Qilla Records Releases 35-track Deep & Minimal Techno Compilation 'Chakravyuh' Featuring Kohra, Innerworld, Zequenx & More
27 May 2024
Founded in 2011, seminal New Delhi-based techno label Qilla Records celebrated its 100th release with a 35-track compilation 'Chakravyūh' which features 34 artists from across 12 countries. With the exception of label heads Kohra and SHFT making a repeat appearance on the compilation, it features single works by the label's live and release roster like Audio Units, Monophonik, Midnight Traffic, Zequenx, I7HVN, Artifvct, ELM, Dotdat and Vishal Unni alongside talent from Germany, France, Mauritius, South Korea, Thailand and more.
A largely deep and minimal techno-focused compilation, the label presents the release as "a testament to the label's commitment towards sonic innovation and fostering a globally united music community."
Between the selections of washing-over reverbs and echoes of motifs and introspective pads 'Voltage Controlled Human' by the anonymous moniker Olt Voct stands out through its in-your-face disjointed synth runs over spacious thumps. Kohra's 'A Bird Above The Clouds' doesn't just offer guttural drums but also equally visceral and sometimes disconcerting soundscapes.
A tasteful run commences from the foreboding fast-paced 'Hypertension' by Monophonik, through Kohra & SHFT's collaborative Goa trance-inspired 'Morjim Mystery', Zequenx's assault of acid arpeggios on 'Retrograde' and the ASMR ambience of 'Walpurgis Nacht' by Berlin's Temple Rat before culminating in the minimal, industrial and ever high-octane work of dotdat.
The compilation culminates with 2 outliers as I7HVN produces his best abstraction of IDM and techno on 'Hold My Hand' before a masterful effort by Thailand's Sunju Hargun who distils foreboding ambience from the gradually intensifying repetitions of Mridangam and vocal loops on 'मूलानि' (pronounced moolaani).
Listen to 'Chakravyūh' below and follow Qilla Records for more information.
Artwork by thebigfatminimalist