Techno Friday - Year 5050 by Gijensu

Time to dive in headfirst to my favorite music tag of the week, #technofriday which was started by the awesome @neutronenkind as a chance to show off our favorite Techno of the moment. This is a tag that I take pretty seriously and always strive to find something new or an underappreciated classic to bring just a little bit more of the community into my favorite genre and provide a little exposure to the artists who keep the underground alive in cities all around the world.

This week, I'm serving straight up pounding brutalism with a melodic twist from Stockholm duo Gijensu. Consisting of Anton Abrahamsson and Oscar Strand, their mutual love for the harder, faster and rougher side of techno brought them together in their hometown where a lack of this style is noticeable (something every small town Techno DJ can identify with). Their sound is deliberately hard and brutal. The opening of it reminds me distinctly of the end of Underworld's Born Slippy with crunchy fast paced drums and little room for much else. Where this track takes it's twist though is in the introduction of a highly memorable introduction of distorted strings that wind their way in during the breakdown of the track. Honestly, they really remind me of the production of Lorn in the way that they manage to sound weighty and full of emotion.They lift the track up into pure techno euphoria that is unrelenting and provides a little something for the crowd that loves distorted drums and a little something for the people who need a melody to latch onto. Basically it feels tailor made for me and I can't wait to play it at my upcoming gig in Seattle early next month. The pop culture visuals of the video are a nice touch as well in a way that adds and never detracts from the track. A good expansion of the central theme rather than limiting it.