The first Patterns of Perception mix of 2023 comes from a luminous presence and dear friend of our collective - label head, mix series curator, promoter and esteemed selector Aaron J (@arn_j).

Over the years, a combination of passion, openness and tireless energy has seen Aaron become a trusted voice for experimental, boundary-pushing electronic music across both the US and the wider scene. 

Founded over eight years ago, Aaron’s much-loved platform @sure_thing is the embodiment of his forward-thinking curation and clarity of vision. Now based in Brooklyn, Sure Thing started as a series of parties in San Francisco before growing outward, later blossoming into a renowned mix series and record label. 

As a DJ, Aaron’s level of empathy and attention-to-detail are unmistakeable, allowing him to deeply connect with the dance floor no matter the context - layering, building and driving emotions ever onwards.

Aaron J's Patterns of Perception 106 is both radiant and personal - an idyllic snapshot of the perfect dance floor, glowing with wide-eyed energy. Pensive darkness simmers into hedonistic psychedelia. Intensity turns reflective. Endless rhythms vibrate and flare into nurturing light. 

Links:
@arn_j
https://www.instagram.com/arn_j/
@sure_thing
https://surethingrec.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/surethingevents

Patterns of Perception 106 - Aaron J

Experimental electronics and deep structured rhythms from Holland.

Download: https://bit.ly/XLR8Rpodcast_Woody92

@woodyninetytwo

XLR8R Podcast

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XLR8R Podcast 825: Woody92

This contribution is a very special one, as it marks a new chapter in The Observatory’s sound… 

We will always be a home for ambient and experimental sounds. But, moving forward, we will also be exploring our love for dance music, with a particular focus on the deep end.

To begin this new journey and warm things up, we are so happy to welcome back Timnah, who gifts us with a two-hour recording of her set at Omen Wapta, ADE’24. A mind-bending traversal through ambient, drone, and halftime experiments, exploring the liminal spaces between the listening room and the dance floor.
~~
Timnah lives, works and feeds the cats in the Northwestern extremities of Switzerland. Brought up in her parents’ jazz clubs and deeply influenced by her brother’s love for dub and soundsystem culture, she started DJing just after the massively feared Millenium Bug had threatened to offset our relation to time and space. Dedicated to drawing her own map of late 20th century sonic landscapes, she spent the early 2000s exploring 90s electronics including breakbeat, triphop, ambient techno, drum&bass, house and jungle. After a short but sweet excursion into producing in the early 2010s, Timnah dedicated herself fully to spinning the wheels and transversing genres, gravitating towards her current signature sound that spans immersive sound baths and intergalactic carpet rides in half-time. Timnah is a member of Amenthia Recordings and a recent addition to the A Walking Contradiction Collective.
~~
Artist Support:

https://soundcloud.com/timnah-sommerfeldt
https://ra.co/dj/timnahsommerfeldt
https://www.instagram.com/timnah_amenthia

Artwork by Clayton Ciolac
https://www.instagram.com/cccccclaytonciolac/

The Observatory - Timnah @ Omen Wapta, ADE, 2024

78번째 벌트 팟캐스트는 런던의 스토리텔러 - Sybil이 전하는 88분 디제이 세트와 함께 합니다. 그녀가 들려주는 흥미진진한 이야기, 변화무쌍한 시빌의 사이키델릭 여정과 함께 하세요.  

Sybil (Voidspore / London)
청중들을 상상 속 흥미진진한 이야기 속으로 안내하는 스토리텔러로 잘 알려진 Sybil(시빌)은 테크노 뿐 아니라 브레이크, 다운템포, 트랜스, 드론, 드럼 앤 베이스 등 다양한 장르에 능숙하며, 직관적인 선곡으로 댄스플로어의 에너지를 다양한 방향으로 전환시킨다. 시빌과 함께하는 사이키델릭 여행에서는 장르의 유동성과 변화무쌍한 리듬에 대한 특유의 감성을 느낄 수 있다. 그녀는 서로 다른 사운드와 리듬 사이를 미묘하게 오가며 다양한 질감의 음악을 조화롭게 믹스하고, 새로운 사운드와 주옥같은 옛 사운드를 절묘하게 대비시켜 재미와 감동을 동시에 느낄 수 있는 여정을 만들어 낸다.
시빌은 자신이 큐레이팅하는 믹스 시리즈 - Deep Mind Music을 통해 특유의 감각적이고 초월적인 앰비언트 스타일을 발전시켜왔고, 클럽과 이벤트에서는 감동과 스릴, 활력이 넘치는 사이키델릭 세트를 선보이고 있다. 시빌의 디제이 세트는 전 세계적으로 많은 사랑을 받으며 Monument, Crack Magazine, Patterns of Perception, INVEINS, Mysteries of the Deep과 같은 저명한 플렛폼에서 소개되었으며, Paral·lel, De School, Berlin Atonal, Berghain’s Säule, Glastonbury과 같은 세계 최고의 페스티벌과 클럽에서 플레이해오고 있다.

https://soundcloud.com/syberkid
https://www.instagram.com/sybil_dj/

The 78th vurt Podcast features 88-minute DJ set from London base storyteller - Sybil. Join the fascinating stories, ever-changing psychedelic journey.

