Recondite (LIVE)/ Ryan Elliott/ Eric Cloutier/ at Output and Punch Drunk Love with Frank & Tony in The Panther Room

A longtime collector of music, Recondite had his first experience with
drum machines and hardware synths just a few years ago in a small
studio next to the forest in lower Bavaria. It wasn't long after that
he moved to Berlin to build up Plangent Records, where the artist
rapidly established his name. Plangent #001 was well-received, and
with three strong EPs released in 2011, he grabbed the attention of
Scuba, who included "Backbone" in his DJ KiCKS mix and quickly put out
two Recondite remixes on Hot Flush.
On Acid, his full-length debut, was delivered in 2012 via the sleek
Los Angeles imprint, Acid Test. The Absurd Recordings sublabel had
already featured revered releases from Donato Dozzy and Tin Man, and
Recondite's LP garnered a great deal of positive feedback from the
press and major producers alike.
Continuing to release on his own Plangent series, he also put out the
EC10 EP on Dystopian in early 2013 - a record that's as tough as it is
experimental. Progressively, this all lead up to his sophomore LP and
first release on Ghostly International, Hinterland. The record
acknowledges the finests moments in his previous releases, and
ultimately creates what he believes is something that captures the
personality of Rottal-Inn - a district in southeastern Bavaria,
Germany and his hometown.
It is easy to agree that Recondite has been playing his cards right.
His earlier releases on Plangent were strong, and lead him to release
with an assortment of labels that have drawn attention to his
productions from a variety of audiences. With a growing demand from
international bookings, Hinterland - out in (month) 2013 on Ghostly
International - continues his ongoing streak of carefully crafted
output.


Ryan Elliott's early days included legendary residencies at Ann Arbor's Goodnight Gracie's and Detroit's Shelter, which soon gave way to a rigorous international travel schedule. He began working crowds at clubs and festivals around the world—from NYC's Guggenheim Museum to Barcelona's Sonar By Night—tailoring his approach to each show with a meticulous ear and a bottomless

record collection. Influenced by his hometown staples (Axis, Purpose Maker, M Plant, UR) along with international labels like Perlon, Playhouse, and early Kompakt, Ryan inhabits his kick drums, becoming an extension of the music and vice versa.

2009 saw Elliott relocating to Berlin to further his focus on DJing, production, and helming Spectral Sound's growing roster from an international perspective. "Berlin and Detroit may not look the same, but they feel the same," he says. "The connection isn't just in the music, but also in both cities' rough edges and honest hearts."

Even after his relocation, Ryan Elliot's sound remains unchanged: bassline-driven techno and house reduced to their essences, thoughtfully calibrated to drive crowds out of their minds. The time is right, the tracks are right, and Ryan Elliott is exactly where he needs to be.


Now making music as considered and carefully crafted as his DJ sets, Eric Cloutier has long been an influential underground selector. Though he recently started releasing his own music, it’s fair to say that Eric Cloutier has established himself as an influential underground figure purely off the back of his DJ sets. Known to be able to tease and control crowds for extended periods of time without resorting to cheap thrills or lowest common denominator kicks, since first emerging in 1996 he has been installed as resident at some of the most knowing venues around the world, and for good reason.

These include local hotspots in his native Detroit, internationally acclaimed clubs in his current hometown of Berlin but also mythologised places like The Bunker in New York. In terms of festivals, only the finest will do, and as such Cloutier is one of the select few who gets invited to play the culturally considered affair that is Japan’s Labyrinth.

“I like to keep it really body-oriented,” says the man of his inimitable DJ style. “I like to focus on hypnotising people in to a deep groove and just locking them in.” House, dub and techno are all fair game for Cloutier, and be they deep and driving tracks or harder hitting selections, every one bridges the gap between the old and the new in seamless and unpredictable ways.

2014 finds the high quality DJ further focussing on making and releasing music. As such and as well as being involved with the forthcoming Bunker label and already established TANSTAFAAL imprint, his first productions and remixes have been snapped up by Studio-R, Freund Der Familie and Steve O'Sullivan’s influential Mosaic. Given that he is such an acclaimed and informed DJ, it’s no wonder Cloutier’s deep, airy and atmospheric music is turning out to be just as essential for those who know.