After presenting his solo album Birds of Prey on the legendary Dolly, Vil returns with Reviver, an EP that stands confidently beside his previous work without feeling like a continuation or extension of it. Instead, it reflects a moment of inner freedom and artistic instinct, speaking entirely in his own voice.
Reviver presents four tracks designed for peak-time impact but flexible across set times. They mix dreamy dub atmospheres with raw synths, vocal snapshots and an old-school dissociative edge. These elements come together to create an EP designed to blast on dance floors around the world.
Vil, a Portuguese artist based in Lisbon, is one of the founders of the Hayes Collective and, more recently, Carícia Records, alongside Cravo. As a central figure of the new generation of techno artists, Nuno Costa carries a distinctive sonic plasticity, pairing an old-school sensibility with a contemporary, sharply detailed bodywork. Through this duality, Vil has established a unique and recognizable sound.
The theme of revivalism is not new in Vil’s work. As hinted in his previous EP on Planet Rhythm, Old Turns New, he plays with the idea of bringing classic techno textures into a modern setting. Reviver shifts this concept inward. Rather than revisiting the past at large, he seems to revisit his own: echoing fragments of earlier ideas and converting them into the present moment. Like a nostalgia of his own now, Vil holds the rare ability to create a sense of universality through his vintage-structural techno.
And in this EP, it becomes clear that something is being brought back. What exactly that is can be discovered through his own words:
DE: Your work in Reviver brings back some of your earlier deep-techno feelings. Are you intentionally reconnecting with that period of your music? And is this also why the tempos feel slightly lower? Are you revisiting older rhythmic ideas or just following what feels right now?
Vil: So yes, I’ve been listening to many things from years ago, around ten years back, when peak-time tracks were around 133 BPM. With the growing demand for high BPMs, the whole scene starts to feel a bit saturated, so I naturally move in the opposite direction and feel the desire to go against the current. I’ve been lowering the BPMs, even in my DJ sets, and I’ve really been enjoying playing at slower tempos.
DE: On a more practical level, how do you sketch and develop your ideas? Do you work from old drafts and long-kept sketches, or does everything start fresh in the studio? Are these tracks the result of concepts you carried with you for years, or do they emerge in the moment?
Vil: Regarding my projects… back in the day, I used to start and finish tracks in a much more linear way, but that’s no longer the case. Lately I’ve been enjoying revisiting older projects, ideas, and drafts while mixing them together by duplicating sessions, reworking them and introducing new moods and concepts. It’s been a bit of a messy process, but a very good one for me creatively.
I produce a lot on my laptop, and something I really enjoy is starting ideas while I’m flying or traveling to gigs. Later, I bring those ideas into the studio to finish them properly.
DE: Techno is constantly shifting, but your work often keeps a strong sense of identity and structure. What do you think is most important to preserve in techno today and what do you believe that needs to evolve?
Vil: It’s very important to stay loyal to your own aesthetic as a musician, producer and artist. You shouldn’t sell yourself to a certain style just because it’s what the hype or the industry is pushing at the moment. We’ve seen many artists shift toward hard techno, for example and that shouldn’t happen just because times get tougher.
Artists should stay true to their signature, that’s what really matters.
DE: What is “Reviver” for you?
Vil: Reviver is exactly what the name suggests: bringing something back, reanimating it, making it alive again. It shows both sides of that idea, alternative moods like Vilamoura Dub, and more uplifting moments like Lights with Grain’s vocals.
Interview / Review by Francisco Barahona.
Artist Links:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/vilmusic
Latest release: https://arsenikrecords.bandcamp.com/album/reviver-ep
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