Phaedrus

My Second Query Language

PEL17

Dutch-born Seattle techno producer Phaedrus (aka Joris Kamma) continues his hot streak after a long hiatus with this all-killer/no-filler EP. Following his 2018 Game Of Tones 12-inch on Transfusions/Medical, My Second Query Language represents his most powerful and inventive release to date.

Opening track “No Strings Attached” immediately thrusts you into a cavernous warehouse scenario where the psychedelic production details accumulate like ivy on a wall. The track is a paragon of booming, swift techno with a panoply of intricate, fascinating percussive filigrees and vocal trickery inhabiting the lacunae between the beats—exactly what you want to hear at 4am when you need your third wind. “Commoners Table Expressions” reveals Phaedrus' acute ear for strange, compelling timbres within a severe, brutal techno framework, à la Cristian Vogel and Si Begg. The concatenation of crazy sounds caroms, fibrillates, and knocks around the throbbing bass and pounding kicks like at least four malfunctioning video games. Sublime chaos ensues. The menacing, metallic “Left Joint” veers into dubbed-out, bleepy machine funk, with its decaying, psychedelic drones arcing across the night sky.

If the EP's first three cuts haven't put your mind and body through enough punishing pleasure, the final two versions of “NSA” (aka “No Strings Attached”) should launch you into an even higher state of consciousness. “NSA (TwoWave Body Remix)” throws more vocal mindfuckery into the mix, as Cascadian duo TwoWave slightly lighten the tone and bring a Bruno Pronsato-like springiness to the rhythm. This remix breathes a little more and opens up a portal to more joy. “NSA (TwoWave Corridors Remix)” increases the hallucinogenic properties of the original, turning this edition of “NSA” into serious peak-time mind expansion.

By day, Phaedrus is a business analyst who sees corollaries in that job to his musical production, which inspired the EP's title, My Second Query Language. Much of his work involves massaging data (using queries) to tell a story. What may seem dry to those not familiar with the business-data world becomes in Phaedrus' alchemical hands music possessing a phenomenal impact and vivid tonal palette. The transformation is Super Man-like—minus the cape.

Phaedrus - No Strings Attached

Definition: pel·o·ton:
 \ˌpe-lə-ˈtän, ˈpe-lə-ˌtän\

The peloton (from French, literally meaning little ball or platoon.  Most used to describe the large main group of riders in a road bicycle race, such as the Tour De France.

Riders in a group   save energy by riding close (drafting or slipstreaming) near(particularly behind) other riders. The peloton is not unlike the Northwest’s techno scene, which is now a recognized global force, with events such as the Decibel Festival importing top talent to the region, while Seattle, Portland and Vancouver return the favor by exporting planeloads of renowned and emerging producers among the various collectives.  

Driven by a shared purpose and a sense of community, the scene has thrived in recent years, becoming both a wellspring for new talent and a must-play date for any touring artist. 

Founded in this fertile environment, Peloton Musique aims to hold “techno” to its word – that it should be less of a “genre” than a new philosophy of music and sound, and a new way of thinking about their role in our lives.
 
“We want to create music for environments, for a specific time and place, as sonic theatre,” says Schoppert. “At the same time, community is one of our guiding principles – we want to be more than the s um of our parts supporting each other in the slipstream.”

https://pelotonmusique.bandcamp.com/follow_me