The set was recorded live at Space Cats Go to Mars, Official Movement Preparty in St. Louis. Uun told us that “it was played on a wide open patio with a large bar on a sunny Saturday afternoon, so the vibe of this mix pretty much reflects that atmosphere.“

Uun also known as Ryan Malony has since 2007 been putting out mixes for Dystopian Rhythm, More or Less, Kansas City Techno, Business Class Records, Feed The Raver, Subterror Radio and others. In his home base he is known for being a member of Kansas city Techno as well as his previous residencies at The Riot Room and The Foundry. He also has EP releases titled “Minus” and “Structure” and shows no sign of slowing down with multiple new releases and remixes in the works.

Listen:

How and why did you move from metal to techno?

I have played guitar since the age of 15, and metal is the thing that basically made me want to make music in the first place. After playing in many bands over the years I reached a point where I felt like I was more serious about music as a life path than my bandmates, which made it difficult to progress musically and career wise in that realm. I have loved electronic music for nearly my whole life as well, but it was more skewed towards IDM, for example I have nearly every Autechre LP and EP on vinyl.
The thing that made me look more into techno was just a few producers who really caught my attention in that phase where I was transitioning. Those producers and labels ranged from the more melodic side (Wolfgang Voigt, Chain Reaction, Deepchord Presents Echospace) to the darker more heavy side (Sandwell District, Surgeon, The Black Dog). What sealed the deal as to the music I wanted to create and play was my first trip to Detroit’s Movement Festival in 2012.

How is the scene over there? What kind of parties/festivals should a foreigner check out?

There are pockets of the United States that have very healthy techno scenes, mostly the larger cities like LA, Chicago, Detroit, and NYC. But in recent years it has also been gaining a foothold in smaller markets as well. In Kansas City, which is where I am based, we have been building a reasonably healthy techno scene over the last couple of years. It is a slow process but it seems to be gaining ground as techno gains popularity worldwide. As far as parties and festivals my one big recommendation would be the Movement festival which is held in Detroit every year.
The United States kind of has a stigma when it comes to dance music, because the over saturation of the market with huge “EDM” blowout events that rely on visuals, hype, and the party, rather than the experience of the music itself. The Movement festival largely alleviates these issues and gives you a large array of deep thoughtful music to binge on throughout the weekend of the festival. I also hear good things about the Decibel Festival in Seattle and am going to try and make my way out there this year.

What is the one thing you love the most about techno?

For me its the pure visceral feeling you get when being on the dance floor while proper techno is being played. Techno crowds tend to be there for the music, and that translates into a pretty unified audience as far as courtesy and vibe goes. When I’m in the booth that energy from the crowd directly affects me, and is basically what I live for.
As a producer I love working inside the loose set of parameters that is “techno” to create something new. In order for me to be creative it helps to have a framework, and techno is perfect for that.

Any extra words to us fellow techno friends?

Thanks for listening to the mix and I hope you enjoy it! It never ceases to amaze me how through social media we can grow our techno scene together even though we may not be sharing the same language, government, or even continent. The future is bright for techno lovers everywhere

Tracklist:

  1. Substak – Walking [Red Dye]
  2. Deepchord – DC14 A2 Untitled [Deepchord]
  3. Reggy Van Oers – Sinuosity (Ness Remix) [Affin]
  4. Recondite – Stems [Ghostly International]
  5. Uun – Morning Dub [Dystopian Rhythm]
  6. Donato Dozzy & Tin Man – Test 7 [Acid Test]
  7. Minilogue – Nothing is Lost [Cocoon}
  8. Yagya – Rigning Brju [Sending Orbs]
  9. Tin Man – Futurist Acid [Acid Test]
  10. Uun – Grip (Dark Hearts Remix) [More or Less]
  11. Efdemin – Back to School [Dial]
  12. Uun – City Dub [Dystopian Rhythm]
  13. Uun – Influx [Dystopian Rhythm]
  14. Uun – Cold Rising [Dystopian Rhythm]
  15. Woo York – Oka [Dynamic Reflection]