Two generations of techno collide: Quelza and Takaaki Itoh each play an extended set in BASEMENT. Each artist presents a highly personal vision of the genre, honed and developed to a fine point. Quelza represents the current generation. Since his debut release in 2020, he has steadily evolved into one of the most respected techno auteurs working today. Early releases on labels like Hayes and Mord, showed him harnessing the surging intensity that has become the standard. But Quelza has always exemplified dynamic contrast, and from the start his productions stood apart. This year’s “Above The Clouds I Finally Found Peace” on Ostgut Ton is a full-body immersion in twisting soundscapes and supple power. Takaaki Itoh is one of the grandmasters of Japanese techno and a beloved figurehead for anyone interested in the near-infinite psychedelic potentialities of the loop. From his 1998 debut onwards, Itoh has devoted himself with singular focus to tunneling, hypnotic minimalism and thundering, elemental sonics. There’s an elusive quality that is his signature. From one angle, his productions can seem granite-thick. From another, they are ephemeral, elusive constructions that twist like incense smoke dangling in the air. The full effect comes through immersion; Itoh draws you in slowly, capturing the dancefloor through masterful gradations in tension and intensity. Once you realize what’s happening, it’s already too late.
ketia returns to STUDIO. The Kit Ket founder has become a figurehead in the modern queer underground, tapping into a pumping, high energy rave sound that allows plenty of room for cheeky vocal flips, crossover remixes and club edits. There’s an infectious freedom to a ketia set that cannot be denied. Tommy Hart has become a regular in the room. An ambassador to the timeless legacy of house music, Drawing from some of the most dancefloor-ready sounds of all time, Hart marries the unabashed extroversion of the ‘90s with the liquid grooves of the ‘00s, tying it all together with his own clear eyed, generous sensibility. Sevyn encapsulates everything good about deliciously swung, jazzy NY house. From the earliest days of Strictly Rhythm, Nervous and Shelter through to the present day, there’s a timeless feel that a select group of DJs can bring to life. Sevyn stands proudly within that lineage.
