- Gently leftfield techno from a core Dresden artist.
- Rakans runs the Rawmantique party and label out of Dresden, a city whose scene is often overshadowed by its larger, more bustling German neighbours. But the Palestinian-German producer and DJ has a personality and vibe that would shine bright from anywhere in the world, and he's a beacon for queer, weirdo music out of Saxony. Previously dabbling in leftfield pop music, Rakans has found a path through techno recently, and the fittingly titled EMERGENCE presents a style more befitting of his DJ sets, with a leftfield bent intact.
After the creepy ambient intro "frootless," full of odd voices and machine gun snares, comes "Eatering Flowers," a deep techno wiggler with a thwacking snare-hat pattern, and plenty of strange effects to keep you on your toes. It's flamboyant and funky. "Mediterranean Dreams" pulls out some of the SWANA sounds that are core to Rakans' artistic identity, and they're laid down over a swampy foundation that feels almost microhouse in construction (later straightened out into a more big-room vibe by Paul Haucke on a remix).
The two biggest cuts are probably the Klockian "Tears Away," withits moreish bounce and some classic techno corrugated sheet metal sounds, and "Ishtar's Purple Eyes," whose leaden kick drum, vampiric organ-like chords and druggy, slowed-down vocals could have been played at Berlin's Bar25 15 years ago. In other words, it's deeply psychedelic, especially once the keyboards start crawling up and down the scales. Along with the Conrad Schnitzler-like cacophony of synth "Moving On," which closes EMERGENCE, "Ishtar's Purple Eyes" leaves you with the feeling of an artist figuring out what gets them going and how to apply that to techno. It's an exciting EP that lays out a new blueprint for one of Eastern Germany's most exciting and passionate voices.
Tracklist01. frootless
02. Eating Flowers
03. Tears Away
04. Mediterranean Demons
05. Mediterranean Demons (Paul Hauck Remix)
06. Ishtar's Purple Eyes
07. Moving On