Swiss artist and mastering engineer Chlär’s last outing on Mutual Rytm, his ‘Optimized Grooves’ EP, was a stand-out success that made an impact far and wide across the techno realm. It was another big step for the fast-rising producer, who is also a dexterous DJ that plays across three and even four decks in the club. A craftsman of sounds, his take on techno is full throttle and has come on labels like Iceland’s NIX and Stranger’s Self Reflektion imprint. Always looking to improve his sounds, he hits a perfect sweet spot with a fresh and visionary approach across six fresh productions with his ‘Intrinsic Drive’ EP, again showcasing exemplary creative progression in his ever-impressing production skills.



Up first is ‘Dopamine Rush’, a quickened techno pumper with synths peeling off the straight-ahead drums and locking you into a state of hypnosis. The title track ‘Intrinsic Drive’ is a tightly woven mix of drums, hits and bass that never lets up, while the supple rhythm is overlaid with alien sound designs to up the intensity. ‘For Marco’ takes a heavier path with darkened and more weighty kick drums under eerie synth loops. There is a real swing in the drums of ‘Steady Pace’ as the crisp hits and vocal fragments all up the ante, before ‘Greedy Man’ delivers a tough panel beater with skewed synths and an industrial undertone. Digital bonus ‘May I Dance?’ rounds things out with raw textures and unhinged loops that take you to the heart of a strobe-lit dance floor, shaping up another mighty fine statement of intent from the ever more vital Swiss native.

“In an era where technology entwines our everyday existence, where the virtual realm shapes our interactions, and where the pursuit of influence takes centre stage comes an EP that delves deep into the modern tapestry of human existence. ‘Modern Survival’ is not merely a collection of songs and visual clips, but a poignant reflection on the intricate dance between our primal instincts and the brave new world we navigate today. The EP invites listeners on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, prompting them to ponder the fundamental essence of our existence in an environment of fast-paced technological evolution.” - Chlär



Chlär now returns to his imprint with solo venture ‘Modern Survival’.



While the first Primal Instinct release saw references to artist urges and behaviours on social media, this next instalment explores a

modern recontextualisation of humanity’s hierarchy of needs in yet another high-concept EP.



First up, ‘Internet Soulmate’ boasts a crunchy bassline as its drum work chugs along the track playfully. The groove

twists and turns before the hypnotic and tribal ‘Supermarket Hunting’ continues with sounds of nature, loopy rhythm

and syncopated bleeps.



On the B-side’s ‘Body Control Officer’, human-made grooves intertwine with machine-like thrum, synths whirring and

zapping, while ‘Competitive Influencing’ takes off with rolling percussion, subtle whistles and distorted vocal one-shots.

Closing out another stellar offering from the Primal Instinct frontman, Chlär brings the dark ‘Scout My Algorithm’, a

brooding slow-burner offset by smooth arpeggio snippets and warped slices of digital noise.

Max Graef returns to Tartelet Records with Natural Element, a genre-bending listening trip pitched towards bass-heavy daydreaming and sensitive dancefloor escapades. Out June 14.



The trailblazing German producer is back, this time applying his sparkling flair and infectious appeal to the widescreen spectrum of psychedelic, starry-eyed jams of his third album, comfortably nestled into a bean bag in the backroom.



Natural Element coincides with the 10th anniversary of his revered debut LP Rivers of the Red Planet, which remains a cherished high watermark for label and artist alike. It also serves to highlight how much time has passed, and how much has changed. 2018’s follow-up Lo Siento Mucho Pero No Hablo Tu Idioma was a step into many other musical approaches and made clear Graef didn’t want to rest on the broad appeal of his earlier funked-up, jazz-sampling house sound. Natural Element is the sound of an artist more at ease with the parts of his legacy which hold true, and those he wants to let go of.



But there absolutely is funk to be found on Natural Element. It’s in the low-slung chill-out of ‘Sports (Is Good For You)’ and the nagging synth-slap-bass underpinning ‘Around The Globe’. But the glue which holds the album together across all kinds of tempos and energies is a shimmering, organic psychedelia — dreamy chords and artful sonic brushstrokes which gleam out of the mix. It’s a quality universal across the aqueous beauty of tropical breakbeat roller ‘We are the World (Test Drive)’ and the cascading slo-mo ecosystem of album-opening double-act ‘Sound Bytes’ and ‘Zitar’.



The process on Natural Element was one of reflection for Graef, who has been plenty busy with his TAX FREE label and the spider’s web of offbeat collaborations and projects which orbit it. The freewheeling quality of that outlet helps inform the freedom which Graef brings to this album. Initially a mixtape concept to gather up recent ideas, it soon evolved as he got deeper into MPC sketches and reconnected with the approach he had when he was in his late teens.



“After the sketches I worked a lot with the computer again, which I haven’t done in years,” Graef reveals. “Intensive MIDI work and arrangement, but especially working with elements of the sketches in all possible ways, going back and forth with analog and digital equipment, pitching, time-stretching, really soaking up the beautiful inspiration of limitation.”



Taking a patchwork approach but pushing himself to make use of all elements from the initial sessions, Graef wound up with an album which still retains a certain scrappy mixtape quality, but equally represents his artistic approach in the here and now as a richly developed listening trip.



“The new album is in many ways a more grounded version and display of my musical universe,” he explains. “In some ways it is a transmitter and vehicle of my sound world, because I also like to go much wilder into exploring different approaches and ways of making music nowadays, but it is also very honest since it evolved so naturally in the process.”



Casting one ear back to that landmark debut LP feels like listening to an entirely different epoch, not just for Graef but for music as a whole. What’s heartening is that the magic which made Graef stand out back then is still absolutely present and correct in his new guise. It would be far less rewarding if he was just trotting out more of the same formula, after all. As he says himself:



“There is nothing worse than stagnation and conformism. I still am the same person, my ideals and values have not changed much, but my influences and approaches have.”



Natural Element, out June 14th on vinyl and digital. The album will be preceded by three singles; Sports (Is Good For You) April 4th, We Are the World (Test Drive) April 24th and Sound Bytes & Zitar May 15th.

The signal arrived without warning—Forgotten Moments by DF90, drifting through deep space like a memory that refused to fade.

Each track unlocked a layer of the ship’s consciousness. Frequency Drop dimmed the lights as gravity pulsed in slow dub chords. In Infinite Loop, time fractured, repeating corridors and footsteps that echoed into nothing. Inner Space revealed thoughts not my own—soft, melodic, endless.

By Passing Dub, I realized the ship was alive, speaking through delay and reverb. Retrograde reversed my memories, unspooling them into static. Then came System Error—a rupture, silence swallowing rhythm.

Only Winter Echoes remained, cold and distant, whispering across the void.

I was no longer piloting.

I was being played.