PREMIERE: UFO95 - Absence Has Shape [MORD}
Channeling the imposing physicality of brutalist concrete monoliths into that thing we call dystopian techno.
The UFO95 flew over Brussels one night, With Absence Has Shape tucked under its light, Through brutalist towers so starkly imposing, Where concrete dreams lay decomposing.
“Oh MORD!” cried the vessel, “Oh MORD!” it did say, “I’m bound for the club on the sixth of Febru-ay! With radiophonics both retro and keen, And dystopian grooves never before seen!”
The Tresor did rumble, the Berghain did shake, As techno Tardises whirled in its wake, With low-end saturation and thunderous throb, It zipped and it zingled, it wobbled, it bobbed!
Brussels-based electronic musician Killian Vaissade – better known as UFO95 – constructs brutalist sonic architecture from the ruins of utopian dreams. On “Absence Has Shape,” the second track from his forthcoming album A Brutalist Dystopian Society Part 2, the Tresor resident channels the imposing physicality of concrete monoliths into that thing we call dystopian techno.
Brutalist structures as monuments to failed promises, their stark minimalism now haunting reminders of what never came to pass. Vaissade translates this visual language into dark, dramatic, stripped back essential techno. “Absence Has Shape” throbs with hypnotic tension, interlocking grooves and low-end density.
Drawing inspiration from Function, Jeff Mills, Surgeon, and Sandwell District, UFO95’ approach is “Moroder-meets-Mills” – melding retro radiophonics that address brutality in its many forms: war, repression, corruption.
A Brutalist Dystopian Society Part 2 drops on February 6th via MORD on vinyl, download, and streaming. The album follows acclaimed releases on Tresor, WSNWG, and TSSRCT (which he co-runs with Hadone), cementing Vaissade’s reputation as a masterful producer whose tracks cut through the noise.
Vaissade doesn’t DJ, opting for improvised live sets, a practice that’s earned him a residency at Berlin’s legendary Tresor and slots at Berghain, Berlin Atonal, and Bassiani. Catch him on tour throughout January and February, including upcoming dates at Berghain (Jan 10), Razzmatazz Barcelona (Jan 17), and Fuse Brussels (Jan 24), with stops across Europe and the Americas.
