Dekmantel Podcast 149 - Shawn Rudiman

Despite having a discography that dates back to the last millennium, Pittsburgh’s Shawn Rudiman has never quite enjoyed the spotlight he deserves. His often analog electro and techno manages to be tough but not austere, and it has come under his own name as well as in the duo THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) on a range of boutique labels. He’s a prolific artist who this month looks back on his career with a two disc retrospective, Timespan on Pittsburgh Tracks, that offers largely brand new tracks which “go from base-level warehouse to more cerebral sophistication”. That versatility shows when he lays down one of his mesmeric live shows, as he has done for us in this exclusive new set. It’s just 45 minutes long but packs a lot in, from soul infused Detroit techno to elastic house. Passages of serenity are often followed by a heavily percussive wake-up call or serrated acid line, but never do things feel forced. From dark to light, visceral to beautiful, it has many different moods and is a great reminder of the talents of one of techno’s lesser known stars.