Sybil (Voidspore / London)
Sybil is a storyteller, her sets bring listeners along on exciting voyages through the imagination. At the core of Sybil’s mystical selections is an emotional depth, textural clarity and a sense of space.
Equally adept at playing propulsive deep techno, as she is at exploring hazy breaks, sumptuous downtempo, soaring trance, expansive drone, and even full-throttle drum and bass, Sybil’s sets often criss-cross through all of these genres and more, as she guides dancers on journeys which are emotive, thrilling and ultimately revitalising. 
Based in London, a notable UK-flair for genre-fluidity and diagonal rhythms can be found within her psychedelic techno excursions. Sybil’s DJing has taken her across revered events and venues on the global stage including: Dekmantel, Waking Life, Paral·lel, Positive Education, De School, Berlin Atonal, WHOLE, Dimensions, La Nature, Mo:Dem, Harmony, Nowadays (New York), Transcendance (Japan), Miscellania (Melbourne) and ZVUK (Kazakhstan).
Whilst Sybil’s club sets are often geared for energetic dance floor exhilaration, her numerous mixes are notable for their highly visual narrative arcs. Subtly accelerating and decelerating between disparate BPMs, she stitches together music from a broad palette of textures, contrasting new finds with long forgotten gems to create memorable journeys which are both rewarding and entrancing. Sybil has released singular mixes for platforms such as Monument, Crack Magazine, Patterns of Perception, Dimensions, Ute, INVEINS and Mysteries of the Deep. 
Ambient sets form a core part of Sybil’s repertoire, and she also curates the much-loved ambient, drone and experimental mix series, Deep Mind Music, which she has run since 2017.

vurt podcast 78 - Sybil

Sunset on FBi Radio : Nelly b2b Tangela

Contributing our latest episode is London’s ANNX, a regular figure within the city’s cutting-edge undercurrent whose many contributions include co-curation of the Whomp, Perspectives, and once-shrouded Magick events, and a residency at the beloved Above Below festival. Anna’s tireless dedication to the scene goes hand-in-hand with her unmistakable talent behind the decks, as evidenced by an impressive repertoire of mixes and set recordings, and which I was fortunate enough to witness first-hand last summer in the Chilterns. Here Anna demonstrates her well-honed craft over the course of two meticulously plotted hours, diving seamlessly into manifold forms of deep, heavy psychedelia before emerging in a wave of euphoric bliss. Thanks Anna!

@annx-anna-whomp

Artwork by Angelina Nikolayeva.

Sure Thing Mix 141: ANNX

There’s something profoundly healing in the music of French duo Javier Salazar, whose output embodies the true medicinal power of sound. 

This mix takes our mind’s eye into the sunshine - grass between our toes, spliff in hand - as we get intimate with the scoops, wrapped in a warm, enveloping blanket of sound.

We hope this beautiful contribution brings you an hour of peace, just as it has for us many times over the past month. Thanks, Leo & Simon <3
~~
https://soundcloud.com/javrsalazar
https://soundcloud.com/klapenunsen
https://www.klapenunsen.com/
https://klapenunsen.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/javrsalazar/
https://www.instagram.com/klapenunsen/

Artwork by Clayton Ciolac
https://claytonciolac.com/
https://www.instagram.com/cccccclaytonciolac/

The Observatory - Javier Salazar

We’re excited to welcome back @zvrra, a gifted Haitian artist based in Illinois. After releasing their ‘Mica’ with us earlier this year, they are showing how to spin the decks properly for our 31st Herbarium episode. Their mix features hypnotising textures and patterns fully loaded with energy and drive. Zvrra chose White Pines (Pinus Strobus) as their inspiration. 
They say: “White Pines are my selection for the Herbarium mix series. I chose this plant, because of it's unique ability to grow in all seasons. Also I often spent many winter nights in Illinois and Wisconsin surrounded by these beautiful plants.”

--

About Zvrra
Zvrra is an American music producer and DJ known for her wide variety of techno, house, and experimental music. Zvrra has released projects on prominent labels such as Avian and International Chrome. After a successful run with her 2020 techno single "Dress" and 2021 LP release "Bizzaroland," the DJ Producer has been performing at venues worldwide and has been a regular on international radio.

--

Follow Zvrrahttps://zvrra.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@Zvrra
https://soundcloud.com/zvrra
https://linktr.ee/zvrra

--

Artwork by @polygonia

Herbarium No 031 - Zvrra - Pinus Strobus

Continuum: a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or progression of values or elements varying by minute degrees.

We all have core memories of special dancefloor moments. Audience fully hypnotised, beating as one, lost in the music. Pure instinct, and the wildest spirit within each one shining through. Some artists have an uncanny ability to channel that. And today we present 2 masters at making those moments happen, via Perpendicular Festival 2025. Part of the Ouroboros takeover on Friday night, their performance at the event was one for the books. 

Toé, one of the minds behind EWO collectif and the Ouroboros project, has been mesmerising audiences with some stellar performances. A testament to it was her set just a couple days ago on her home turf, when we witnessed her sorcery at the peak of it's powers. With music that taps into the most feral and primal, it's hard to explain the purity of the feelings she conveys with her mixes. One thing is for sure, Toé has an ability to get your inner animal manifest on the dancefloor. 

Vardae needs no introduction at this point. His releases on Samurai Music or Non Series have established him in that "timeless" space of music creators. One to blame for the expansion on half time and dnb sounds into new psychedelic territory. Vardae is at the very front of a movement that unites breaks, tribe, trancey sounds and techno energy into a new irresistible ritual. His live performance gets better every time, and he turned Ouroboros upside down a couple of days ago. 

Together, you can only imagine what these magicians summon with their sonic potions. And Perpendicular was the cauldron in which their perfect mix took shape. Impossible drum patterns, enchanting atmospheres and their particular flare for transcendental sounds. Combined, these two take their wizardry to the highest levels. 

We couldn't be happier to host these two beloved artists, friends and amazing creatives. Inspiring humans that we always wanted to have in our channel. Infinite gratitude to Melu, Cedric, and the Perpen team for letting us host this piece of musical history. This is HUGE. 

Artwork by Javier Marimon - Off Tangent

The Continuum: Toé & Vardae - Perpendicular 2025

Limitations

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Liberal - Conception (Radio Edit)

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