The Plot Thickens For CCL
Before they had much output to their name, CCL was one of the buzziest up-and-comers in clubland. From the mid 2010s and onward, the Berlin-based selector, producer, and event programmer has gigged heavily in a respected corner of the party circuit. They have orbited crews including Planet Euphorique and T4T LUV NRG and become a fixture at lauded festivals such as Dekmantel and Sustain-Release. CCL flaunts a meticulous approach to DJing, pulling from a bag of chunky deep cuts unearthed from dusty dollar crates and obscure recesses of the internet. For evidence, look no further than their Resident Advisor guide to expansive digging with Discogs, which encouraged one fan to develop an impromptu app.
CCL got an unassuming start, when they took up DJing as a hobby during college in Bristol. Their involvement in nightlife gradually escalated upon relocating to Seattle. They coordinated genre-eschewing parties as a reprieve from the stress of their career as a social worker and conduit for meeting friends. Though they were born in the UK to an Italian father and mother from Illinois and bounced between Europe and the States as a child, CCL views their DJ ascent as a distinctly American story; they find that crowds in North America are especially receptive to their left-field tendencies.
In 2019, CCL moved to Berlin to escape a burnout spurred by American capitalism. When pandemic restrictions trapped them abroad, they quickly embraced the newfound bandwidth to lead a life primarily motivated by creativity. In spite of Germany’s merciful cost of living, CCL is candid about the challenges that they face as a professional DJ. It wasn’t very recently that they were able to leave their full-time job to tour for a living. “I question the sustainability and precarity of the scene; the DJ circuit; the world,” they tell me on Zoom. Plants, books, and tapestries adorn the shaded wall behind them. “It feels like both what is expected workwise and is valued right now feels unsustainable on a fundamental level.” For someone whose process hinges on precision impacted by a youth spent in elite ballet academies, they worry about ceaselessness as a setback.
While they were previously renowned for their mixes, it wasn’t until 2024 that CCL truly allowed themself to emerge from their cocoon as a recording artist. They began producing around 2016, but it took time for CCL to reach a comfortable stopping place. This year, they have begun to overcome some of their shyness. In January, T4T LUV NRG issued the mixtape A Night In The Skull Discotheque — a comprehensive ode to dubstep’s roots that reinforces CCL as an adept music historian; in July, CCL dropped the Ciel collaboration Tilda’s Goat Stare, which included three glittery originals and reworkings from Yushh and Priori; later this month, CCL will finally release their official solo debut EP, Plot Twist — titled as a self-aware jab at a willfully unpinnable identity.
Plot Twist arrives via heavy hitting German imprint K7. With the exception of a few tweaks, the four tracks largely sparked during the freetime posed by COVID lockdowns. Blending homespun voice snippets, laser-y leads, and inventively disguised guitars, CCL describes Plot Twist as “innocent and immature, in kind of a nice way.” The end result is as fluid and nuanced as rushing water. Exhilarating D. Tiffany collaboration “The Plot Thickens” surfaced from an easygoing jam session as CCL’s birthday festivities were winding down. The swirly arpeggiations of Finnish electronic powerhouse Aleksi Perälä inspired “Strange Attractor.” From front to back, Plot Twist packs the punch of a hallucinogenic excursion.
When asked what themes shine through Plot Twist, CCL is quick to mention an interest in the tension and disorientation of dark UKG. The style frequently samples crime films, invoking horror in the mundane. Yet for all the weight and thoughtfulness that sculpted it, Plot Twist is ultimately the outcome of CCL letting go. “I feel like I had so much pressure on myself to make this record that was all of me in a record,” CCL says. “This record is not, but none of them will be.” By loosening up on their quest for perfection, Plot Twist radiates the joyous discombobulation that CCL had already mastered as a DJ.
PEAK TIME
Maara - "Sigmund Freud's Big Day Out"
Montréal-based producer Maara lingers near the heart of the trance revival, with an enviable grasp on rubbery bass, four-on-the-floor patterns, and salacious lyrical motifs. Her new EP for Spray’s Punctuality label, Drama On, is vibrant and strobe-y. “Sigmund Freud’s Big Day Out” is the choppiest of the five tracks — a wordless request to watch night fade into morning. Galloping hi-hats sizzle around urgent voices. As is usually the case for Maara, “Sigmund Freud’s Big Day Out” is an endearingly ‘90s-tinged rave essential.
Shed - "UFO2"
Berlin-based legacy artist Shed is widely seen as a seminal figure in ambient techno. But, when considered as a whole, his catalog is marked by variety. Applications — Shed’s crackly surprise release for the Zenker Brothers’ esteemed Ilian Tape label — zeroes in on his pummeling side. Closer “UFO2” navigates a stoney topography over the course of eight minutes. A foggy, horn-like drone roars above a gut wrenching beat — a hypnotic end to an EP that caters to black-lit debauchery.
Relaxer - "Burning Spear"
Daniel Martin-McCormick wore several hats prior to his current project, Relaxer. He cut his teeth in Washington, D.C., as a member of Dischord Records act Black Eyes in the 2000s. By the early 2010s he was rolling out hazy house tracks under the alias Ital, which landed on imprints including Workshop, Planet Mu, and 100% Silk. Now, he co-runs the outdoor festival Dripping and crafts uncategorizable material as Relaxer, which often contrasts the gentle implications of the moniker. Martin-McCormick’s new LP for trendy New York City label and party series 29 Speedway toys with drum and bass, hardcore punk, and industrial, all doused in bewildering effects. Lead single “Burning Spear” is built on brash uptempo percussion, iced with glitchy swishes and sporadic arpeggiations. It makes me imagine staring out at a smoggy urban horizon through a woolen shroud.
