NOWNOW News

(Amsterdam | NL) Surrender to the call of NowNow Records as the imprint from Lee Ann Roberts' sets the release of its first V/A compilation. Featuring Aida Arko, Brecc, Blicz, and Geerson, NowNow Various 1 sets the space between the subtlety and soul of Hard Techno with a tasting of proper talent. Pre-orders are available starting on 30 September 2022.

The now Amsterdam-based South African artist, Robert's created NowNow Records as a destination for communities and cultures to come together in sonic bliss. NowNow Records has championed off-the-grid Techno through its inherent state of urgency since Robert's kicked off the imprint with 2021's I Want You Ep. Since, NowNow Records has been celebrated as a go-to destination for the harder edges of Techno, with releases from WarinD, OGUZ, Ana Lilia, and Benny Guzi all offering their respective takes on this unmistakably relentless sound.

After two successful years, NowNow Records' first V/A features Vienna's Aida Arko, whose A Long Night Into Dunwall kicks things off with her typically industrial, dark, and percussive groove before melding into Brecc's appropriately titled Praise the Rave. The Utrecht-based artist, known for his relentlessly energetic sets, draws from much experience with this one, and it shows! Next, Paris' enigmatic Blicz lets the music do the talking with Independance Night before fellow Frenchmen Geerson closes the affair with the bonafide banger, Domenical Mass.

The complete release is not one for the faint of heart but definitely for those looking for that moment where the music takes you travelling without ever having to leave where you are.

South African-born, Amsterdam-based Lee Ann Roberts served up plenty of fresh techno in the last 12 months. It has taken her to the top end of the Beatport Hard Techno chart and to labels like Octopus Warehouse Series as well as her own NowNow Records. Fans of her tough sounds include Charlotte de Witte and Ken Ishii, while Lee Ann herself has played festivals like Caprices and BPM. Now she kicks off a new year in thrilling fashion.

The monstrous 'March Of The White Fireflies' is built on earth-shattering kicks drums and run through with edgy synth lines. The whole tune has a dark, dystopian atmosphere and muffled vocals add to the intrigue as the drums march on into ever more shadowy realms. First to remix is Glasgow's Frazi.er, a leader of the Scottish techno scene with his standout sets at mega-events like Terminal V amongst others. His tracks are as powerful as his DJ sets as this remix proves. It is an explosive rave tune lacerated by machine gun synths and flat-footed, insistent kick drums. Industrial textures and late-night paranoia all infuse this most peak-time weapon.

Next comes a remix from Charlie Sparks, an up-and-coming young artist notorious for his high energy sounds on labels such as NineTimesNine, COUP and Märked. His remix adds a little swing to the drums, but there is no less urgency in the synths. The scuffed-up kicks bring texture while the pulsing sonar pads add a sense of intergalactic space travel as lashings of acid light up the whole track. Brussels-based Jacidorex is a neo acid pioneer and runs a label of the same name. He has made everything from drum & bass to techno on labels like Molekül, Acid Night and Rave Alert and offers a superb remix here. His take on the original is sleek and stripped back but full of techno potency. The percussion is twisted, the synths corrugated and the groove unrelenting.

New school techno star Lee Ann Roberts continues to light up 2021 with another brand new single on her own NowNow Records. Her standout original is backed by remixes from MRD and D.A.V.E. The Drummer.

This year already belongs to South African-born, Amsterdam-based Lee Ann Roberts. Her new label has had high-profile support from tastemakers like Charlotte de Witte & Ken Ishii, and is already well known for its off-grid techno sounds. Roberts herself debuted only last year on Suara. She immediately hit the number 2 spot on the Beatport Hard Techno chart and followed up with more on Octopus Warehouse Series. She has played festivals like Caprices this year and is lined up for BPM as well as plenty more headline gigs.

The excellent 'Feel' is a nine-minute, hard-edged roller. The drums are flat-footed and unrelenting, the synths bring turbulence and dark vocals add dystopian unease. The edgy textures and caustic pads make for a visceral groove that is perfectly designed for shadowy warehouse spaces. An Acid Trip Mix sees the track erupt on wild acid lines that spray about the mix and cannot fail to blow up the dance floor.

Remixer MRD hails from Norway and has released plenty of EPs and an album in a short space of time. He has a ferocious sound that fuses new wave, hardcore and banging techno as evidenced here. His version is break-neck techno with trance pads lighting up the airwaves in euphoric fashion.

The second remixer is the legendary London techno titan and label boss D.A.V.E. The Drummer. He heads up Hydraulix Records and Apex Recordings and always brings the fire. His take on 'Feel' is a wall-rattling banger with oversized bass. Saw-tooth synths rip up the track while the stark, strobe-lit stabs and some buried vocals make the floor sweat.