STM 307 - UNKNOWN

The enigmatic artist under the apt alias of Unknown is a DJ, producer and founder of the Buenos Aires-based collective Knife, a project dissecting the intense sonic landscape of the South American underground. As the focal mediator of the podcast, the Argentinian has curated mixes and invited contributing artists both from his native scene and from across the globe, forging the sonic identity of Knife that is primarily aggressive, metallic and unrelenting. Today, the sinister series of mixes serves not only as the flag-bearer of all the raw electronics emerging from South America in recent years, but also as a point of reference for a younger generation discovering industrial tones. In his work as a singular creator, Unknown has contributed sharp productions to a Brazilian label Forkha, Pildoras Tapes from Colombia and others. In his productions, he welds head-splitting digital drum hits with tense, distorted basslines to form his own fusion of noise, industrial and punk. On top of that, he has a string of upcoming releases on notable labels such as SARIN’s X-IMG, OSM Tapes and Dead By Overdose which are sure to bring even more earth-shattering sounds from the artist.

For Secret Thirteen, Unknown contributes a concrete reflection of his own musical identity, the soundscape that permeates the Knife series and the brutal, dystopian imagery prevalent in contemporary industrial techno. A sense of unease would be an understatement describing the general outlook of the mix. Nearly each track primarily covers themes of terror, rebellion, authoritarian powers and doomsday scenarios, either through titles, tense musical attitudes or tortured vocal performances, all the while delivering harsh blows in rhythm and a feeling of colossal space, energy and sound. Only immense dancefloors and sound systems can do justice to that. The alarming and immediate, almost military percussion of Imperial Black Unit sets the confrontational tone at the very beginning. More dark, rapid tones are coming from the sound palette of aufnahme + wiedergabe to reinforce the aggression felt all throughout. As the tremendous scope of Tommy Four Seven’s 2084 juxtaposes with the raw quality of The Undertaker’s Tapes and Unknown himself, it is clear that the author of the mix hints at how influences of punk and metal, seemingly extreme, can easily mesh together with contemporary club music trends. Conclusively, the predominant theme of the mix serves as an example of how the current state of techno reflects all the unrest and conflict happening in the world.

The idea behind this set is to show everything that represents the project. A mix of influences such as industrial, synthwave, ebm and techno loaded with punk/black metal voices. Precise and fast technique in every single transition.