Psyk - Scope Drift
In recent months, we've seen several high-profile music industry professionals lambast the bombastic hard dance and hard techno subgenres. Many point to the post-lockdown craziness as a reliance on huge drops and exhaustive builds, creating TikTokified, doom-scroll-adherent clips. Tracks are intentionally crafted to record for as many phones as possible, maximising exposure. Some might say people are just having fun, while others claim it's too commercialised, with more emphasis on visuals than on sound. So, as audio culture is overtaken by the visual hyped aesthetic of the perceived underground, there is still a surprising number of artists pushing a sound that feels soulful.
The labels and artists leading this charge are perfecting a more stripped-back, dour, rhythmic offshoot known as deep techno. Gone are the blown-out reverb tails of the heavily distorted 909 kicks, the overly dramatic vocal chops and the copy-and-pasted nuggets of neo-nostalgia. In their place is a more considered sound, built on audio experimentation wrapped in meditative minimalism, with the express intention to entrance the clubgoer.
We take a look at Psyk's newest venture on his own imprint, Non Series, Hailing from Spain. The EP entitled Scope Drift (2025) is an excellent entry point into the varied world of deep techno, as the steady pulse throughout helps new dancers feel grounded, while its varied, expensive sounds slowly wrap around your head, pulling you further and further into a trance-like state. What I love about this 12-inch is that he sticks to drums, incorporates a captivating baseline, and peppers synthesis intrigue over every beat. Psyk uses an indisputable knowledge of dance music to craft tight modulating loops, with both the title track and the opener mixing a polyrhythmic baseline with something I can go into a trance over.
The inclusion of the Erik Luebs remix is on point. It's not quite the deep techno Psyk gifts us, but it's a remix that reveals a different side of the genre. Erik uses melodies and chord changes within simple musical structures to create depth and anticipation beautifully. Whereas the title track is one of my favourites this year. Its slow evolution throughout its runtime captivates me. The slow, methodical bouncing bass keeps things energetic and fun. If you're a deep techno lover, Psyk will tickle you. Nothing but a Kick and a very well-placed bass consume your ears as you wait for that gritty texture to float in and out.
Label: Non Series (2025)
Psyk - Scope Drift
