Selections: Szare

Welcome back to Selections, a series of exclusive artist-curated Spotify playlists from those in the know.

Andrew Diaczuk and Jack Coulton formed elusive techno outfit Szare in the midst of a darts game at Manchester’s Royal Oak Pub. Apparently, these beginnings have strongly impacted their sound, with the duo claiming “the pub scene in Lancashire and North Derbyshire” as a guiding influence. It’s an intriguing backstory, particularly as their minimal, glitchy techno seems a better soundtrack to a warehouse party than it does to heading down the local.

Together they’ve honed a talent for filling dancefloors after popping up under the pseudonym 19.26.1.18.5 in 2009. Since then, they’ve been building up their profile with regular appearances on NTS and a series of releases, culminating with this summer’s surprise drop Kodiak / Translocated on Different CirclesThe single sees the duo darting off from traditional techno into grime, speedcore and IDM, distancing themselves from the po-faced image of the ‘serious’ techno artist with a playful, experimental edge.

Beyond playing extensively at Manchester’s leading venues, they’ve held down slots at Fabric, Berghain and Tresor. Their next booking will see them helm the decks at FIBER’s weekender, which serves as the inspiration for their Selections playlist. In response to the event’s theme (Sensing Beyond, Beyond Sensing – Performing the Space Between Human and Alien), Szare has pulled together a selection of tracks representing “alternative ways to make ‘sense’ of the complex world of today.”

“That Raime track (The Nourishing Cycle) taken from their EP Am I Using Content or is Content Using Me immediately struck me as being perfect starting point,” Andrew writes via email, “being partly made up of YouTube bloopers and fail videos that litter peoples newsfeeds.” From here, Szare collates songs by Deena Abdelwahed, Rian Treanor, DJ Marfox and more – tracks that not make up the duo’s current inspirations, but are each united by their ability to “flourish amongst the often alienating world.” Hit play.

Szare will perform at FIBER Weekend, Amsterdam, on 1 December