BASEMENT: 999999999 / Volvox / Madness Of
STUDIO: Massimiliano Pagliara / Ryan Elliott / Rose Kourts
999999999, Italy’s reigning kings of hard acid techno, return to BASEMENT. The duo’s live set stands as one of the most honed and impactful in the current landscape. Having emerged in 2016 with a head-turning run of self-released DJ weapons, they’ve since proven themselves to be masters of the genre, writing and performing with a fluency and viscerality that commands both festival stages and subterranean clubs alike. Volvox is an excellent match: like her Italian counterparts, she built her reputation ripping through naughty acid bangers. The last few years have seen her sound and profile evolve by leaps and bounds. A recent Awakenings set explodes with high tempo hardcore and feverish techno, delivered with her trademark defiant charisma. Kyruh & WTCHCRFT keep the energy at a boiling point with the debut of their new alias Madness Of. The two have been on a tear across New York, with their set at Wire Festival doubling as a line in the sand. Be warned, they will not be stopped.
BASEMENT proudly introduces its new second room, STUDIO with Massimilano Pagliara. The Panorama bar resident embodies techno’s most luscious, expansive qualities. Infusing the genre with a warm, expressive tenderness, his effortlessly-rolling grooves enfold elements of dub, hypnotic loop techno, the unbridled humanity of house and of course the expressive melodicism of his native Italy. Ryan Elliot similarly pursues an open-ended approach, searching for, in his words, the “optimal overlap” between house and techno. The Detroit native is also a member of the Berghain/Pbar family; his sets embrace a fearless sensuality which has assured him a home in the global center of dance music. NY’s Rose Kourts may already have surpassed “up-and-comer” status. Over the last year, she’s exploded on the scene with an infectiously exuberant sound. Like Pagliara and Elliot, Rose Kourts bypasses strict genre constraints, opting for an essential sense of play.
