FRESH JUICE: NEEDS by 92Groovz

92Groovz debuts a first self-release with 'NEEDS', a four track techno tornado that blends old school rave grooves with elements of punk and hardcore industrial.

Words by Oisín Campbell/ Design by Michael Savage

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Buy/ Listen here: 92groovz.bandcamp.com/album/needs

Born in India, raised in Hong Kong, and now residing in Cyprus after stints living in the UK and Switzerland, 92Groovz's path is as striking as his journeying ruff-cut sound. A multi-instrumentalist that has taken inspiration from many backgrounds, Ish (92Groovz) began DJing in his teens at university house parties in Brighton and London where he developed a mixing sound that initially traveled through house and breakbeat.

By 2015, his production sound began to emerge simultaneously alongside a breakthrough into the Swiss techno scene with a helping hand from the Geneva-based rave collective, 'Stonehenge Rituals'. This entry into the techno space saw Ish taken aboard by the esteemed Geneva and Berlin based techno label, 'Bipolar Disorder Records', an imprint that has platformed acts like Assembler Code, Blame the Mono, & Narciss on its roster. Here he worked in release and event promotions and continues to work closely with the group today.

(see the extended Bipolar Disorder discography here: bipolardisorder1.bandcamp.com/)

A formal intuition into the underworld of the industry from these established backgrounds gave Ish the tools to establish the 92Groovz alias and label that has entered the fray with a raucous, punk-driven techno record with the 'NEEDS' release.

Title track 'Needs' opens up proceedings in a storming fashion with its razor-sharp bass-line whirls. These are met head on by crunching 4x4 kicks, with chippy hats and snare fills that force the track on full-tilt ahead. Intermittent breaks appear as the sound progresses in this destructive opening taste into the 92Groovz soundscape.

'90s Catz Better Alone' follows up with another rumbling, yet acid-tinged bass line. Unhinged acid spirals and a stomping break-beat help to maintain a dark and fizzy sound that flirts with falling into a speed wobble as it runs its course.

The EP's punk dimension is explored further on 'Love for the Knights', a four the floor techno chaser that fuses its energy with Ish's well engineered guitar riffs. A unique take on a techno track that manages to add an extra grit than on the previous with the addition of the hard-nosed instrumentals. A sound-system tester for sure.

On the close, '16th Ave. on the Willamette' re-establishes the thunderous break-beat platform that was felt on '90s Catz Better Alone', helping to create another raw and vigorous dark-room track that exemplifies the sound 92Groovz has established for himself on this record.

The first entry into a back-catalogue of self-releases for 92Groovz, the sound showcased brings the ruckus as raw techno and breakbeats are introduced to the punk paradigm, advancing the labels aim of merging the families of breaks, techno, punk and funk. For now, we can expect to hear more from Ish with the potential for an expanded family to land on the independent Cyprus-based imprint. The tracks have already caught the attention of techno revelers 'HATE' who aired premiers of the EP on their platform recently, praising the mix of warehouse ready weapons that have been constructed here.

As were his own humble words, Ish is 'just a dude making dancefloor focused beats, on a mission to feed DJs with what they need'. Keep an eye on this one, it's gonna get rougher.

// All proceeds are donated to an Emergency Relief Fund for Ukrainian seafarers presently affected by the war in Ukraine //

Please feel free to contact Ish at 92groovz@gmail.com for further information.