Max HeyraudSubject resident and long-standing pillar of the Dublin techno scene, Mode_1 steps up to the acclaimed Reclaim Your City mix series with a two-hour journey through deep, driving, wiry, reduced techno weapons.
Mode_1 is about as trusted a DJ as you’ll find in the Irish techno circuit, an artist who has consistently proven himself across the festival circuit and as a regular fixture in Dublin’s club scene. Frequently tasked with warming up for legendary figures such as DVS1, Ben Klock, Dax J, Marcel Dettmann, Jeff Mills, Freddy K, Ben Sims, and Slam, his CV is decorated. He is a master of the warm-up: controlled, measured, and subtle. It’s not brash or attention-seeking; this is rolling, refined techno, the kind that rewards patience and precision.
For his latest mix, he joins a frankly star-studded catalogue. Reclaim Your City, the Rotterdam-via-Berlin outlet, has welcomed a who’s who of contemporary techno and has become something of a barometer for who’s worth your time amid the noise that now saturates the scene. It remains one of the few platforms where quality is guaranteed. That’s exactly what Mode_1 delivers: straight-up, no-frills, tense, thrilling, loop-driven techno precision. It’s more upfront and driving than some Dublin regulars might expect, yet entirely in line with his detail-focused, precision-led approach.
Textured, tense, and balanced on a knife’s edge, Mode_1 steadily edges things forward, never too hard, too fast; never jolting the energy unnecessarily. Yet he’s far from static. He shifts the dial with intent, weaving in Mills-esque sci-fi warfare, nods to the jackin’ pressure in a Truncate sort of fashion, and diving into deep, murky Berghain-style rollers. It’s tasteful yet menacing. Proper order.