On Our Radar: April 2020

RAVEN

As globetrotting dancefloor enthusiast with a keen eye for refreshing scenes and regaling techno, acid, and more, Toronto-born DJ-producer Raven is currently gearing up to release her debut EP, Flames. Out now via Radio Slave’s widely-cherished Rekids imprint, Raven’s raw and brazen sound is the culmination of years spent behind the decks and full immersion in the underground cultures of cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Berlin, and Mexico City. Incorporating her haunting and sensuous vocals atop a collection of breakneck tracks that sit at 140 bpm and more emotional, atmospheric compositions, Raven’s inquisitive approach to techno is something to look forward to.

SEPEHR

Hailing from the Bay Area, Sepehr has been patient, buoyant, and determined in his pursuit of a sound that that slaps the dancefloor into submission since his teens. As we’ve watched his music evolve and morph from a smart and excitable style of house into a cybernetic onslaught of techno, acid, and electro, the arrival of his debut album, Shaytoon, marks a turning point in his production prowess. Having just dropped via Dark Entries, the LP pays homage to the 1970s and ’80s “Iranian funk/prog/rock records” that Sepehr listened to as a kid, and packs a beautifully acidic and calamitous punch with a full range psychedelic bangers and wonky underground ballads. It’s a debut album worth its weight in gold, and a labor of love that’s deserving of our attention.

LIGHGHT

Here to bring us “strange sounds from Ireland,” DJ-producer Lighght‘s experimental sound is the stuff of dreams — both serene and restless. With his affinity for broken club sonics and fluid, ambient excursions, Lighght’s productions exist in the ether with a genuine air of no-nonsense discovery. His 2019 debut album, Gore-Tex In The Club, Balenciaga Amongst The Shrubs, was a unique exploration of self-healing. His most recent 2020 EP, which sports an even longer name than his LP, is titled They Are Just Bangers Bro, Please Don’t Think Too Hard About It, Bro You Gotta Stop Thinking, Please Bro Come On. The title is self-explanatory and perfectly sums up the approach, attitude, and sound of this forward-thinking artist.

SARA LANDRY

Sara Landry is a self-taught producer, audio engineer, and DJ from Austin, Texas, who is propping up a massive techno spirit and sound in her home state where everything is bigger. Producing her own underground warehouse parties in Austin, Klubhaus, Landry’s energy and stamina behind the decks never fails to sink her audiences into a transcendent state of heavy, techno-induced euphoria. Her Sacrifice EP just landed on Pleasurekraft’s cosmic and highly selective Kraftek imprint; the two-track excursion is a boost of adrenaline that will send your mind leaping into the stratosphere. Landry is currently booked to perform at Coachella’s infamous Yuma Tent in 2020, where she is bound to make a sizeable impression on the global dance music community and take one giant leap closer to techno stardom.

SELECTIVE RESPONSE

Making an exceptional impression on Southern California’s ever-growing techno scene, 27-year-old DJ-producer Selective Response has been fastidiously pumping out a sound that is quickly making waves around the rest of the world. Having produced under the moniker for only the past year, he’s already created his own label, Crisis Of Man, received airplay on BBC Radio 1, and become a secret weapon for artists like Amelie Lens, Dax J, Perc, and more. His most recent EP, Blame It On The Holy Rollers, is a blinding, high-octane triumph that bound to get any hard techno lover in the mood to cut up some rugs.

Cameron Holbrook is a staff writer for Beatportal. Find him on Twitter.