Marshall Stukes makes his Black Techno Matters debut with two hard-hitting techno tracks filled with an onslaught of percussion, deep thudding bass drums, pulsating synths, hi-hat rushes, crash cymbals, and cavernous sound effects that make for a visceral experience.

"I was in a period of music production rediscovery. I wanted to improve by pushing myself through different production challenges online. I made DLADWYA through one prompt whose task was to use only drums and percussion."

DLADWYA stands for "Don't Let Anyone Define Who You Are", a reference to the Don Lemon sample used in the explosive title track. Stukes delivers a techno anthem for black people trying to find their identity in a society that oppresses it.

"I had and have been going through a different rediscovery, who I am as a person, as a black man, and trying to figure out how I want the world to see me. When I heard an interview with Don Lemon and Orville Lloyd Douglas, a gay black writer from Canada, Don’s words spoke to me instantly. I had to get this message out to all of the other black people who have gone through any semblance of what I went through growing up and today."

Next up is "43", a slick production perfect for a chase scene in the latest sci-fi action flick. Are those sounds in the background monsters or a cacophony of machinery? Probably both.

Rounding out the release is a remix of DLADWYA by the mysterious BLVKSITE who takes the original into industrial territory. The distorted clanging synths dance around each other like factory machinery constructing something new. "I love being black" echoes throughout, a fitting end to a promising release from one of DC's newest talents.

//Stukes is a techno producer from Northern Virginia, who specializes in fast paced, atmospheric tracks that range from haunting to melancholic. He's been producing techno for over three years, and started djing in 2020.