Soft Raw is a new label from Danielle – a natural extension of the Bristol-based DJ’s expansive tastes within contemporary club music. Over the past few years the NTS resident has become a leading light in the multifaceted world of modernist techno abstractions, ably balancing soundsystem pressure and propulsive rhythmic intensity with experimental textures and explorative energy variations. Soft Raw seeks to continue that mission with releases which will progress stylistically from one approach to another, taking in exciting, emergent producers unique in their approach but bound together by the idiosyncratic curation of Danielle – a faithful reflection of her proven skill as a selector.

The label launches with a six-track drop from Slacker. Sam Black has been winding up a potent strain of needlepoint techno which leans towards jungle and half-time D&B in its tempo and structure. Across a selection of various releases, Black’s sound has evolved into an accomplished and detailed style which draws on moody atmospheres and advanced engineering in the grand tradition of UK soundsystem music. Across this EP the Slacker sound matches up to the spirit of Soft Raw, balancing fierce kinetic energy with delicacy and finesse and leaving some space for outright ambience. At times he locks into a half-step warm-up mode, while elsewhere the amens creep in for a more pronounced jungle rinse-out.

It’s a strong opening statement for this new label, but crucially this doesn’t spell out the future in absolute terms. True to Danielle’s broad outlook, subsequent releases are set to take in everything from straight up 4/4 and acid to footwork and electro, with a narrative binding each release together according to her internal logic and the tension between soft and raw qualities explored across consistently cutting-edge tracks. 

Press release by Oli Warwick. 

Releases November 25, 2022

Written & Produced by Sam Black
Mastered by Analogue Cuts
Distributed by One Eye Witness
Design by Atelier Superplus
softraw.bandcamp.com
@soft__raw

all rights reserved

Slacker - Damage To Be Undone | Soft Raw (SFTRW01)- Snippets

Pre order vinyl - https://www.one-eye-witness.com/release/1674474420/Austen-Medulla

Pre order digital - https://austen-artist.bandcamp.com/album/medulla 

True to her mission to keep the possibilities open from release to release, Danielle’s Soft Raw label brings through the supple, cybernetic sound of Austen. The London-based producer’s debut EP is brimming with infectious energy and inventive swerves, providing plenty of heat for the more mutant-minded corners of the club. 

Medulla actually opens up with a more contemplative side of Austen’s sound, leaving the beats to one side and letting a sharply rendered synth line plot a course through ‘Merece Mejor’s hazy pads and shifting textures as an updated variation on the ambient techno tradition. 

‘Medulla’ itself instantly dispenses with the pleasantries and jacks up the tempo, offering a fast-paced but light-footed rip through acidic techno with more than a little sprinkling of braindance on its corn flakes. The edits and fills are crafty, the sound design tweaked, and there’s space for surprise at every turn without derailing the floor-focused energy. 

‘Reuben’ offers up a knottier broken beat construction with dense percussion locked into a rolling locomotion, while ‘Kusama’ summons the spirits of dubstep and channels them into a lean, intricately detailed piece peaking just above 140. As an added bonus, Austen also offers up an exclusive edit as a free download which throws the spotlight on the cheekier end of his approach in the club. 

Soft Raw continues to explore the contrast between opposing qualities in cutting-edge dance music, reflecting Danielle’s taste as a selector and giving a platform to the most exciting new producers.

Press release by Oli Warwick.

Releases February 24, 2023

Written & Produced by Dylan Austen
Mastered by Analogue Cuts
Distributed by One Eye Witness
Design by Atelier Superplus
softraw.bandcamp.com
@soft__raw

all rights reserved

SFTRW02

Austen - Medulla | Soft Raw (SFTRW02)- Snippets

Next up on Soft Raw!

Austrian maverick Toupaz mints the latest Soft Raw with a grip of rhythmically dexterous, highdefinition firecrackers for the club. Keisaku is a continuation of Danielle’s commitment to highlight the most innovative emergent talent striking a sweet spot between elegance and intensity on her label.

If you’ve kept your ear to the ground these past few years you might have come across Graz resident Timo Bürgler’s outstanding transmissions as Awo Ojiji which landed on well-respected labels like Eclipse Tribez and Control Freak. He debuted as Toupaz last year with a drop on the equally on-point Well Street, and now he builds on the promise of that release with this fiercely inventive four-tracker.

The magic in the Toupaz sound lies in the way he manipulates drums, using non-standard palettes of percussion and making them move in mind-bending ways. The wild rhythmic displays are matched by a virtuoso approach to synthesis and sound design which ducks, dives and darts around the many-limbed beats.

It’s not a simple case of studio shock and awe, though — Timo understands how to maintain subtlety and intrigue even in the most complex, fizzing peaks of his tracks. That’s why, from the bashy strains of ‘Hiccup’ to the high-pressure piledrive of ‘Tubular’, he delivers a sound absolutely in line with the Soft Raw ethos. It’s volatile, daring material, but in the right hands it has an unreal power to unleash on an unsuspecting dancefloor.
credits

releases March 21, 2024

Written & Produced by Timo Bürgler
Mastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven
Distributed by One Eye Witness
Design by Atelier Superplus
softraw.bandcamp.com
@soft__raw

Toupaz - Keisaku | Soft Raw (SFTRW03)- Snippets

Record Label run by @danielle_dj
contact: softrawrecs@gmail.com
Distributed by @oneyewitness
https://www.instagram.com/soft__raw/

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