New Techno Breaking Through
Techno has been moving and changing quickly in the last 5 years. It’s hard to keep up with trends and innovations. Parisian collective Molekul has been pushing the limits of high-energy techno. This week’s mix only consists Molekul label releases. It might sound like a compilation of rave classics – but Molekul have produced all of these tracks themselves. This mix lays down the rules for the old-school rave dancefloor. The Molekul crew belongs in warehouses, with high ceilings and people who don’t care what they look like while they dance. Revel in the hedonism of this heavy hitting, high speed and high stakes mix. Read the interview while listening to some proper new techno!
How do you get yourself in the right mindset for a show?
Before a gig, we get an idea of the city culture and the venue where we due to play. We play in a lot different locations – warehouses, underground clubs and festivals. So, most of the time, we focus on our feeling depending on the place and the mood of the night. We all have big record collections and we know about the music others are playing. With time, playing together taught us to be coherent in our sets and to have a communal energy without consulting each other.
What goals do you have for Molekul?
Our goal is to bring our spirit and vision of rave music to the actual scene. Our first gigs, we tried to play in a different style than what was typical in Paris at the time. We also aspire to have a predilection format with vinyl because it is the most coherent with the music we play. We already released two records alongside major artists, and we have planned future work with artists that inspire us a lot. Our influences are diverse. We want stuff that makes us think about creating new sub-labels, where we can express ourselves and get another musical freedom that’s separate from Molekul. Our goal is to make Molekul a major actor in the European electronic scene in the long term.
Do you have European tour plans in the works?
Individually and with our backs-to-backs, we are lucky to get lots of gigs regularly all across Europe. For us, it gives us the occasion to meet another music cultures. It allows us to share ours with the people who always are very receptive. At the time, we played Label nights in different french cities and we plan to export abroad.
What are your influences?
We’re mainly influenced by rave and old-school techno. The energy and sonorities given by old-school techno appeal us a lot more and a natural feeling grown at the same time. The Molekul Touch is the result of each one of us’ appeal about this style. From our point view, the Stay Up Forever Collective is our main inspirational source – given their cohesion and their fidelity to their original underground sound. We had the chance to welcome some of them on our label (Chris Liberator, Sterling Moss, Geezer, Bad Boy Pete), and to share line-ups with them.
What binds together the collective?
Mayeul, JKS and Khoegma met at school three years ago. When we got in Paris, we realized the techno played in parties and the parisian releases didn’t fit us. We decided to put out our own music. It’s at this moment we met Airod, we instantly recognized ourselves in his sound. After a release and a good feeling with him, it seemed logical that he would be the fourth member of the team. The principal connexions of the crew are friendship, that allows us to progress in the best conditions and to blossom ourselves.
You can catch some of the Molekul crew next month at Corsica Studios in London for Jaded
https://www.facebook.com/airodmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/mayeul303/
https://www.facebook.com/This.is.JKS/
https://www.facebook.com/Khoegma
Tracklist
AIROD – Drug Seller
Mayeul – Illegal Movement
Chris Liberator & The Geezer – We Have Lost The Way
JKS – Endless Power Cycle
Mayeul & JKS – Triangulation Hill
Mayeul – Dysfunctional System
AIROD – Unreleased
JKS – Burnside
Mayeul – Suburban Resistance
JKS – Express Yourself
AIROD – Binary Groove
JKS – Smashed Pattern
Jacidorex – Extinctor
Mayeul – Travellers
Bad Boy Pete – Champion Sound
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Also, check out our visit to Paris last year.