Maelstrom

Maelstrom, like his name suggests, is a force of disruption, striving to challenge the sonic and intellectual status quo of dance music, working as a benevolent, anarchic force to upset ineffective systems and sounds. Co-founder of label RAAR (‘punk for techno-heads / techno for punks’) and prolific in his output on labels ranging from the legendary Clone (under mystery alias), to modern electro-standards such as Private Persons, Mechatronica, CPU and Cultivated Electronics, Maelstrom’s output is as ferocious as it is diverse.  2017 saw the release of the Nantes-based producer’s debut LP, Her Empty Eyes, a dystopic journey through an imaginary piece of historical fiction. Frequent collaborations with RAAR co-founder Louisahhh result in genre-bending chaos, ranging from wall-of-sound techno poems to Atari Teenage Riot-esque aggro-anthems.  2021 finds Maelstrom preparing his latest onslaught of sound, full length solo LP Rhizome (forthcoming on RAAR, March 12). It is an entirely fresh body of work about invisible creative communities, a sonic evidence of the fact that nothing is created in a vacuum.  Though there is much range in Maelstrom’s impressive output, there are themes that sew all of the sounds together seamlessly: courage to push into new creative territories, inherent darkness (or, perhaps ‘truth’), and working from intellectual themes in addition to sonic goals. The work is about something, it has guts and heart and wisdom and curiosity.