BASEMENT: Anetha / Aadja / Ana B
STUDIO: DJ Gigola / X-Coast
Anetha has risen to the top of Paris’ recent wave of hard, 90s inspired DJs. Her sound embodies the city’s mix of tight, high-tempo destructiveness with an elegant sumptuous minimalism. As a trained architect, Anetha knows a thing or two about building things, and her sets grow with a vision and grace that has earned her global respect. But don’t get it twisted: she can go as evil as anyone. In a recent set for Bassiani, she sounds positively possessed. Toronto’s AADJA has earned instant recognition for her driving, trance-infused acid techno hybrids. Releasing her debut EP only in 2019, she’s already played alongside many of techno’s most distinguished names. Ukrainian-born, NY-based Ana B has been making waves over the last year, mixing sturdy industrial sounds with slithery techno.
STUDIO brings a saucy energy to the fore. DJ Gigola chucks genre constraints out the window in favor of a hard hitting, sleazy party vibe. In her productions and sets, tuff techno bounces off of pop, with cheeky acid and rave elements mixed in to taste. It’s an undeniable combo, rolling and bouncing in a way that calls back to dance music’s explosive early years while keeping an of-the-moment perspective. A pairing with X-Coast should be a blast. The Serbian-born DJ is a rave machine. His earliest tracks called back to classic Strictly Rhythm sounds, weaving samples of definitive early-90s classics into a heady, euphoric rush. Since then, his sound has only developed, beefing up those core elements with more turbo-charded production tricks and a heavier rhythmic undergirding. Yet the sense of raw joy remains intact.