Selector’s Sounds series follows a procedure that puts music quality before status or industry relationships. Learn how it works.

In December 2020, Belgian DJ and producer Cri Du Coeur made a splash with the debut of a record label mostly serving as a vehicle for his own music. Less than a year later, Arkham Audio has released its first various artists compilation. Arkham Friends Part 1 & 2 released on September 3rd in digital format.

Notable figures in the global techno undercurrent feature on the two-part compilation. Arkham Friends Part 1 includes tracks by Dustin Zahn, Denise Rabe and Luis Flores, whereas Drumcell, Florian Meindl and the label boss himself appear on Part 2. The music therein largely speaks to the label’s funky take on techno without betraying the genre’s emphasis on sonic experimentation.

Arkham Origins

Long before Arkham Audio was a glimmer in his eye, Cri Du Coeur (whose only listed name is Jerome D.) was first exposed to techno at U.K. promoter Universe‘s Tribal Gathering in 1993. Initially performing under the moniker G-Rom, he went on to organize Belgian raves such as Area 51 and Defcon.

Jerome D. inaugurated the Cri Du Coeur alias by releasing three 2020 EPs on his newly minted label. Prior to Arkham Friends Part 1 & 2, Arkham Audio also gave a home to 2021 releases by Electric Rescue and T99.

Arkham Friends Part 1 and Arkham Friends Part 2 are each available for purchase in digital format via Juno Download.

Selector’s Sounds series follows a procedure that puts music quality before status or industry relationships. Learn how it works.

Berlin talent Denise Rabe has offered up a fitting addition to her growing discography. The Lion And The Mouse comprises two dark techno singles from her as well as a remix of each by Headless Horseman and Luis Flores. It released in digital and vinyl formats March 5th.

On “Pretending,” Rabe compliments rolling kick drums with a subtle rattling texture as tension builds towards an industrial-tinged melody. Headless Horseman switches up the beat structure and adds ominous atmospheres in his remix while still paying homage to the source material. Rabe offers a slower yet equally dark iteration of her sound in “Unresolved Tension,” which Flores reimagines as a hard techno stomper.

Rabe Revisited

Having learned to disc jockey at the age of 16 in the German town of Bielefeld, Denise Rabe first explored drum and bass before moving on to house. By her debut release, however, she was fully invested in techno. 2015 saw her appear on a compilation by Mutewax before releasing her first 12-inch record via ARTS.

2017 marked the launch of her artist imprint, Rabe, on which The Lion And The Mouse is the fifth release. She has also worked as a booker for Berlin club [ipsə] as well as launching her own event brand, HIDE AND SEEK, at Humboldthain.

The Lion And The Mouse is available for purchase in digital and 12-inch vinyl formats on Rabe Bandcamp.