Truants

Interview: http://truantsblog.com/2020/truancy-volume-263-identified-patient

Access the download and tracklist on our Patreon: patreon.com/truants

Soundcloud: @identified-patient

Having formed a trademark sound that flirted between electro, EBM, acid, wave sounds, post punk and industrial, Identified Patient's penchant for club and genre experimentation always left the door open for a producer wanting to keep things fresh and interesting with every release going forward. His debut EP, The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, landed via Common Thread in 2016 and since then he's found a regular home via Pinkman, dropping four releases of industrial percussion for the Rotterdam-based label. With a release on Dekmantel last year and another one for them coming up in June we caught up with Job to discuss old Prodigy tapes and Suzuki Swifts, his incorporation of samples in his productions, scoring a short love film for Otto Laan, and the extra step he's been taking in the minor details. Describing the forthcoming EP as being more focussed on beats, rhythm, lower frequencies and the dancefloor in general, it's a direction that's helped him move forward in terms of his skill and technical prowess as a producer. His Truancy Volume, an interlocking hour and a half of tempo switches and unpredictable selections, is utterly body-rocking. It's a representative of what he like's to play in his sets these days, with breaks and more bass orientated tracks fully at the forefront here. It's a blistering spectrum of sounds and a snapshot of a producer and DJ posied for a future in creativity and big records.

Interview: http://truantsblog.com/2020/truancy-volume-262-gabber-modus-operandi

Access the download and tracklist on our Patreon: patreon.com/truants

Soundcloud: @gabbermodusoperandi

As Gabber Modus Operandi, vocalist Ican Harem and DJ Kasimyn have spent the past couple of years raising hell across their native Bali and beyond. The duo connected over their shared love of disparate musics, including metal, grindcore and noise from the local punk scene, regional sounds like dangdut, koplo and gamelan plus footwork, happy hardcore and experimental styles – though they’ll tell you they don’t differentiate genres so distinctly. These influences all seeped into the two albums they have under their belt quite naturally, and the group took the sounds of 2018’s Puxxximaxxx and 2019 follow-up HOXXXYA to the global circuit last year. As a live act, they thrive: Kasimyn handles deck duties while Ican Harem’s MCing goes beyond rapped hooks to involve exhilarating screeches and guttural bellows, all the while brandishing chains and bringing a crucial sense of physicality to the stage. The pair deliver a seismic, hour-long barrage of a mix for Truancy Volume 262, only letting up to leave you properly winded.

Interview: http://truantsblog.com/2020/truancy-volume-261-thomas-martojo/

Access the download and tracklist on our Patreon: http://patreon.com/truants

Soundcloud: @dkmntl

You will, of course, be familiar with the work of Thomas Martojo. The internationally recognised dance music brand, Dekmantel, continues to be a signature moment within a claustrophobic festival landscape. On the other hand, the Dekmantel label serves as a reliable litmus test of who you should be aware of in electronic music. Growing up in The Hague, Martojo founded the Dutch imprint along with his child- hood friend Casper Tielrooji and the two were fast putting on parties with the likes of Jeff Mills, Robert Hood and Moodymann. Martojo’s sound is rooted in classic Chicago House and tough Detroit Techno but over the years he’s become more closely recognised for the percussive, low slung grooves associated with Dekmantel Soundsystem. Martojo recently began playing out under his name - using it as an opportunity - to return to the uptempo, harder sounds of his youth. We caught up with him to talk local scenes, inclusivity and how to cultivate a family of artists.

Interview: http://truantsblog.com/2020/truancy-volume-260-shyboi

Access the download and tracklist on our Patreon: http://patreon.com/truants

Soundcloud: @djshyboi

Everything SHYBOI seemingly touches is delivered intuitively and with intent. Her sets may not be planned, but they feed off the crowd’s energy in a sort of unspoken symbiotic exchange. She may also casually mention a documentary she’s worked on, without letting the audience in on the fact it’s been several years in the making following a decade of research. SHYBOI maintains both an air of mystery and a gravitational charm; her modestly and intellect undeniable through social media. In a club atmosphere, her sets are pure rapture, delivering catharsis in the way of provocative vocals, enrapturing beats, and an intoxicating energy that demands physicality. In the art world, she explores women empowerment, marginalized bodies, her Jamaican heritage, and the power of queer expression. Through both her involvement with Discwoman and her solo work, SHYBOI has consistently pushed boundaries and broken barriers to give queer black women more of a voice in this world, and we’re honored to share her high-powered mix and personal thoughts. Dubbed “the SHYBOI experience,” Truancy Volume 260 is both raucous and liberating, and we hope brings you a moment of relief and release during this incredibly difficult time. Just as the opening line of her mix playfully teases, “y’all ain’t ready!”

Interview + Download: http://truantsblog.com/2020/truancy-volume-259-doc-sleep/

Soundcloud: @docsleep

Doc Sleep is an unsung hero. Low-key and understated, she's an accomplished DJ and producer, as well as being part of the two-person team behind the consistently excellent Jacktone label. The label has amassed an incredible 70 releases since 2013, putting out tracks from the likes of Gayphex Twin, Roche, Experimental Housewife, CMD, and past Truancy Volume mixers Isabella and Russell E.L Butler.  Originally from the Bay Area but now based in Berlin, she is a regular at clubs like Tresor, as well as being heavily involved as a resident and curator for the Room 4 Resistance collective. Her first official release under this name came in the mid-2010s, but she's been producing in one way or another a decade longer than that, and like many of her peer group started off in "guitarish" bands. Nowadays she appears on her own label as well as the similarly busy Dark Entries. We talked to her about her origins, influences and the current state of the label among other things, while she contributes a stellar mix that builds with class and elegance from subtle beginnings.

