I’m pretty shit at writing about DJs and their craft from a standing start. So, taking downloaded sets as reference points is going to be the main context for what follows. I listen to a lot of mixes, mainly because I don’t go out clubbing any more; (never say never though). And even if I did, certain DJs don’t come around too often. Of the better known Romanian DJs, Barac is that little bit different. And you may well ask how do I know? So, not only does he make sets of his freely available through his Soundcloud, he also plays the most interesting combinations and, in doing it his way, he has developed a signature sound which, even though it is incredibly energetic, fluid and funky, is also dark, disorientating, druggy and strangely cohesive. Tracks are draped over each other like large velvet curtains, expelling dust from the shock of impact, with no beginning or end. Certain calling cards are pervasive: linear, propulsive beats which hint at dub techno but are fuller and more complete. Dub techno is a genre that can have difficulty convincing others of its merits. What you are listening to in a Barac set is fashioned from a similar aesthetic, but brought into a sharper, floor-focussed sensibility. And even though this music is generally categorised as “minimalism” or “Romanian minimalism”, it’s anything but. Sure, one can definitely hear the influence of Villalobos, both as a DJ and an artist, during one of these sets, but apart from that, the sound has very little to do with the take on house/techno that gathered traction in the early part of the first decade of this century, more influenced by Brinkmann and Hawtin than anyone else. The idea that this is in any way similar, or influenced by ‘DE9: Closer To The Edit” is laughable. This is a “lived-in” sound dripping with carefully-filtered clutter, but still spacious enough to accommodate multiple layers of carefully choreographed dissonance. One of the things I like most about listening to mixes is the inevitable discovery of new tunes, and there are loads to identify here. However, not that many are recognised, and it’s interesting that those that are are usually the same ones again and again, with the vast majority remaining in the shadows. There’s a certain feeling of entitlement necessary when requesting an id directly; as in “id?” or “track id?”. If I’m the DJ in question monitoring my Soundcloud or Mixcloud page, I know that there’s no way I’m going to respond to any of these requests. Almost as bad is when complete strangers think that they’re on first name terms with you. This is quite common and maybe it’s my natural British reserve, but I don;t think so. It’s just common courtesy to be a little less direct, a bit more respectful, even on thee interwebs. In any case, such is the spiders web of labyrinthine mixing going on in one of these sets that it really isn’t easy to see where a lot of tracks begin and end. Sometimes there will be an abrupt halt, or a paradigm shift, but not often. For the most part the listener is caught up in a groove injected, relentless sonic fug that although engineered by the DJ in question, often takes on a life of its own.
The two most recent sets on Barac’s Soundcloud can be found here & here.
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