art:cast °177 | Meti

Timothé Faure, better known as Meti, is a key figure in the French electronic music scene. As the co-founder of Kumquat, an event series and record label, he has been instrumental in bringing together some of the most exciting names in underground music. Running the project alongside his friends Jeremy and Julien (Jem&Juice), Meti has successfully built a reputation for curating outstanding line-ups and delivering high-quality vinyl releases. In addition to his work with Kumquat, he is also a member of the DJ and production trio One Tough Cookie.

What started as a passion project in 2016 has since grown into a thriving platform for both established and emerging artists, with Kumquat's events becoming known for their meticulous curation and immersive atmospheres. The label, which launched in early 2024, has already begun making waves with its carefully selected releases, blending deep grooves and intricate sound design. With the second vinyl release now out and an ever-growing presence in the European electronic music scene, Kumquat continues to expand its reach while staying true to its roots.

We caught up with Meti to discuss his journey, inspirations, and what the future holds for Kumquat, One Tough Cookie, and his own artistic endeavors.

Read the full interview: https://torturetheartist.net/2025/02/18/interview-artcast-177-meti

Artist & label information
Meti: @meti_kqt// https://www.instagram.com/meti_kqt
One Tough Cookie: @otc-kumquat // https://www.instagram.com/otc_kqt
Kumquat: @kumquatevents // https://instagram.com/kumquatevents

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art:cast °177 | Meti

Interview

art:cast °178 | Chuwee

Hailing from San Diego, California, Chuwee is a DJ, producer, and audio engineer who has cemented his place within New York City’s underground electronic music scene. With a passion for auditory exploration and a penchant for blending genres, he has cultivated a sound that is both dynamic and deeply rooted in the culture of the dancefloor. His move to the East Coast marked a pivotal moment in his artistic journey, allowing him to immerse himself in the city’s rich musical heritage while contributing to its ever-evolving landscape.

Beyond his skill behind the decks, Chuwee’s work as an audio engineer at Public Records underscores his dedication to the technical and creative aspects of sound. His productions have found homes on esteemed labels such as Peace Frog, Small Moves, and Clooforillur Records, with upcoming projects on the French imprint Komplices and Risk/Reward further solidifying his growing influence. Whether crafting intricate studio productions or delivering electrifying DJ sets, his commitment to pushing the boundaries of underground music is evident.

In this interview with Torture the Artist, Chuwee delves into his transition from the West Coast to New York, offering insight into the city’s thriving club scene and the role of community in shaping its underground culture. He discusses his creative process, the gear that fuels his productions, and his experiences playing both locally and internationally. From his early inspirations to his dream destinations, this conversation provides a glimpse into the mind of an artist who continues to shape the future of electronic music.

Read the full interview: https://torturetheartist.net/2025/02/25/interview-artcast-178-chuwee

Artist & label information
Chuwee: @chuwee // https://www.instagram.com/chuwee_music

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art:cast °178 | Chuwee

art:cast °179 | J6

Stepping into the shadows of Torture the Artist’s art:cast series, J6 delivers a hauntingly immersive mix for its 179th installment. A well-established force in the electronic music scene, the Manchester-based artist—Jake Scott, J6's real name—crafts a sonic experience that is spooky, mysterious, and wonky, reflecting the unique essence of his sound.

Blending shades of 2000s Minimal Techno and Electro, J6 conjures an eerie yet groove-infused atmosphere, threading together hypnotic rhythms, ghostly textures, and glitchy sonics that keep listeners on edge. The mix features a handful of unreleased gems, giving a taste of his ever-evolving catalog.

With past releases on labels like Crossbreeds, You&me, and Kuusou, J6 has consistently delivered forward-thinking club cuts, gaining support from heavyweights like Cristi Cons, Josh Baker, Voigtmann, Anthea, and B.Ai. His newest release, "I Like It", finds a home on Jooice’s VA EP, standing alongside contributions from Aline Umber & Krol, Christian Sarde, and Otis.

With art:cast °179, J6 invites you into a shadowy labyrinth of sound—a mix that doesn’t just demand your attention, but lures you deeper into its cryptic musical world.

Artist information
J6: @user-124086266-629813296 // https://www.instagram.com/j6_music

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art:cast °179 | J6

art:cast °182 | Phill Prince

There are producers who follow trends, and then there’s Phill Prince, who crafts them with a smirk and a synthesizer. The Milan-born selector and producer doesn’t simply inhabit the space between structure and chaos - he thrives in it, bending time signatures and expectations with the flick of a fader and the charm of a trickster prince who’d rather lace your tea with a 4/4 kick than small talk.

His world is one where MPC pads are rosary beads, rituals start with caffeine, and silence screams louder than synths if left too long unfilled. In the ever-blinking circuitry of modern club culture, Phill Prince finds analog warmth, unfiltered soul, and playful tension - threading house music’s golden era into the needle of now. From vinyl sanctuaries in Berlin to sweat-soaked New York afterhours, his tracks don’t just play - they entice, fight, and leave a trace of perfume on the collar of your memory.

