Bruce Zalcer erupted into the techno scene in 2020 without warning. Hailing from Panama City, Panama, he released his first EP on IAMT in October of 2020. The main track, Primordial, immediately entered the International Beatport Techno Charts. Heâs since then released in Set About, 1605, IAMT Red and Numen, Codex. Now on Terminal M and an upcoming release in KD Raw.
Listen to the premiere of the hypnotic track “Never Die” by up-and-coming American artist Adrian Hex. As a newcomer to the scene, Adrian Hex is definitely one to watch, as he’s already caught the eye of the highly-esteemed Trau-Ma label.
The history of techno is undoubtedly one that traces back to the late 1980s and the black American artists in Detroit who pioneered the genre. It was in the Motor City that the sounds of techno began to take form, soon becoming the popular genre that we know today, exported all over the world.
All of this would not be possible if not for the pioneering efforts of artists that founded and produced techno in Detroit during those formative years. Detroit artists the likes of Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Jeff Mills, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Santonio Echols, and Will Thomas shaped the sound of techno as we know it, pretty much writing the manual for techno music.
Dustin Zahn’s various biographies on the internet do not contain any particularly alluring or exciting background stories, leaving me to wonder if it’s out of choice or simply because, as one particular bio states, “there are no breakthrough moments or mentors who have taken him under their wing.”
It does not take me long though, to realize that perhaps Dustin’s story is one that simply mirrors his Midwestern upbringing: a career carved out by nearly two decades of hard work, tenacity and persistence. There is no denying that since 1998 his output in the studio and behind the decks have gained him international notoriety and respect within the techno scene and beyond, all thanks to a sound that embodies diversity and quality as its primary attributes.
Born in Wisconsin, Dustin first discovered electronic music and his love for techno in Minneapolis, where he grew up after moving as a child. Although Minneapolis’ techno history is rich, Dustin relocated to Berlin after the turn of the century to further his goals as a producer, DJ and to head his own Enemy Records imprint. He has been performing regularly at some of the most reputable clubs and festivals in the world since, with a few dark warehouses and beach parties sprinkled in between. On top of releasing on his own label he has had tracks come out on Drumcode, REK’D, CLR, Mindshake, Truesoul and more, always striving to produce and play music that is both dark and groovy, seamlessly blurring genres to create a signature, hypnotic sound that isn’t common amongst other artists. He has also launched the fantastic Train Wreck podcast, a talk-show series that sees him chat with house and techno artists from all over the world over a glass or two, discussing music industry related topics as well as more personal stories, opinions and daily-life anecdotes from the DJs and producers themselves.
On March 11th Dustin is returning to the Los Angeles underground for WORK‘s first collaboration of the year with Incognito, a warehouse affair that sees him billed with Smartbar Chicago and Oktave resident Jeff Derringer, as well as LA’s very own JIA and Gerard Not Gerald. We had a chat with him ahead of his visit to talk about what he has been up to and what lays ahead in the years to come.
