- Wormhole techno from a high-impact specialist.
- Even within New York's current techno class, KYRUH stands out. Born in Brooklyn and forged within the crucible of the city's notable spaces—including WIRE, Dweller and Bossa Nova Civic Club—their sound is that of a DJ skilled at applying waves of pressure without requiring shortcuts through obvious terrain, adept at hammering it without defaulting to speed alone.
After years burning a hole through the American underground, 2024 is proving to be a tipping point. KYRUH's appearance on Kelela remix compilation RAVE:N in early spring lit the touchpaper for a run of gritty productions and increasingly prominent slots across North America and Europe, which will be capped off by an anticipated set at Draaimolen later this summer.
The tracklist for KYRUH's reliably romping RA Podcast accommodates contemporary producers like x3butterfly and Faster Horses alongside veterans Lady Starlight, Femanyst, House of God resident Paul Damage Bailey and underrated Swedish ripper Tobias Von Hoftsen. To those still wondering where to find "proper techno" in 2024: look no further.
What have you been up to recently?
Writing, writing, writing. Writing words and writing tracks. I'm working on my debut EP. I've been more attracted to the zany, groovier side of raw thumping techno. I'm in a budding stage with production and I find I like entertaining any oddball idea and going down that rabbit hole to see where it takes me—sometimes it's a dead end and sometimes it's a wonderland.
That takes a lot of curious energy and time. I've always been an outgoing person. But now I found myself spending eight hours by myself and enjoying it. It's strange and beautiful and fascinating and I'm riding this wave until another comes. So I write in my journal to figure out what's going up there, then I write tracks to help sort that out.
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
The mix was recorded at No Signal, a radio station run by some cherished friends in Brooklyn. They've been featuring underground local talent consistently and I wanted to record there because they've treated the space so both the sound and vibe is chef's kiss!
Oftentimes when I craft a set, I go in with a playlist of four or five tracks that I intuitively want the story to be about. So the mix becomes this experience of what tracks highlight these statement pieces, one of which for me is FBK's "Trapped." I just adore the bassline in that song.
There were two main thoughts that went into this mix. I am deeply inspired by the eccentricity of the industrial, post-punk waves in the mid-'70s and stretching through the 90s. It's just so sexy and strange and you can really see how prototypical it was for techno.
So I started the mix with a cut I took from the track "Punjabi Monster Beat" by Dog Faced Hermans. The lead vocalist sings: "This sound has no waves, this sound has no waves, it moves, cuts swathes, through fog and other grey things." And I was like yes! That's the thesis of this mix—the singular purpose of my sets is to move you and to cut through a lot of bullshit. No frills, no ego is in this—it just is.
Secondly I just went to Detroit, techno's motherland, so that was on my mind. The mix has my distinct fast-paced, animalist but groovy vibe but with more complex basslines that are reminiscent of Detroit techno.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
I have a few remixes coming out with some local contemporaries that I have always admired. Listening to more sets that move me to tears. I'm so glad discovering music is endless.
Also I've been clubbing for eight years and chunky, crunchy techno raised me. The sets that stick with me or the ones that challenged me. I'm getting older and I'm excited that my audiences are growing with me, going deeper with me and we get to do it together.
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
I think of Palestine often. I want people to call the genocide in Palestine exactly what it is. A decimation of children and culture.
What's one club or party that had a major impact on you as an artist?
In terms of creating my taste, it's kind of hard to pick one. Sometimes it's the party, but more often it's a moment that inspires me. Sometimes it's a specific bleep sound in a track that pierces, or the way the wall feels on my skin when I'm dancing on it and I think "how can I recreate this wall texture in a DJ set." However in terms of the most foundational space that fostered my DJ chops: Bossa Nova Civic Club. I've played happy hours, peak times, closing sets, opening sets. There'd be no KYRUH without Bossa.
トラックリストx3butterfly - inert nature
Dog Faced Hermans - Punjabi Monster Beat
Groof - Vigilantes
Advanced Human - Kilimanjaro (Original Mix)
Femanyst - Burnout Trash
DJ Hyperactive - Venus (Remix)
Jeff Mills - Life Cycle (Fear-E's Raveform Transmission Remix)
Concrete Husband - Sweat On My Back
FBK - Trapped
Paul Damage Bailey - Evil Otto
Enter The Void - Impulsive Mass
ArchivOne - Strange Synthesis
Steel Grooves - Cells
Takt - Radio Contact
Alex Wilcox - 123.
Deano - Dead End
Altinbas - Tempest
Pierce - Adamantine
EAS - Orange County Acid 1 (Original Mix)
Peder Mannerfelt - Fur Immer
Dj Boss - pulse width
Tobias Von Hofsten - Burner
Faster Horses - Syntheticism
Tsukuyomi - Town In Red (Original Mix)
Plural - Stowaway
Lady Starlight - E2.2
Mark Hawkins - Memory Of A Dancefloor