Similar Sundays: How BNJR and Moteka Found Common Ground Between the Dancefloor and Fatherhood

When French techno artists BNJR and Moteka entered the studio together in Marseille, they weren't necessarily planning a major statement. What emerged instead was Similar Sundays, a deep and hypnotic techno cut that captures a moment of personal transition as much as it does a shared musical language.

Released via R&S Records, the single brings together two artists whose paths have developed through different corners of the French electronic landscape. On one side is BNJR, the French-Moroccan DJ, producer and curator whose work with Paradox, Sotor Records and the Culturalis association has helped shape emerging scenes across France and Morocco. On the other is Moteka, the long-running project of Pierre Delort, whose journey from psytrance pioneer to one of French techno's most respected producers has spanned more than fifteen years.

The resulting track feels both physical and emotional: a driving, fast-paced techno record infused with melancholy and atmosphere. According to the pair, that balance was there from the beginning. "The initial spark was the intention to capture the specific atmosphere of a warehouse after-party," they explain. "We were aiming for something raw, melancholic, and deeply honest. Technically, we wanted to build a fast-paced foundation, around 140 BPM, that remained highly minimalist, allowing a massive, sweeping pad to dictate the emotional narrative."

The title itself reveals a surprisingly personal story. "The title is a direct reference to our current personal lives," they say. "We have known each other for 10 years through the Paradox collective, but recently, we both became fathers almost at the same time. Our children are the same age. While Sundays in our past might have been dedicated to recovering from gigs or attending after-parties, our Sundays are now remarkably similar, structured around the identical routines of raising a child. The track reflects this shared transition."

That intersection between dancefloor culture and adulthood runs through much of the conversation. Similar Sundays is not simply another club record; it reflects how both artists have evolved alongside the lives they now lead. The collaboration itself emerged organically. What began as an informal studio session quickly became something more substantial. "BNJR had recently started exploring production, so I invited him to spend a day at my studio in Marseille to demonstrate my workflow and show him some production tips," Moteka recalls. "He arrived with his ideas and a few loops on his Analog Rytm. We plugged it into my setup, and the track was essentially laid down during that single studio session."

The chemistry worked because each artist arrived with a different skill set. "BNJR has spent years immersed in the cultural and event side of the scene, both as a promoter and a DJ," says Moteka. "He brought an undeniable dancefloor instinct and a clear curatorial vision."

Meanwhile, Moteka provided the technical foundation. "Having stepped back from DJing to focus purely on production and live performance, I brought the technical architecture. I provided the studio workflow, the hardware and the engineering required to translate his ideas into a dense, finished sonic product."

Interestingly, the pair never approached the session with a list of reference tracks or influences. Instead, the mood emerged from the process itself. "We started with a raw, hypnotic bass loop," they explain. "From there, the idea was to add a sweeping pad to soften the edges and create this floating, 'cotton-like Sunday' sensation."

That combination of intensity and emotion has become a hallmark of both artists' work, though neither claims it was a calculated decision. "It emerged naturally from our workflow during the session," they say. "We realized we needed to add that emotional layer to a track that was otherwise becoming a bit too mental and functional."

For BNJR, this relationship between force and vulnerability sits at the heart of techno itself. "Because that's how the dancefloor actually feels to me," he says. "There's the physical, almost aggressive drive of the kick and then there's this undertow of something fragile, nostalgia, longing, a kind of beautiful sadness that hits you at 4am."

"I don't think those two things are opposites," he continues. "I think they need each other. Pure energy gets exhausting and pure melancholy gets static. The tension between them is where emotion lives."

Those ideas are rooted in a personal and cultural identity that has developed between France and Morocco. "I never saw them as two separate worlds that needed reconciling," BNJR explains. "They are simply both part of who I am, and the tension between them is precisely where my voice emerges."

He credits France with providing "the discipline of the European circuit" while Morocco gave him "a sense of rhythm that feels inherited rather than learned."

That dual perspective has shaped not only his music but also his work as a curator and mentor through Paradox and Sotor Records. "It made me a better listener, and honestly a more honest artist," he says. "When you spend years helping someone else find their voice, you develop a sharp ear for what's authentic and what's imitation."

The influence of place extends further. Asked about the cities that continue to shape his sound, BNJR draws a clear map. "From Berlin I took patience. Tbilisi taught me intensity and stakes. London gave me rhythmic literacy.When I produce, I'm usually chasing a balance between those three: the space of Berlin, the urgency of Tbilisi, and the rhythmic detail of London."

For Moteka, meanwhile, the journey has been one of continual reinvention. Long before becoming a central figure within French hypnotic techno, Pierre Delort was touring internationally as one half of psytrance act Principles of Flight. Looking back, he sees less of a stylistic connection than a technical one. "In terms of direct musical influence, I haven't kept much from that period," he says. "However, on a technical level regarding mixing and sound design, it was incredibly formative."

The transition to techno ultimately came from a desire for freedom. "Psytrance is a genre with a massive amount of technical and artistic rules, constraints, and audience expectations," he explains. "Freeing myself from all of those rules by making techno was crucial."

His admiration for British techno pioneers such as Surgeon and Planetary Assault Systems remains evident. "The primary lesson is the physical weight of sound," he says. "Those artists demonstrated that a track does not need complex arrangements to be devastating; it needs sonic density."

Yet despite the precision of his productions, Moteka remains drawn to moments of dreamlike ambiguity. "The percussion acts as the physical anchor to the dancefloor, but the oniric elements provide the psychological depth. I need both."

That same cinematic sensibility informed his acclaimed album As We Fought Iron Giants, which he describes as "an imaginary soundtrack." For me, music is a journey that must convey a story," he says. "Every release requires a narrative arc."

It's perhaps no surprise, then, that Similar Sundays feels like a story in miniature, a snapshot of two artists arriving at a shared point in their lives.

The release also represents an important milestone for both musicians. As BNJR enters what he describes as a new chapter focused on his own productions, the R&S release feels particularly significant. "The R&S single with Moteka was a real marker for me," he says. "A sign that the productions are ready to stand on their own."

For both artists, releasing on one of electronic music's most influential labels carries a profound meaning. "R&S Records is an absolute pillar of electronic music history," they say. "To release on a platform that has catalogued the defining works of this genre is a profound validation of our artistic and technical approach."

Fortunately, neither sees Similar Sundays as a one-off. "The workflow was really fluid and productive," they explain. "We are highly satisfied with the result and absolutely intend to produce more music together in the future."

In many ways, the track reflects what both artists value most about electronic music: not trends, but connection. Not simply the dancefloor, but the communities and relationships that emerge around it. "Electronic music has always been a culture of the margins building its own world," BNJR says. "For me the dancefloor is the beginning, not the end."

For now, Similar Sundays stands as proof that some of the most compelling techno still emerges from shared experiences, trusted friendships and a willingness to let emotion find its place alongside intensity.

BNJR & Moteka – Similar Sundays is out now on R&S Records. Grab it on Beatport HERE.

Read the full interview with BNJR & Moteka on The Night Bazaar website HERE.