NUDE220: Jonas Xenon

Berlin’s Jonas Xenon takes control of the NUDE Techno Podcast today with 27 tracks of rolling, hypnotic techno built firmly for dark rooms and late hours.

Coming from a drum and bass background, Xenon’s music has always carried that sense of movement. The tempos may have changed, but the restless grooves, tight percussion and pressure are still there. Add his taste for old-school techno aesthetics and synth-led arrangements, and you get a sound that feels direct without being stuck in the past.

That carries straight into this mix. In his own words, it is “a blend of driving rollers influenced by the early 2000s,” and the tracklist backs that up. Tommy Four Seven, Cleric, Gary Beck, Regis, Phil Berg, Alan Fitzpatrick and Reset Robot all feature, alongside newer cuts from the likes of Nizre, Cirkle and Machinegeist.

The special ingredient is the synth work. Rather than chasing big drops, Xenon keeps the tension moving through repeating lines, stripped drums and tracks that lock together properly. It is the sort of set that makes more sense the deeper you get into it.

His personal pick is Machinegeist’s ‘Solid Shapes’, forthcoming on Xenon’s own Headlight Recordings, while another Machinegeist cut, ‘Sensory Deprivation’, also makes an appearance.

The mix lands just after Xenon released his six-track ‘Shine Through Tinted Glass’ LP on Headlight Recordings on 14th August. The record moves through dub-infused techno with a breakbeat detour and includes two collaborations with DAMIANO (DE).

There is plenty more moving behind the scenes too. Xenon has two collaborative EPs with Michael Rosmann lined up for Mouche Records and Headlight Recordings, while work is underway on a first hybrid live set with Mython, due to premiere in Berlin this October. He has also just returned from New York, where he recorded his first hardware-only EP for Blackcat Recordings.

For now though, the focus is the mix. Twenty-seven tracks, plenty of pressure and no wasted space.

Turn it up and get into Jonas Xenon’s NUDE Techno Podcast below.

Sum up this podcast in 10 words…

-> A blend of driving rollers influenced by the early 2000s.

What’s your personal favourite track on it?

Machinegeist – Solid Shapes [forthcoming on Headlight Recordings]

What’s the special ingredient in this mix?

Synthline-focused tracks.

Tell us about your next EP?

I just released is a 6-tracker spanning across dub-infused techno with one breakbeat addition. It came out on my own imprint Headlight Recordings on the 14th of August.

It also features two collabs with my dear friend DAMIANO. Next up will be two EPs on with Michael Rosmann to be released on Mouche Records and Headlight Recordings.

What have you got coming up?

Currently I’m working on the first Hybrid Set of Mython and myself.

The premiere of the performance will be in Berlin this October in a venue very dear to us.

I can’t say more at this point, all to be revealed at the beginning of September. I just got back from recording my first Hardware only EP in New York City for Blackcat Recordings. All very exciting stuff and I can’t wait to share the music with you.

And finally, do you have a special message for our readers?

Thanks for taking your time to read through this interview and listen to my mix.

Much love to everyone that’s been supporting me <3

Tracklist:

#1 Rhythm Assembler – Reflections

#2 Gaāl – A Signal from Beyond (Original Mix)

#3 Tommy Four Seven – Arx

#4 Ungar – Kauf

#5 Lezther – Desincronizacion Espacial (Esteban Miranda Remix)

#6 Cleric – Redacted

#7 Biorc – Variable De Forma

#8 Axirra – Blink (Original Mix)

#9 Gary Beck – Video Siren (Franco Rossi Remix)

#10 Kernel Panic (AR) – No Mires Mucho Atras (DJ Dextro Remix)

#11 Lawrence Lee – Moebius (Stripped Mix)

#12 Magit Cacoon – Catharsis

#13 Phil Berg – Tempest

#14 Linear Phase – Gravitional Conflict (Original Mix)

#15 Alan Fitzpatrick, Reset Robot – Perception Drift

#16 Dynamic Forces – Ander

#17 Machinegeist – Sensory Deprivation

#18 Phil Berg – Tanoo

#19 Pierce – Circus

#20 Machinegeist – Solid Shapes

#21 Regis – Careless Pedestrian

#22 Nizre – Symbals Training

#23 The Southern – Ultrasound (Temudo Neuro Interpretation 2)

#24 Nizre – One Layer

#25 Cirkle – Skyland

#26 Damian Vargas & Victor Fernandez – ETHR (Original Mix)

#27 Tanzklänge – Griftpark