Founders of Truants @riccardovillella and @soraya go B2B for an hour and a half in the first instalment of their quarterly mix series, taking you through an selection of house, techno and electro featuring the likes of Truants family and favourites ELLES, Jordan GCZ, Aurora Halal, 2Lanes, MoMa Ready and Fantastic Man.

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Truants are hosting a stage with @clubfitness, Riccardo Villella and Soraya at Queens Yard Summer party on May 9 in London.

For DJ bookings and enquiries e-mail contact [at] truantsblog [dot] com

⟶ https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/soraya

⟶ https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/riccardovillella

Interview + Download + Tracklist: http://truantsblog.com/2020/truancy-volume-258-hank-jackson/

Soundcloud: @hjacksonnn

Hank Jackson's music has been notoriously difficult to pin down, as his shifting sound has stretched in simultaneous directions over the years. Nevertheless a constant thread in his productions are their explorative nature, defying genre conventions to forge a personalized path. Over the course of his releases on defining US electronic music labels such as Mister Saturday Night, Proibito, and most recently, his own label, anno, Hank Jackson has continued to craft his own vision of techno, one both texturally multilayered and evocatively introspective. His DJ mixes are no different, defying expectations with every set to deliver captivatingly creative selections. He's captured the attention of both local NYC clubs and international DJs alike, sparking a recent set at New York's renowned Sustain-Release, and most recently, an upcoming DJ tour in Japan. We're excited to showcase his singular sound, as Truancy Volume 258 ventures into "psychedelic zippy vibes" in am intoxicating thrill-ride through experimental, techno, electro, UK garage, grime, glitch, and dub. Provocatively trippy with its hypnotic percussion and moments of ceremonious chanting, Hank Jackson's mix is a dizzying dream that resonates long after you wake.

Interview + Download: http://truantsblog.com/2020/truancy-volume-257-channel-tres/ ‎

Soundcloud: @channeltres

There’s few people who currently embody the confluence of modern music like Channel Tres does. On the one hand, the soulful heart of dance music lives at the centre of his music, taking us through from deep Chicago house to dub techno effortlessly. At the same time,  his West Coast synths and lyrical nods to mainstream R&B and rap remind us of the limitless possibilities of artists that grew up listening to music laterally, timelessly and free from the confines of genre. In a 2014 interview with Truants, Kerri Chandler expressed his love for the ongoing house revival but felt like newcomers were missing out on an opportunity by not incorporating vocals, singing and live performances into their craft. Perhaps this is exactly where Channel manages to push the envelope in a new way that has enticed us all, with his commanding vocals narrating perspectives that we're not necessarily used to hearing on a 4/4 beat, and live shows that incorporate dance and carefree performance, asking the audience to submit to freedom in a way that the average DJ set doesn't.

With only two EPs and ten tracks in total released under the moniker, his polished output and its magnitude have led him to open up for an impressive array of artists and their respective audiences, from Robyn to Tyler, the Creator. There's a traction surrounding Channel Tres that predicts a vast future for the Compton native. For Truancy Volume 257, Channel takes us through a journey of gratitude starting off with Curtis Mayfield, taking us through the likes of Osunlade and Todd Terje to Ebo Taylor, Tupac as well as his own remix for Tyler. We caught up with Channel on his current journey as an artist, creative processes and his performances.

Interview + Download + Tracklist: http://truantsblog.com/2020/truancy-volume-256-akua/

Soundcloud:@akua_b

Raised in Los Angeles but based in Brooklyn since 2015, Akua has spent the past five years redefining and cultivating a sound within techno that has assuredly become her own. As one of the many talented DJs that makes up the Discwoman roster, her passion for research and recontextualization in the realm of techno, has been a driving force in packing out dancefloors over 2019 - a year which took her across the globe more than ever. We caught with Akua to discuss the whirlwind and transformative year that was her 2019, being captivated by the wild energy of New York during her first summer in the city, playing mainstage at this year's Sustain-Release, and how she first fondly connected with the fast-paced, adventurous mixing style of early Jeff Mills, Colin Dale and Dave Angel. As our first mix of 2020, Truancy Volume 256 is Akua flowing at her most natural, contorting through a range of influences as she picks out cuts from Chicago and Detroit visionaries. Scan 7, Blake Blaxter, Mike Dearborn, Robert Armani, DJ Rush and Paul Johnson are all well represented here, and her recognised approach of pairing timeless classics with today's most contemporary techno producers is packaged up with her distinct toughness and trademark energy.

Interview + Download: http://truantsblog.com/2019/truancy-volume-255-air-max-97

Soundcloud: @airmax97

An enterprising spirit that rose to prominence through the world of experimental club music, Air Max '97 has streamlined his sound and renewed his focus the last few years. Part-in-hand to the time he's put into the curation of his label DECISIONS, the release of his debut album Nacre last year also proved a pivotal achievement in terms of distilling his new ideas into something succinct and impactful. With Batu recently tapping him up for a 12" on Timedance, he seems to have found a perfect stride working within the realms of functionality, groove and  sound design. We caught up with Oli to discuss the geographic immersion of his debut LP, his collaborative productions with AYA, the output and experience of running his own label, and his pop-sensibilities from working on music with Don Sinini. His Truancy Volume, which he describes as being a faithful representation of his current club sets, uses DECISIONS material as the core foundation of the tracklist. Shifting tempos, rhythmic patterns and thick textures into an hour long mix, it's a mind-bending trip shelling through all sorts of club flavours. Take note of the Tink edit near the beginning and a throwback gem courtesy of MMM.