The Irish techno scene finds itself with another promising prospect as Monaghan local Luciid adds yet another great label to his already-impressive catalogue of club-primed productions.
Having already put music out with imprints such as Coyu’s Suara and Dense & Pika’s Kneaded Pains, Luciid makes his debut on the California-based label of Selective Response, Crisis Of Man.
We had a brief chat with him to talk about his new single ‘Chainsaw’, his approach to working with labels, and what he thinks of Ireland’s growing club scene. Get the full discussion with Luciid below.
You’re on our Inflyte Radar, where we highlight promising talent in the music game, tell us what you have been up to so far this week?
Thanks for having me! I spent the start of this week finishing off a new EP which I’m really happy with. I’ve just been starting some fresh projects and trying to get as much lined up as possible.
You released your new single ‘Chainsaw’ earlier in the month, talk us through the process of making the track?
I knew from the start that I wanted my debut track on Crisis Of Man to be a raw and heavy hitting number. Like most of my projects it started with the kick and construction of the drums on the Digitakt Elektron. From there I honed in on the 303 and the ‘screech’ synth. The track is quite a step up in BPM from my past releases, so the most difficult part was the arrangement, but I’m really happy with the final result.
And how have you found the reception to the release so far?
It’s been great! I think the sheer rawness and pace surprised a lot of people, but overall the reception has been brilliant. I’ve got more confident to carry on with this style after this release!
It comes on California-based imprint Crisis Of Man, what attracted you to wanting to work with those guys?
I started following the label a little while back and I think the first thing which caught my attention was the quality and variety that each release had. The label boss Selective Response has a crazy amount of talent when it comes to production too, so it’s always nice to get in with someone who has an ear for good music. I firmly believe that Crisis Of Man will be a staple of the techno scene in the near future.
You’ve also released on Suara and Kneaded Pains in the past, what advice would you give to other aspiring producers that want to get signed to those kinds of labels?
I would say just be yourself and get in with labels that will let you experiment and develop your sound. Release independently until you find a label that you think really suits what you’re going for. Kneaded Pains has been amazing for me and have allowed me to explore further avenues of techno than I might have on other labels and to have Dense & Pika there to share their knowledge is insanely helpful.
I feel the same about Suara, Coyu has been great, and to release on his label is a dream come true, so it’s important for young producers to find labels like these that will help them grow.
Which other imprints might we see you on in the near future?
I would love to do something really different for CLR at some stage, I’m a massive fan of Liebing and the label in general!
You’re from Monaghan in Ireland, which is quite a small town compared to the likes of Dublin or Belfast, how have you found the techno scene there?
Monaghan is a really small and rural town and techno really isn’t a thing here, which is a pity. The town has produced some amazing live acts, but it has yet to adapt to electronic music. It also makes it quite difficult to network and even the social aspect of raving is non-existent. In saying that, I think the way forward here is small-intimate parties and it’s something I want to look into.
Ireland has been spitting out heaps of talent in recent years, with names like DART, Mark Blair, and Tommy Holohan getting massive attention, what do you think is influencing the surge?
I agree there is an endless stream of new, extremely talented artists coming out of Ireland. Personally I think a lot of it has to do with a lot of the rave scene in Ireland struggling during the pandemic and artists here being forced to look further afield for inspiration. I now see a lot of the musical trends pioneered in Central Europe translate to the Irish music scene really well, which was not the case before the pandemic. There’s a huge wave of Irish artists about to hit the international scene.
Thanks a lot for answering our questions, is there anything else you want to mention before we wrap things up?
Thanks for having me, it was a pleasure! Tonnes of fresh music on the way!
Luciid – Chainsaw is out now on Crisis Of Man.