WAJE

WAJE is an old school DJ and vinyl collector whose love of music still drives him to explore uncharted territories. His career started back in 1988 with a residency in now-defunct club Limite69, and 30 years later he stands as one of the most recognizable Spanish DJs, known for his love of electro, EBM and industrial, as well as his ability to twist any of these genres into an original, forward-looking mix. Waje has been very active in the Spanish scene over the years, forming ROBOTIQUE collective in the mid-90s with DJ Fake, and 8Z8 ELECTROCLUB in 2005 with DJ Awco and DJ Pirx. Both of these endeavors brought the shiny dark side of electro to Spain, as many European electro acts presented their live sets to Spanish audiences for the first time. He recently tried his hand at production, pairing with Rubén Montesco as industrial electro project Anacronismo Industrial. After last year’s appearance at Braille Satellite festival, Waje will perform the 2020 edition of Ombre festival in Barcelona, along with the likes of Absolute Body Control, Clock DVA or Das Ding. As a warm-up for the event, he brings a piece of his magic in the form of a challenging mix he created for Secret Thirteen.

A one-off vinyl script

In just over an hour and a half, STM 305 guides us through the past and present of electro-industrial with a profound insight into the rare and the weird. Starting with the legendary Kraftwerk, the first part of the mix unfolds as a spaced-out journey, floating on the warm cracks of vinyl, rich abrasive textures, and frantic rhythms, mashed up with humorous virtuosity. Experimentation coexists with coherence, and just as you relax into the groove, there comes an estranged club moment to keep you on your feet. Throughout the mix, many of the beloved old school artists make an appearance, from Front 242 to S. P. K. and Cabaret Voltaire, but, likely, you’ve never heard them quite like that before, while more recent acts like Pan Daijing or Oubys infuse the mix with surges of bold energy. There is never a dull moment with this one, and the interplay of different sonic flavors only goes to show there’s still plenty to be discovered in this aesthetic.

WAJE on the mix

This vinyl mix has been created from a one-off selection of 25 timeless tracks, distilling experimentation along with melancholy, all wrapped up in industrial, machine-like noises.

It features Music from Kraftwerk to Pan Sonic through Pan Daijing or Conrad Schnitzler, along with synth and dark tours-de-force performed by GRAF+ZYX, Absolute Body Control, or Schaltkreis Wassermann, and shuddering rhythms of industrial beats like Esplendor Geométrico or S. P. K. It also includes tracks from more recent acts like Oubys and Gomila Park.

In the records

It’s a varied mix regarding styles and periods, but each track suits perfectly in a single script filled with complexity and sonic avant-garde.