Maoupa Mazzocchetti fits the archetype of ‘hardware enthusiast’ pretty well.

The French-born producer apparently derives his alias from a prolific South African serial killer, and having first slipped out a debut in the form of a pared down vinyl for Unknown Precept, has made grisly, antisocial machine music something of a trademark ever since. Further solo releases including full-length Laugh Tool and a collaborative EP with Beau Wanzer on Dark Entries have mined similar territory, drawing on his early experiments with percussion, a fascination with Belgian proto-EBM and Alain Neffe’s experimental Insane Music label for a uniquely unsettling sound.

Not to say that Mazzocchetti’s output can be reduced to moodier-than-thou posturing: in interviews he’s discussed the open-ended, experimental nature of the late 70s and 80s as an inspiration that’s sadly lacking from a lot of contemporary electronic production.

This is probably worth bearing in mind as you delve into his Crack Mix – a shambolic, warped, and wildly fun take on club music that will have the more adventurous listener coming back for more.

Maoupa Mazzocchetti is an alumnus of the SHAPE platform for innovative music and audiovisual art, supported by the Creative Europe programme of the EU