In case you were wondering, Seattle is still a techno Mecca, as evidenced by the abundance of exceptional producers and DJs performing here and outside the city in major cities like San Francisco, LA, New York, and Berlin. Figures like Archivist (Alex Markey), Aos (Kayla Waldorf), Raica (Chloe Harris), Simic (Ben Block), Succubass (Jessica Duran), Kristen Dalen, and P L L (Chris Davis) ably prove this case. Perhaps the local artist best positioned to break out on a global level is IVVY (Madi Levine), who had their live June 23 set on the San Francisco-based Surface Tension podcast uploaded to SoundCloud.
What IVVY accomplishes on this 40-minute rocket ride is rare: maximalist techno that suggests chaos and drastic otherworldly conflict without resorting to any hokey signifiers. The set’s masterfully poised while still radiating all kinds of thrilling interstellar danger. It’s a serious mindfuck and a rugged catalyst for movement.
IVVY’s live sets have been getting nastier and more interesting with each successive date they play. This Surface Tension recording already represents a great leap forward from IVVY’s excellent 2017 MOTOR cassette, Sheet Pan. Keep a close tabs on further developments.
