Canadian-born and Berlin-based Nicolas Bougaïeff may have just dropped the most well-designed Techno EP on one of the most quintessential labels in Electronic Music, Daniel Miller’s NovaMute. By the looks of things, both the label and Bougaïeff are ramping things up for the new year.
Nicolas Bougaïeff has taught at the Berlin Academy of Electronic Music and has also been a sound designer/cofounder for Richie Hawtin’s hardware ‘Liine,’ a software engineer for Lemur, and he has a literal Ph.D. in Techno. He’s appeared on Mute and Novamute before as well as Triple R and Jacqueline Klein’s labels, Trapez and Traum Schallplatten. Even with all this in mind, Nicolas, by his own admission, only previously put forward Techno music experiments, and the first EP in this series seems like his most conclusive affirmation of his prowess as a master technician who can move dancefloors.
You may be asking yourself, what’s the difference between this EP and (let’s go randomly into the catalog with) Bougaïeff’s 2017 Novamute release “Cognitive Resonance?” It seems like there’s a lot more invested in the cerebral impact of the music on “Cognitive Resonance” versus setting up the groove and tension between the elements on “EP.1” The whole release here is more geared towards having fun while getting lost in the mix.
Even the cheeky addition of the train in “Primal Express” is less about formality and unbuttoning his collar somewhat. But “Obviate Thought” is really where this EP takes off. We’ve not heard too much of a tougher groove from Bougaïeff in many years it seems. Similarly, “Concrete Love” is truly centered around rinsing out a full-on slamming groove. For most people, it’s safe to say that’s enough, but that’s not even half of it in the case of this artist.
Not only is this EP slamming, but it’s mixed to literal perfection yet still contains a good deal of realness and authenticity without being glossy or overproduced. There’s a lot of attention to detail as far as the mix interaction is concerned. Everything in the mix is there to set up a part to make it speak to another part but in a very transparent sort of way, which is nothing short of breathtaking.
NovaMute and Mute have been cooking up a lot recently with the release of Vince Clarke’s Drone album “Songs of Silence” which is very comfy and a break from Clarke’s pop-influenced past. Chris Liebing, who is a true fan of the label, and Daniel Miller have been in professional collaboration together. Liebing’s release with Nicole Moudaber on the label has added a much-needed professionalism to the music.
In the past, you’d have Novamute working with Tommy Boy, and breaking the Tresor Label stateside—really lending credibility to the whole Techno music scene. The world back then was a gang of somewhat flimsy pressed and mixed Indie-meets-Acid House EPs, until Novamute took it to a whole other level.
To this day, we see a similar story playing out where anyone can self-distribute their music through several services. It feels like from the activity in recent months, Novamute and Mute are looking to turn the tide and take on the lead in the scene once more. With Nicolas Bougaïeff’s “EP.1” and presumably several more EPs down the road, this is a step in the right direction.
Nicolas Bougaïeff’s “EP.1” is available as a Beatport exclusive currently with a full release slated for January 11th.
-Sean Ocean
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