With “Pleasure Playground” he didn’t just drop a debut - he built a monument to groove, a carousel for the sonically inclined, a place where swing kisses sincerity and vocals breathe like lovers in a stairwell. Now, as his sound stretches across continents and compilations, Phill Prince continues to navigate the liminal space between precision and improvisation - half sculptor, half spaghetti-thrower, always seeking that one groove that sticks like glitter to skin after dawn.

We sat down with the man behind the moniker to talk artistic alter egos, party bombs, analogue confessions, and inflatable dolphins.

Read the full interview: https://torturetheartist.net/2025/05/29/interview-artcast-182-phill-prince

Artist information
Phill Prince: @phillprince // https://www.instagram.com/phillprince_ 

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art:cast °182 | Phill Prince

art:cast °183 | Manata

From countryside calm to cosmic dancefloor calls, Manata digs for nuggets of gold - both musical and metaphysical. Having grown from small-town gigs in central Portugal to sunrise closings on Berlin’s Hoppetosse and label showcases in Brooklyn, João Manata's journey is one shaped by persistence, dusty grooves, and a Fantom 06 that rarely leaves his side. The DJ/producer’s story isn’t one of overnight buzz, but of careful curation, endless digging, and a love for records that started with Stevie Wonder and unexpectedly found its way to ‘90s Trance gems.

Now with the launch of his new label Red Beryl Records – a spiritual successor to his Nugs On Board imprint – Manata revisits the past to shape the future, uncovering unheard treasures from decades gone by. “Since Nugs is all about precious gems, I got the idea for Red Beryl after doing a small research about rare stones… it’s one of the rarest minerals on Earth,” he explains. 

In this candid and wide-ranging interview, Manata opens up about vinyl-fueled upbringings, the early Lisbon hustle, hazelnut cookies in the studio, and the joy of seeing a dancefloor respond to a long-forgotten Belgian trance record from 1995.

“For me, producing or playing music is like telling a story. I love to get vocal samples from old movies or NASA space journeys and build my tracks around that.”

Prepare to dig deep with Manata - because the gold’s always there for those willing to unearth it.

Read the full interview: https://torturetheartist.net/2025/06/20/interview-artcast-183-manata

Artist & label information
Manta: @manatamusic // https://www.instagram.com/joao_manata
Nugs On Board: @nugsonboardlabel // https://www.instagram.com/nugsonboard

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interview

art:cast °183 | Manata

art:cast °184 | Baldov

Some artists make noise. Others listen first - then carve out their own frequency in the quiet spaces between a kick drum and a sunrise. Baldov, real name Théo Bertat, has spent the last decade threading himself through the undercurrents of Europe’s vinyl culture. As a co-founder of Undergroove Records, half of the duo Wave Catchers, and a familiar presence behind the booth and in the bins, the Paris-based DJ and producer carries an energy that’s patient but insistent — always pushing for connection over spectacle.

Whether he’s shaping warm minimal grooves for labels like LEGRAM VG & Rubber Ducky or sketching new sound maps alongside Heimyl the Lazer Man, Baldov’s mission is clear: keep it intimate, keep it human, and above all, keep it honest. He’s the kind of selector who still believes a DJ is there to serve the moment, not steal it - a mindset that naturally flows into his new partnership with Headliner, where design, sound and respect for the craft matter as much as the party itself.

In this conversation, he opens up about the story behind the Baldov name, how a broken arm and a bike crash gave birth to new music, why the art of the long set is sacred, what his dream DJ mixer might look like, and what a perfect night could be when you strip it all back to what really counts: records, connection, and the magic that happens when the needle drops - and nobody wants to leave.

Read the full interview: https://torturetheartist.net/2025/06/27/interview-artcast-184-baldov

Artist & label information
Baldov: @baldov// https://www.instagram.com/_baldov_
Wave Catchers: // https://www.instagram.com/_wave.catchers_
Undergroove Records: @undergrooverecordslyon // https://www.instagram.com/bmk_undergroove

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art:cast °184 | Baldov

art:cast °186 | Horsemen 

Two cities, one sound, and a name borrowed from a cartoon horse - Horsemen are a transnational House duo whose grooves gallop between Berlin grit and Amsterdam swing. Christoph and Morrison may not share a postal code, but they share an instinct for the kind of "no-bullshit House music" that skips hype in favor of groove, soul, and a certain unshakable floor-focus. Their partnership thrives on contrasts: Christoph’s precision-engineering meets Morrison’s musician’s ear, and somewhere in the middle, they land on tracks that feel at once familiar and fresh.

Their story runs from pandemic-era Patreon producer competitions - where a push to make peak-time Dungeon Meat weapons first brought them onto Brawther and Tristan da Cunha’s radar - to a string of releases that have steadily expanded their reach. “Buddy” made it onto Dungeon Meat’s "Weapons of Ass Destruction IV", "Work It Out" and "The Strip Down" became SLABS003, and their lo-fi breakout years still echo in the emotional undercurrent of their sets.

But the Horsemen sound isn’t just nostalgia dressed in 4/4. It’s a deliberate blend of ‘90s and early 2000s influences with the awareness that club music has to keep moving forward. That means chunky basslines with a wink, subtle nods to UK and US West Coast House history, and the kind of swing that makes you forget what time it is.

