Like liquid mercury in a petri dish—slick, supple, and playfully disobedient—Rhyw’s music dazzles as it defies expectation. He has released mostly on Fever AM, the imprint he set up with Mor Elian in 2017, as well as labels like Avian and Modeselektor’s SSPB. In the studio or behind the decks, he brilliantly fuses different strains of ultra-modern techno and broken beat: eyes-down minimal lights up with modular sass, choppy kicks flirt with rolling grooves, and sharp sound design slices through earthy subs. It’s the kind of amphibious sound that can slip into otherworldly spaces while never truly leaving the dance floor.
Rhyw turned heads with the heavyweight two-tracker ‘Biggest Bully’ in 2019, earning himself sets at Berghain, Berlin Atonal, and Boiler Room Tokyo, along with tours in Asia and across the US. Online and on-air, he guested on Hessle Audio’s Rinse FM show and recently became a Rinse resident himself alongside Mor Elian with their Fever AM show. He has contributed mixes to Dekmantel, FACT, Mixmag and Tom Ravenscroft’s BBC6 show amongst others.
Even when they leave the gate at full pelt, these sets showcase Rhyw’s subtle sense of intricacy, balancing airy atmospheres against tougher tackle. But whatever the energy level, there’s always an alien presence in Rhyw’s sound— a shapeshifter whose twin motives are to bewitch and disorientate the listener.