- Ambient techno circa 2024.
- Purelink have been described more than once as an "ambient boy band." (They say "jam band.") It's not meant dismissively—the American trio purposefully mean to function as a band, even if their main instruments are laptops. Ambient might not quite cut it as a descriptor, though. The group's music crosses eras and scenes, touching on the late '90s clicks & cuts boom as well as the billowy ambient techno put out by labels like 3XL, West Mineral Ltd. and NAFF.
Their most recent LP, Signs, released on enigmatic imprint Peak Oil (and one of our favourite albums of 2023), is especially impressive, made of stuttering rhythms and glassy textures. In other words, it's ambient-not-ambient. While members Concave Reflection, kindtree and Millia have all made excellent music on their own, something special happens when they come together.
Purelink's RA Podcast is another stellar contribution to our post-New Year's tradition, where we highlight a more laid-back sound to soothe weary minds and frazzled brain cells after the heavy holiday celebrations. This is 90-plus minutes of intricately textured downtempo, dub techno and even UK garage, all cut through with a floaty, almost drowsy quality, with plenty of exclusives and unreleased cuts from the likes of Nick León, James K, Downstairs J and more. It highlights Purelink's position as a bridger of worlds, sounds and tempos.
What have you been up to recently?
We all recently relocated to Brooklyn from Chicago. Mainly have just been getting acclimated to the new environment, participating in the scene and enjoying time with our friends and family out here.
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
The mix was recorded in Tommy and Ben's apartment studio on a DDJ-1000 into Ableton. We wanted to showcase some new works we admire from friends, and thread a line through a wide range of our interests at the moment.
What's one club or party that had a major impact on you as an artist?
C- Fest in Kansas City, Missouri. Going the past three summers and connecting with musicians we look up to / meeting online friends for the first time was very formative for us. Midwest Represent.
The trio format is somewhat unusual in electronic music. What does each member bring to the table, so to speak?
Maybe a little unusual but nothing new (groups like To Rococo Rot, Future 3, YMO, WeTM, etc. come to mind).
The trio aspect really shows when it comes to songwriting and producing—we consider ourselves a "jam band" of sorts and we're able to bounce ideas off of each in the studio with constant feedback. With all of our own personal interests in sound, you can hear each of them peek through a bit: Akeem in the rhythms, Ben in the glitched melodies and Tommy in the drones. Though we tend to switch hats a lot to keep it fresh, and we're always trying to service the song and not our own egos.
You've talked about the "endless possibilities of the laptop." What are you doing on your computers?
Nothing new really. We all use Ableton, and the majority of our sounds are sample-based, using tools that anyone with a DAW has access to. You can pursue virtually any sound through sampling techniques and different software. This forces us to set our own boundaries, while allowing our sound as a group flow easily into different areas based on the sound sources and types of rhythms we introduce.
That said, we certainly don't like to limit ourselves to just the computer. We were all instrumentalists before we were producers, and all strive to incorporate live recordings more into our work. We find it's best to be open to many different approaches to writing and recording music, but at the end of the day it all ends up back into the computer.
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
It is impossible to ignore what is happening to Palestine. It is horrific, and we need to demand more of our states and political powers to ensure freedom for all. Not to mention Ukraine, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo—the list could go on.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
We're definitely excited to continue to perform and dive into the local scene here in New York in 2024, as well as hoping for an opportunity to travel overseas and share our music outside of the states for the first time.
TracklistDJ Trystero - Unreleased
Acasta Gneiss - In Tears
Tunnel Dancers - Into Laksa
Strategy - Mysteries Inside the Dogmind
MLO - Ghost
Nick Leon - Relic (Unreleased)
Spooky - New Light (Slow Motion)
rest symbol - 6
Continuity - Drifting
heoliene - convalescence
Dub Tractor - Pep
Byetone - Feld
To Rococo Rot and I-Sound - Overhead
Aspen - Super Si
Max Buzone - Unreleased
SND & RTN - Pyke
Loidis - Unreleased
SnP 500 - Splean Addition
2301 - Shell
Tol - Leave
WeTM - Ririka
Sabla + D.K. - Ocra Flat Lands
Chestnut People - III
Stone - Glyph
qwqwqwqwa - Blue
TAKA - a place to rest
James K - ????????
Arovane - Andar
Downstairs J - Unreleased