Nicolas Bougaïeff 'EP1' Is Out Now

Nicolas Bougaïeff has released a stellar new addition to his techno series on NovaMute with EP1. 

The EP marks his return to NovaMute for their next wave of releases, the first installment in a three-part series of EPs on the Mute offshoot, and proves a dark but enticing work of heady minimalism. Opening track “Primal Express” kicks off with layers of elastic synth lines and rolling drum funk.

The psychedelic “Obviate Thought” then boasts tight and punchy drums overlaid with haunting soundscapes that pan throughout the mix. Last of all is “Concrete Love,” a gritty and glitchy techno pumper with mind-melting loops and scratchy synth textures, peeling off its percussion as the whole track powers on unrelentingly.

Berlin Academy of Electronic Music founder Nicolas Bougaïeff is not only a DJ who has played esteemed institutions such as fabric and Berghain, and a producer who has regularly released on Mute and NovaMute, but also someone involved in music technology. He designed the controllers for Richie Hawtin's Plastikman Live tour, and in 2010 with Hawtin, he co-founded Liine, the company behind the landmark music app Lemur. 

Now, the Berlin-based Canadian Bougaïeff has dropped another artfully-crafted and hugely potent techno release with EP1, setting the tone for what's to follow.

Photo credit: Barbara Mühlstädt