RA.953 999999999 ⟋ RA Podcast

Don your hard hats: Italy's rave demolition crew are at the controls.

999999999's name gives them a nifty alphabetical advantage: they slot onto the top of most lineups by default. As one of the most in-demand techno groups on the global circuit, it's not like they'd be knocked off the summit in a hurry anyway. These days, the Italian duo are most commonly found flanked by speaker stacks and flamethrowers, headlining enormous gatherings like Awakenings. Carlo B. and Giovanni C. began dropping unsubtle but undeniably effective monster jams like "300000003" in the late 2010s, a time when techno was still mostly puttering around at medium speed. Their parallel compatibility with European acid lifers and younger fans migrating from EDM to hard dance came at the right moment. They emerged as fast favourites of a new generation to emerge who preferred their 303 cranked up to 11. Too nosebleed for "business," and too close to Defqon.1-level hardstyle to be hard techno in the classic sense, 999999999's rampant sets practically require a new category to convey the sense of scale: let's call it megatechno. It's clear that 9x9 don't take themselves too seriously; when we clocked 9/9 fell on a Monday this year, we reached out and they confirmed on the spot (sometimes the bit is too good to ignore). Their RA Podcast warms up for roughly 20 seconds before launching into what they do best: high drama, hammering kicks and the kind of tweaked-out acid air sirens that would make Hardfloor and Miss Djax scrunch their noses in approval. RA.953 is one hour of wrecking balls, trained squarely at the foundations of a hangar near you. What have you been up to recently? We've been very busy over the summer playing at different clubs and festivals around the world. We haven't had much time to catch our breath but we're very happy to be able to do what we love and share our music with the world. How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it? The mix was recorded in our home studio in Venice. We were very excited about this mix because for us it was a way to retrace the origins of our project and show our influences and musical versatility. You can hear our typical acid sound that develops by intersecting different sub-genres between techno, house, electro, breakbeat and trance with old records and new unreleased tracks. What are you looking forward to in the near future? We're working hard to expand our NineTimesNine label between digital and vinyl releases, giving space to new talented artists. In the meantime we're working on our next tracks—set for an album in 2025—and to take our performances to the next level with an audiovisual show. What's one club or party that had a major impact on you as an artist? Numerous clubs have played a significant role in shaping our path: BASEMENT, FOLD, RSO, Fuse, Kompass and Khidi have all been instrumental in our development. Additionally, lesser-known yet remarkable venues like Elastica in Vilnius and Hall in Tallinn have also provided unique and impactful experiences that have contributed to our growth. All moments that define the true essence of clubbing, inspiring a deeper love for our work.

Tracklist

SAMOH - Unseen Jan Trovato & Nini Panini - Dunkelblau CAIVA - Under The Strobe LASERBOY - Bubble Drop Scarlett - Flow In Memory VAENT - Racid Deddak - Wave Rave Regal - The Eyes Dostroic - Show Me The Way Tonight Dersee - Never Grow Old ? - Stranded Mayeul & Pavel K. Novalis - Black Mesa Platform 9 - Alpharisc ABLK - My Inner Kingdom Adam Cutting - Move Your Body DJ Take Control - Hope (G Mixx) Malerba & AMRI - Detune Operation Malerba (AE.AE Remix) Air Of Wave - Psy Mantra SIKHAYA - No Distance Skip - Don't Make Enemies With Me David Strasser - ID Julian Muller & MRD - Tell Me You Are Here Photo by Keyi Studio