The “real” techno selection of Mr Philippe Petit himself
Philippe Petit, founder of the labels Knotweed Records and Decision Making Theory – and DJ for Black Crows parties since the very beginning,is the harsh, metallic sound, the deep, powerful, penetrating sound behind which lurks a melody of machines trying to make their way towards humanity. The nuances, interwoven with chromosome vibrations, jostle the heartbeat and call for a primitive trance, like a junction between an original past and a hypothetical future. A disciple of jazz, Phil is a meticulous listener, a savant concocting in his studio or in front of his turntables immediate formulas in which space-time bends in the grooves of a vinyl record.
Here, for your listening pleasure, is a selection of five outstanding tracks and a playlist of 50 techno tracks that have made us sweat in dark basements around the world over the past 25 years..
Marco Lenzi – XX2
Marco is a London legend. After the iconic Silverfish, he opened Eukatech in Covent Garden, a vinyl shop known for its cutting edge techno and house selection. Impromptu afternoon were often taking place in the basement (from Jeff Mills and the rest of the techno intelligentia). He started a techno label called Molecular, that has seen the who is who of techno releasing on it. Great DJ, great producer, key figure of the London techno scene.
Juan Atkins – Session One
Who doesn’t know Juan Atkins. Here, he released a fantastic Real Techno album on Tresor (with some collaboration with Pacou) which is still relevant to this day. If you see Juan in a small sweaty dark basement on a good day, you are going to be in for a treat. This happened to us at Platsic People during a Spacebase party in London in 2008, and again a few years ago at Motel Campo in Geneva – unforgettable!
Philippe Petit – Venus
In 2014 I was on a roll. Gareth Wild, the owner of EartoGround (with Dax J and Chris Stanford) asked me in the summer of 2013 to prepare a release for him, after hearing my first DMT releases. Venus was ready in October 2013. I was going to Berlin to party at Berghain, and I asked Gareth if I could give the promo to Ben Klock. Ben got it on a Friday, tested it at Fuse on Friday, and told me on Sunday evening before he started his set: I am going to play it, you will see, people will go nuts… An hour later, Venus comes on, the dance floor goes nuts (without knowing what that track was) and I was in techno heaven. The track was then played by the techno gratin for 6-12 months, a very nice feeling for me.
Steve Bicknell – Messenger Molecules
Steve is a key piece of the complex European and Worldwide techno puzzle. He organised the iconic Lost, Burundi and Spacebase parties in London for years, having the who is who of techno playing for his events since the early nineties. Warehouse parties at their best, with one red room (usually the techno room) and one blue and/or purple room (usually with more laid back chilled music). He also started a record label in 1993 (Cosmic Records), releasing essential techno throughout the years. In 2016 he started a new high quality techno label called 6Dimensions. You do not see him play often, but when he is on, HE IS ON. Once of the best techno DJs around.
DVS1 – Solfage Framework (2020)
DVS1 is on of the most real person and best techno DJs around in the last 10+ years. He doesn’t release much, but all his releases are on point. Seeing him play a long set (4 hours or more) is a totally immersive experience. He is passionate, 100% Real Techno, and takes you on a trip from start to finish. He is so dedicated to techno that last year he started Aslice, a new way for touring DJs to share a part of their fee with techno producers, to make sure producers are somehow rewarded for the music they create for the dance floor – what a fantastic concept.
