno #minimalhouse
In this mix, Primal Code, an Italian duo, which is a relatively new name on the global deep techno and minimal house circuit, presents us with a compelling plethora of well-picked tracks over the course of an hour. It starts somewhat ambient and experimental before going into the area of their signature sound that sits somewhere between house and techno, yet always deep and always with an elegant touch. Here it is seasoned with bits of Detroit electro and other experimental sounds.
In fact, I believe the duo has a rather poetic approach to their music, exemplified by the lyrical verse that accompanies the mix. It is so refined that I think it deserves reproduction here:
“Glass structures have been slowly spinning in the wind, suspended in time, floating mid-air. Each revolution results in evolution — a pattern changes ever so slightly, creating another layer in an intricate geometrical shape.
Environmental greenery reflects in mirror panels for all but a split second giving you a gulp of piquant, fresh taste of now. Repetition and visual sensation turn into sound and music written in Primal Code.”
That’s beautiful.
Behind the moniker stands Gabriele Giuggioli and Davide Perrone, two DJs and producers who came onto my radar a few years back through a series of EPs on the famed Swedish deep music imprint Hypnus Records. Since then, they’ve established themselves on the scene. According to their bio, they combine their take on modern electronic music with field recordings from their travels, and, as the bio reads, “dreams of ancient mysteries start to vibrate in the air.”
The outlet for the mix, Black Wave, is a Lithuanian podcast and event series run by a crew based in Vilnius and Klaipéda. There is always great stuff coming out on this channel, so one to bookmark and follow if you dig this mix.
Absis — All The Moments (2022)
Oslated Records
Tags: #deeptechno #deepelectronica
Absis is the moniker of Spanish DJ and producer Salva Coromina Massó. My research tells me that he is a reasonably new producer, with only two albums (including this one) and one single released so far. This does not mean that he is new on the scene, though. Based on the long list of recorded DJ-mixes featured on his Soundcloud, he has at least ten years under his belt as a DJ. The finesse and musicality from that experience clearly show in his music productions.
All the Moments is a superb release that centers around elegant variations of deep techno with stints into electronica and dark ambient. ‘Flying Over Me,’ the opener, is one of the strongest tracks on the release. A hypnotic techno belter with multiple layers of synth pads, a tingly samply, and LFO-driven reverberations that sets you off on the album in style.
Other highlights include the title track ‘All The Moments’, a slow-paced minimal, melodic techno track that builds beautifully over 7 minutes. Or ‘Static Trip,’ a slow ambient burner that adds variance to the album and shows the artist’s versatility.
The album comes out on Oslated, an underground label based in South Korea; more specifically, on Jeju Island, a scenic outpost south of the mainland. We’ve sort of touched upon this label before, indirectly, because it has a sublabel by the name of Huinali Records, which we featured in newsletter #23. I am really fond of the work done by the team — or teams, plural? — behind these two sister labels.
Lastly, a meta-comment: I usually only pick albums for this newsletter because I think that format is the most interesting due to the length and progression an artist can make on such a duration. However, this release is listed on some streaming services, including Spotify, as an EP release, so technically, it does not qualify. But since it runs over 40 minutes, I think it meets the criteria.
Spotify Apple Music Deezer Bandcamp Youtube Music
Hüma Utku — The Psychologist (2022)
Editions Mego
Tags: #experimentalelectronica #experimentaltechno
One of the most experimental albums to ever make it into this newsletter, Hüma Utku’s The Psychologist is an album that pushes the boundaries of what can be considered deep electronic music. Mainly because it is rather noisy at times.
The opening track, for instance, titled ‘Fuel for the Flames,’ features various string instruments (guitar probably) being used to create turbulent feedback noise. At the same time, however, it has a deep bass-driven structure similar to what you find in traditional ambient music. This is what makes it deep to me.
Another example is ‘Dissolution of I,’ the second track, which is an ambient drone track supplemented with high-paced percussion and blaring samples, and detuned synth strokes.
This album probably isn’t for everybody. I was also quite challenged by it to begin with, but a certain draw from it kept me to the flame. After a few listens, it really started to grow on me.
Hüma Utku is an Istanbul-born, Berlin-based electronic music composer and sound artist. According to the press material on this second album of hers, she “explores the possibilities of how sound textures and rhythm can be used to evoke a sense of ancient within abstract electronic music.”
There is an interesting storyline behind the album and its title. Utku has a background as a psychology graduate and describes this album as “a series of sonic essays based around themes of psychological phenomena and can be read as a musical inquiry into the human condition.” So, in essence, the album is a juxtaposition of her two fields of expertise, and I think that knowledge adds depth and edge to the experience of listening to the album.
The Psychologist comes out on the Editions Mego label, the successor of the iconic Austrian Mego label, which folded a few years back. Editions Mego acts as a custodian for the Mega catalog but also builds on that with new quality releases. In combination, the labels feature over 500 releases since 1994.
Spotify Apple Music Tidal Bandcamp Deezer Youtube Music
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Perfectly Deep is an exploration of deep electronic music by Christian Villum: An electronic music connoisseur, DJ, event organizer, record label owner and digital technology explorer, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more on the Perfectly Deep website.
