February 4, 2020
Knekelhuis
Sometimes, looking back to the tracks that have been most inspirational yields very interesting results. In the last couple of years these four tracks stood out and share a deep sonic connection. All artists produced music in the early/mid 80s, played in post-punk, experimental and EBM/industrial bands and transitioned naturally into the techno, ambient and trance sounds of the early 90s, while maintaining an elemental early 80s live feel in the process. It's no coincidence that these tracks date back to 92-94, a time defined by rapid technological change and a major political landslide. The fall of the Berlin wall seemed to herald the dawn of a new era of peace and prosperity. The Cold War thawed, a sense of relief took hold, the West appeared victorious and the future looked bright. The emergence of rave culture seemed to embody this world of endless technological possibility and future optimism, techno-optimism indeed. Fast forward to 2019 and this optimism has obviously faded into oblivion, where the dream of universal freedom turned out be the empty promise of free market hypercapitalism beneficial to a small elite only. But thirty years ago rave culture was the product of that change and felt like a new home for those who discovered it. All these tracks are a precursor to sounds we hear today, an integral part of an ongoing cycle of trends where successive generations take over from previous ones. Rediscovery of that moment in time and sound is what Transition is all about, a collection of penultimate tracks that define that era.