- Words Cal McIntyre
Striding into the peak of his electronic soundscape with the release of his EP 'Cyclia Two', we get Krystal Klear to curate a 10Trax playlist of anthems that are intertwined with his memories.
Following the release of Krystal Klear’s otherwordly ‘Cyclia One’ on Gerd Janson’s esteemed Running Back last November, Krystal Klear is back with his EP ‘Cyclia Two’ which marries the two worlds together into one harmonious soundscape.
Krystal Klear’s seemingly effortless ability to weaver from house, techno, trance in an air that harkens back to the glory days of the 80s and 90s rave culture is only one side to his talented coin. Live in action, Krystal Klear is able to seize the dancefloor under one roof and have the full crowd connected with him and his selections.
The lead track off of the EP, ‘Future Fantasy’, is the perfect entry point if you’re new to the electro-maestro. The stunning video debut sees the directorial debut from the Running Back boss himself, Gerd Janson. The retro-futuristic aesthetic features the work of German painter and printmaker Arno Beck, whose art sits in the intermediate area between the digital and analogue. Representing visually how Krystal Klear lies at the intersection of old and new, the video and track together leave you hooked.
Speaking on the universe that is ‘Cyclia’, Krystal Klear revealed, “‘Cyclia’ was an idea from Jim Henson in the late ‘60s to make a nightclub that was enhanced by intense visuals created using projected images on sculptures within the club. It’s a concept which now is fundamental, but for me what really resonated was that I wanted to make tracks that leaned more on the cinematic end of what I can do with club tracks without being too ‘over sensationalist’ about it either. They’re two EPs of pure club music crossing all tempos for all moods but made entirely from a cinematic perspective.”
We got the man himself to curate a playlist of 10Trax below along with some intimate memories from how he has connected to each tune, enjoy!
"Starstruck" by Cheri
"2009/10...excuse my memory....I was stood outside Carbon Lounge in LA having a cigarette while Billy Goods and Dam Funk were playing to a cosy room of about 50 people at Funkmosphere. Pure Good Vibes. Out of nowhere I heard these chords...turfed my cig...sprinted to the floor and danced like a maniac to this jam I had never heard. I asked Billy later what it was and he was kind enough to give me the copy I still play today."
"Insomnia" by Faithless
"Has to be regarded as one of the most important because it was a spark that ignited my love for dance music. I was at junior disco or something...this was pre-fake ID rave when I was about 11 or 12. The music being played was basically some ten garbage, bonkers mix-cd's and dance classics. I was young &hyped up on what kinda scent lynx I was wearing underneath my lacoste jumper I pinched from my dad and when faithless came in...I lost it. I knew it from hearing my older cousin playing it on his stereo but hearing dance music at home compared to in a club is like eating take out over eating in a Michelin restaurant."
"I LUV MUSIK" by Johnny Vicious
"I think the O'Jays song "I Love Music" has been edited probably 10,000 times but when I brought Slow To Speak over from NY to play at my residency at Sub Club in Glasgow, they managed to throw me off with a version of this track that I have never heard. After about 2hrs of the best house music one would ever hear being weaved perfectly together they dropped this disco classic and the whole place went bananas."
"Missing You" by Larry Heard
"I'm not 100% certain if it was Jon K...I had had a few beers BUT this is my favourite Larry Heard song. Shouts to Dave Rigby. I had my heart broke earlier that year and it was pretty much on repeat for most of 2011 which was a huge transformation year for me. By July I had finished studying, my career started kicking off and I was stood in Croatia at Soundwave, playing music with my best mates, surrounded by amazing people and late into the night Jon played this record and I swear I nearly collapsed. It was incredible. It felt like I was listening to it for the first time because my heartbreak had left and I wasn't upset anymore. Warm air by the Croatian sea listening to those chords...still to this day this record makes me stop. It's perfect."
"You and I" by Stevie Wonder
"I was part of this party in Manchester for 7 years called HOYA HOYA. Still to this day I take tremendous pride saying that. Our home was the infamous Roadhouse venue. Sadly in May 2015 it decided to close. On our last ever party at the Roadhouse and our last ever Hoya, I decided to open with my favourite Stevie Wonder song. It felt like a testament to the patrons of the party. This was our last time together. There were a lot of tears that night but I really did myself no favours playing this emotional tearjerker as my first record haha. RIP Paul x"
"Ain't No Need" by Skye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D3QgBH3T7E"I was maybe 18 or 19 and Theo was playing his residency at Plastic People. I hadn't been to Plastic before but I was acutely aware of it being from Ireland and I was a fan of Theo, so on a chance weekend in London, it seemed like a no brainer to go for a swear. Theo juggled two copies of this coveted record for about 15 mins...it felt more like 2hrs of pure bliss...either way it was non-stop euphoria. I was with my friend Pia Ebrill and I just remember welling up at the emotion in the room. Theo was riding the EQ and was juggling the groove with precision. It was a turning point for me as a young guy wanting to play music to people."
"How Deep Is Your Love" by Bee Gees
"I was with an ex-lover who I hadn't seen a long time. Back when I knew she hated dance music. Even Daft Punk (I should have known then!) but on this special night, I told her that this DJ called Harvey was playing a rave in BK and we should go. This was at 3am in the morning. Next thing we are in a cab to BK and spent the night dancing to the snake charmer that is Harvey. His final song was "How Deep Is Your Love" and after a long night dancing with someone really special to get hit with such an emotive tune...well...it all just fell into place."
"Alive Tour Dublin" by Daft Punk
"Listen...still to this day it’s the best live show I have ever seen. Goosebumps throughout and I just felt so so lucky to be seeing them. I'll never forget that gig. When they played their final encore with TOGETHER - one of my favourite Roule records...maybe it was everyone cheering or maybe it was the pills but one thing lead to another and I was jumping til the grass went flat with euphoria. side note : I was 25 stone at the time so I wasn't jumping very high and the grass was flat long before I needed to jump on it."
"Euphoric Dreams" by Krystal Klear
"Immediately I feel like a wanker posting this here and it’s true that what happens in P Bar stays there but there has only been a few times I have shed a tear when I'm playing and this was one occasion. Sunday afternoon. P Bar. Last 15 mins of my set and I decided to play one of my own tunes which has this horrifically long over indulgent breakdown. The reaction it got caught me off guard. The shutters, the emotions and the feeling of pride got the better of me. It happens!"
"The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats
"Despacio came to NY in April 2018 I think it was??? Maybe March. Anyway. Me and my crew of friends got last minute tickets from Gerd Janson and jumped straight in a cab to knockdown. For those not familiar with Despacio...it’s one of the best clubbing experiences you will have, it was curated by 2 Many DJs and James Murphy, and using all the best nightclub tricks in the book, they had the room virtually dark for about the first 2hrs or so... side note : I had taken some disco favours so this is all a little loose... anywaaaay they eased in that recognisable chug drum loop from Safety Dance and once the synth line hit all the lights hit the disco ball and the whole place went fucking bananas. I danced until the last song and every moment of the night was special. Apologies also to Paul & Barbie. x"