ALTÆR: Adriana Lopez / Uun / Auspex / Ariel Zetina / Mutualism / Manu Miran

March 3, 2023

BASEMENT: Adriana Lopez / Uun / Auspex
STUDIO: Ariel Zetina / Mutualism / Manu Miran

Adriana Lopez steps up for this month’s Altær. The Colombian artist is a virtuoso of scorching, well-oiled techno. The Grey Report label boss brings a level of technical finesse and decades of experience to the decks as well as her productions, which have been featured on labels as esteemed as Semantica, PoleGroup and Work Them. Her sets throb and hurtle with perfect poise, eschewing bludgeoning hardness for a mesmeric sorcery that cannot be denied. Detroit’s Uun matches her energy. Traveling in similar circles - he’s also released on Semantica, as well as Mord, Soma and his own Ego Death - his tough, pared back drum programming serves as a chassis for impeccably crafted atmospheres. Dark, reverberant infitities envelop the listener as plumes of smoky menace waft by. Organizer Auspex completes the lineup. Embodying the transfigurative ethos of the party, Auspex brings a shivering, puncturing brutality to the dancefloor.

Chicago polymath Ariel Zetina is one of the underground’s leading lights. The Smart Bar resident slides effortlessly between shiny surfaces and incisive depth, bridging performance, production, poetry and more. In her hands, dance music is a field of radical play and kaleidoscopic subversion. Last October’s “Cyclorama” album brings her most expressive and raw tendencies to the fore, with tracks seesawing between warm melodicism and lurching destabilizations. Buffalo, NY’s Mutualism made a bit of a splash last time she hit the club. The Buddy Buddy resident has been gaining renown in the US for her infectious and joyful sets: a recent appearance at Honcho Campout saw her move effortlessly from effusive disco house through throbbing italo-inflected club sounds and straight into happy hardcore. If that sounds all-over-the-place, Mutualism pulls a sleight of hand and draws connections you wouldn’t even consider. Manu Miran is the founder of VISCERAL, an exploratory outpost in Cambridge, MA. As a curator and DJ, he leans towards techno’s sensual undercurrents, weaving moody, haunting field records across wiggly, mid-tempo acid groovers or sliding into chugging, tumbling rhythms with thick, electroid sonics.

■ No photos or videos
■ No phone use on the dancefloor
■ The dance floor is for dancing, not conversation
■ No glowing/flashing clothes or items
■ Respect other people's space, no shuffling
■ Consent is mandatory
■ Zero tolerance for racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, ableism or any form of discrimination
■ Take care of each other, alert our staff if somebody isn't feeling well
■ Violating the house rules will result in removal
■ Ticket purchase does not guarantee entrance