What follows is more than an interview - it’s a ride through their creative process, from boat gigs with Prunk to telepathic production sessions, from heartbreak-era deep cuts to floor-filling modernism. As always with Horsemen, expect honesty, detours, and the occasional hoofprint on your mental dancefloor.

Read the full interview: https://torturetheartist.net/2025/08/10/interview-artcast-186-horsemen

Artist & label information
Horsemen: @horsemen_music // https://www.instagram.com/darealhorsemen
MOR.LOV: @morlovamsterdam // https://www.instagram.com/m_o_r_l_o_v
ICTV: @interdimensional_cable_tv // https://www.instagram.com/_ictv_

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art:cast °186 | Horsemen

art:cast °187 | Ballan

When Ballan lands on a label, it’s rarely by accident. The globe-hopping producer has a knack for weaving together the raw energy of Electro, the swing of UK Garage, and the cheeky irreverence of House into tracks that sound as spontaneous as they are deliberate. With releases on Bliss, Sucre Discs, Non Stop Rhythm, Howl and his own imprint Phlex Recs, Ballan has carved out a corner of the underground where grooves hit heavy but always come with a wink.

His latest adventure finds him on Alec Falconer’s ever-mischievous SUNNY label, following Phill Prince’s “Playground Pleasure” with an equally playful yet razor-edged two-tracker: “Different Shapes / Eurocup Mess.” One track born on a beach in Thailand, another out of admiration for Thierry Henry and a love letter to Electro - together they encapsulate Ballan’s refusal to play by any rulebook except his own.

Fresh off a Euro summer and ahead of his contribution to the art:cast series, Ballan sat down with Torture the Artist to talk about the accidents that make tracks special, guilty pleasures that would shock the underground, and why every morning starts with coffee, a computer, and a burst of creativity.

Read the full interview: https://torturetheartist.net/2025/09/02/interview-artcast-187-ballan

Artist information
Ballan: @asafballan // https://www.instagram.com/ballannn

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art:cast °187 | Ballan

art:cast °188 | Goodtunes97

Some mixes feel like a night out; others feel like paging through someone’s most private record shelf, each pull revealing a new side of the story. The latest art:cast, °188, leans toward the latter - an invitation into a world where groove, subtlety, and deep knowledge converge. Guiding us through that world is Dylan Rutledge, better known as Goodtunes97, one of the West Coast’s most respected diggers and selectors.

Dylan doesn’t just play records, he lives them: running the Goodtunes label, curating two recommendable YouTube channels, and circulating rare finds as both a collector and a seller. That broad perspective is etched into the DNA of his art:cast, which digs as deep as his crates do. It’s housey, minimal, and funky, laced with a laid-back Cali attitude that gradually tightens its grip as the mix evolves - building toward clubbier peaks, break-esque turns, and darker notes that give the ride its shape.

The result is simply what a mix should be: a journey of discovery, a shifting play of moods, and a reminder that the right records, in the right hands, can redraw the map of where we thought the night might go.

Artist information
Goodtunes97: @dylan-rutledge-1 // https://www.instagram.com/goodtunes97

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art:cast °188 | Goodtunes97

art:cast °189 | Lucho

With an ear sharpened between Santiago and Stamford, and a record bag that bridges the warmth of Chicago House with the heady pulse of New York’s underground, Lucho has steadily carved out his place among the new generation of producers threading soul into minimal grooves. Following releases on Decatur Records, Bliss, and Nug-Net, Lucho now joins Magic Carpet for the label’s upcoming Family Trip Disc 1, contributing the playfully titled cut “Uevajam” - a track born from spontaneous creativity and a nod to friendship, embodying the label’s communal spirit.

In parallel, Lucho has prepared a textured and deeply personal journey for Torture the Artist’s art:cast series, merging fresh finds with long-cherished selections that retrace his own evolution as a DJ and digger. Ahead of his Magic Carpet return, we caught up with the Connecticut-based artist to talk about his early days between Chile and the U.S., how the New York underground shaped his sound, and why sometimes the best jams happen when no one shows up.

Read the full interview: https://torturetheartist.net/2025/10/27/interview-artcast-189-lucho/

Artist information
Lucho: @luch_o // https://www.instagram.com/_____lucho______

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art:cast °189 | Lucho

Torture the Artist - your source for contemporary electronic music

Torture the Artist is a webzine, or a magazine made for the internet, geared towards those with a passion for contemporary electronic music, with subgenres including Techno, Tech House, Deep House and Eletronica, as well as a small amount of Indie and Alternative. Founded in 2014 by Holger Breuer, a German native and lover of the arts, Torture the Artist now consists of five team members from all around the world.

In addition to publishing interviews, music reviews, DJ charts and track premieres, the webzine hosts out a  podcast series called 'art:casts'. This medium gives DJs and producers the artistic freedom to highlight their different musical styles while not being restricted by factors such as setting, and connecting them to a wider audience. 

Being in its ninth year, Torture the Artist has gained a strong and active online support group, including music enthusiasts to label managers and artists themselves, creating a cohesive community with music as their bond.

New tracks tagged #art:cast