Peverelist - "Pulse XV"
Peverelist played a massive part in establishing the fearlessness of Bristol bass. The Livity Sound label head’s 2007 breakout single, “Roll With The Punches,” helped define dubstep, affirming his knack for ironclad rhythms and the construction of dismal aural realms. Launched in 2023, Peverelist’s bounding Pulse series aims to push against his half-time blueprint. Single “Pulse XV” preceded Peverelist’s new Pulse Echo EP, which leans into his futuristic, cerebral elements. Icy pads are complimented by taut percussion and springy low end. In true Peverelist form, “Pulse XV” rarely stays still for long, imperceptibly shifting from techno to dembow and back again.
Ambient 7 - "Escape"
Amsterdam-based label Music From Memory is a breezy institution. To put the cap on a 2024 crammed with releases from Yu Su, Total Blue, Gaussian Curve, and others, Music From Memory has unveiled the compilation Virtual Dreams II: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, Japan 1993-1999. As the title implies, the album unites 13 cuts from atmospheric dance producers who were active during a formative time for Japan’s experimental electronic sphere. The most serene cut is Ambient 7’s “Escape.” It unfurls with opaque chords and white noise swells, which eventually flow into a haunting digitized bell and downtempo trip hop thump. For a forgotten chill out room gem, “Escape” sounds strikingly in vogue.
DJ Lycox - "To Bem Loko"
The albums that bubble from the singular Lisbon label Príncipe Discos are liquidy, yet remarkably assured. This dynamic shapes Paris-based producer DJ Lycox’s Guetto Star, which is craggy and light drenched. “To Bem Loko” opens with a jaunty melody generated on a wheezy, accordion-like instrument. A polyrhythmic beat and bellowing chant push the track into energetic, mind-bending terrain. “To Bem Loko” is a spellbinding slice of Portuguese batida, expertly designed to stir audiences into a frenzy.
Low End Activist - "TWOC"
On his April LP for Peak Oil, Airdrop, Low End Activist explored an amorphous strain of drum and bass. The 41 minute record is in constant frenetic motion, its thrum decentralized. The latest Low End Activist album, Municipal Dreams, is more brooding and less jittery when held alongside Airdrop. It is issued by Bristol imprint Sneaker Social Club, a bastion for hardcore club and grime. The record is influenced by the Blackbird Leys estate — the dicey, post-industrial Oxford suburb that Low End Activist grew up in — and the 1991 Oxford Riots that occurred there. Feisty sonics probe at income inequality and its effect on working class communities. “TWOC” is an especially thoughtful banger. It tackles the topic of recreational auto theft by sampling the exhaust of a stolen car, transforming it into a menacing snarl. An eerie voice, repeating the phrase “I steal/ I steal luxury cars/ I steal fast cars,” amplifies the anxiety. This is punk music conveyed using gritty sequencing rather than distorted guitars.
Kode9 - "Nuvola"
Lapsus is a vital resource for the European electronic landscape. The multifaceted outlet was conceived by Albert Salinas in 2004, beginning as a scrappy party series in Barcelona. Lapsus has spent the last two decades branching into a label, booking agency, and radio program. In celebration of its 20-year anniversary, Lapsus has coordinated the compilation VINT. The tracklist is ridiculously stacked: Legends Suzanne Ciani, μ-Ziq, and Plaid all make appearances; there are also contributions from exciting newcomers Pépe, naemi, Simo Cell, and others. VINT’s standout is Kode9’s “Nuvola.” The Hyperdub founder strays from footwork, instead flirting with skittering jungle. Lithe breaks titter beneath tumbling pianos. It’s an abnormally animated glimpse at the typically dour Kode9.
Fergus Jones - "Heap"
Fergus Jones got his start releasing tracks as Perko, in addition to managing the imprint Felt. As a label boss and producer, the Scotland-born, Copenhagen-based artist has asserted a talent for clicky techno and mossy ambient alike. Jones’ stellar new full-length for Numbers, Ephemera, traverses all sides of his formula, enhanced by guest features from James K, Huerco S., and Koreless. Album highlight “Heap” finds Jones operating alone. Dubby chords and puzzling bass whirls give way to a half-time drum machine groove. Jones’ best output feels suited for sensuous lounge environments, and this refinement beams bright as ever on “Heap.”
Kelly Lee Owens - "Love You Got"
Since she sauntered onto the scene in the mid 2010s, Kelly Lee Owens has fused the roles of ultramodern pop star and leather-smooth DJ. Owens’ new album, Dreamstate, wanders toward the accessible aspects of her sound. Soaring vocals crest over giddy arrangements, making for a sun kissed listen. Autumn might be ending as Dreamstate hits shelves, but “Love You Got” is fuel for festivals to come. It opens with pounding kicks that build to an EDM climax of massive bass stabs and a reverberant titular refrain. Dreamstate stemmed from collaborations with members of Bicep and The Chemical Brothers, and “Love You Got” proves that Owens is leveling up from small tent darling to main stage favorite.
THE AFTERS
when Autechre get into their introspective bag, turn to jazz and make a collab album with The Alchemist
— Good Willsmith (@GoodWillsmith) November 5, 2024
