presented in collaboration with FEMMEDECKS
in-person at PS1 Close (538 S. Glibert) and livestreamed via the Center for Afrofuturist Studies YouTube
Highly acclaimed Brooklyn techno artists, KYRUH and WTCHCRFT will discuss their artistry, personal journeys and inspiration through sharing tracks that have informed them as artists, in a contemporary, immersive interview. We will also touch on initiatives geared towards creating safe environments in the electronic music industry, and how to better support marginalized artists in their work.
KRYUH
Native to Brooklyn, New York, KYRUH is no stranger to hard, gritty, and high caliber techno. A purgative, high energy raver turned DJ, her style has punched through many hearts. She is known for her immersive performances and breakneck speed-mixing that can’t help but make a crowd put their phones down. Her recent HÖR Berlin set accumulated over 14,000 views demonstrating her lively, frenetic energy. She has proven to be one of the city's bright new artists and has already made rounds at some of the best parties in NYC, including UNTER, BASEMENT, and Elsewhere. While she approaches her craft with determination, she also engages the crowd with humor and unrelenting joy. With her hardened textures and cathartic release, she’s techno voice to be reckoned with Kyruh has quickly emerged as a NYC must see. Her regular appearances at BASEMENT and around the city are relentless statements of intent, wringing every drop of energy from her audiences.
KYRUH came into the forefront of NYC’s rave when she played at the grand reopening of Mood Ring’s dancefloor. Her talent has since been recognized across New York City. She is continuing to grab the scene - passionately and feverishly. The artists who have paved the scene love her with support from Elle Dee, FBK, Volvox, and DJ Stingray. And the new renaissance of electronic music welcomes her fondly, with Akua, WTCHCFRT, Matrixxman, Katie Rex, and more. Her goal = to set the world on fire and let people know that, “Black women love the rave too. Black women orchestrate the dance floor. We make it fun for everyone and I want to be a part of the unspoken legacy.”
Her own legacy is growing beyond NYC’s borders. She has played in venues across the United States, in places like Philadelphia, Miami, and Oakland. KYRUH does not intend to stop in the public eye of the scene.
Social Media
Music and Performances
WTCHCRFT
WTCHCRFT has the best part of a decade’s production under his belt, shifting genres and styles making him hard to pin down & define - but with the constant thread of techno throughout. Not surprising, considering his background “my mom is from the Dominican Republic and my dad is Jamaican so I grew up listening to a lot of island music, bachata, reggae, reggaeton, merengue etc. But in my own musical excursion I found a lot of comfort in metal music, progressive rock, math rock, stuff I still listen to to this day”
Despite these influences, he doesn’t have any heroes “though I try to refrain from idolizing anyone because I feel like that’s how you set yourself up for disappointment. No one is perfect” but he still namechecks quite a diverse array of artists to take inspirations from “Snoop Dogg and his incredibly unique vocal delivery, Jerome hill, … mike Dunn, Cocteau Twins, Paranoid London, Gangsta Boo, Mobb Deep, DJ Assault, Björk, SPFDJ.
Putting down roots in New York City a few years ago, he now runs with the Sorry Records crew, hosting a weekly ambient and classical show with label boss Nick Boyd on Newtown Radio in Brooklyn. He does b2b DJ sessions with the likes of Kyruh and Speedy Spice, where his approach is simple “I really just play whatever I’m feeling at the moment, whatever I think would get me out of my seat and jumping”
WTCHCRFT came to a lot of people’s attention with a series of three acid-themed EPs released on Bandcamp during the pandemic. “EP 1 was really just me experimenting with the genre and how I could interpret It while trying to find my own sound, EP 2 is a lot more intentional in its themes and features more of my vocals. The theme mostly being police violence and killings of black men in the USA...ACAB Acid I made as a reaction to the history of racism that is ingrained in America and the police force, I decided to donate all of the proceeds from that song as well.”
He makes his vinyl debut on I Love Acid Records this June, with four tracks of 303 funk – fusing UK rave breakbeats and Drexciyan electro beats against tight acid lines & snappy vocal parts. Sardinian producer Elisa Bee comes in with a four-to-the-floor remix to finish off the EP. He says “once I started making this music and learning about its roots and history, it felt like I was coming home. Like I was getting a lesson in my own history - and that just makes me that much more proud to be making the music that I’m making.”
twitter.com/WTCHCRFT666
instagram.com/w_t_c_h
facebook.com/WTCHCRFT1
wtchcrft.bandcamp.com