Article by A Strangely Isolate Place

Edited by Hypnus Records

Hypnus Records’ label owner Michel is unsure why there’s been a fantastic output of deep techno coming from his country in the past few years. Still, this deeply hypnotic sound converges the best emotional elements of ambient music with a trusty techno rub.

When asked if there was something in the water, Michel described Sweden as more of a distraction than an inspiration:

The realm of Hypnus lies more in the imagination. Sweden, and society, in general, feels more distracting than inspiring.

Michel is perhaps unknowingly describing the very root of the techno movement - an inspiration to release and break free from society, happening here once again, but this time in his home country of Sweden.

If pushed, he might describe his label’s sound as “curious and immersive electronic music” after trying to label it as "deep psychedelic techno”. Either way, to him, “it’s highly psychedelic as it is synaesthetically cinematic”. To the casual listener, it’s techno. But to me and many others, it represents the perfect blend of atmospheric ambient music and heads-down-4-am-stompers.

Much of Hypnus’ output retains the essential elements of techno we’re used to; repetition, synthesisers and a sense of progressive euphoria, albeit with a mysterious and intriguing feel that’s more akin to dub-techno.

Michel founded the label due to wanting to release music by friends on Soundcloud: 

I had just recently lost my job which left me with some extra cash that I decided to spend on curating the first Hypnus records. 

They released those records in 2014 - not so long ago, given the extensive output and impact of the label, which has now gone on to introduce the world to the sounds of Luigi Tozzi, Feral, Primal Code, Michel’s techno alias; Ntogn and many more.

Michel's self-discovered techno community has gone on to become a close-knit bunch of friends that share the roster, retaining a distinct aesthetic and consistent output. 

I met Luigi through Soundcloud many years ago, while Alessandro (Feral) and Jakob (Skymn) came into the label through common friends. Over time, we’ve all grown closer as we’ve had chances to meet all over the world and this is really a great reward for me. It is a special feeling listening to the music of a friend, hearing the whistles and gales of their mind.

Read the full article and listen to the exclusive showcase mix at astrangelyisolatedplace.com.