The Bunker New York is proud to present the second full-length album on our label: Valere Aude, the debut album from Romans, a collaborative project between New York techno producer Gunnar Haslam and Vienna-based acid evangelist Johannes Auvinen (aka Tin Man). Featuring 12 tracks of hallucinogenic, psychedelic techno, Valere Aude is an acid-etched trip to the outer reaches of the mind.

"I just really like listening to albums. I think the popular notion of techno not lending itself to the album format is just a myth," says Haslam, a statement we can't help but agree with. Both Haslam and Auvinen are no strangers to the album format — Haslam has released three under his own name, and Tin Man has released no fewer than six. "The album format allows for more cohesive artistic statements than other formats — it feels like more of an achievement and delivers a filled-out narrative," explains Auvinen. That's a perfect summation of Valere Aude. Building on the blueprint they sketched with Ambulare Aude, their first 12" for The Bunker New York, Valere Aude presents a fleshed-out vision of another world where acid techno falls like rain upon a forgotten civilization. "The album connects to a fantastic fictional history in which we are imagining attitudes lost to the waters of time," Auvinen says. The track titles, in fact, allude to geographic designations in the greater Roman empire, adds Haslam.

Although both Haslam and Auvinen are fully established artists in their own right, Romans is more than a meeting of the minds. "We are discovering a third entity as Romans, within Romans, which is neither he [Haslam] nor I," explains Auvinen, cryptically. "Our decisions as producers become simpler as we get closer to discovering Romans' sound." Haslam concurs: "Our production process is pretty quick — our compositional style is similar. We give each jam all that we have, then, later, sort 'em out and let Providence decide whether it's any good." The finished product is a steamy, moody record, experimenting with atmospheres, tempos, and sounds, designed for blistering hot days and cold, rainy nights. We couldn't be more excited to share it with you.

Mike Servito is from a very special yet temporary and partially lost fertile crescent of techno / house / party DJing. It was a time when raves were still a fresh idea, almost felt like a revolution, and DJs like Claude Young, D Wynn, Derrick Carter and Mike Huckaby were informing an upcoming generation. If you look directly to that inspired generation you will find the lost threads of Detroit Techno, House and beyond, you will find a group of DJs with insanely deep mixing skills, the ability to rock almost any kind of party with an improvisational approach that is so skilled it makes everything seem so well thought out that even they don't know where their set will go. But, it will take you there! In the future, this special generation of deep midwest mixers will be remembered and revered as the wizards they are, long after the trendy players have lost their luster.

Detroit never forgot about Mike Servito, his upfront dirty deep and bitchy taste has had an impact on Detroit nightlife for over a decade. From debuting in 1995 at Dat's Poorboy parties, to being a resident at blackbx and Ghostly's Untitled (along with Derek Plaslaiko, Tadd Mullinix, Matthew Dear, and Ryan Elliott), contributing to the bizarrely popular, wild and free Dorkwave, and progressing that concept into Sass (the hippest queer party in Detroit at the time), to blowing minds at Interdimensional Transmissions' No Way Back parties, Servito has made his impression. Moving to Brooklyn, Detroit's loss has been their gain, as he has found a proper home with a residency at The Bunker, and representation by Beyond Booking in North America and Odd Fantastic in Europe.

Many DJs have reputations defined by a certain place and time. Not so for Derek Plaslaiko, whose 20-year career behind the decks has seen him gather a loyal fan base wherever and whenever he may be.

Some will know Derek as a favorite of the mid-90s Detroit warehouse scene, which lead to a personal invite from Carl Craig to appear at the inaugural Detroit Electronic Music Festival in 2000. Others recognize him from his near decade-long residency at The Bunker New York parties, during which time he was named “Best Techno Party DJ” by the Village Voice in 2006. Then there was the summer of 2011 spent behind the decks at Berlin’s infamous Club der Visionaere, as an honorary resident at the weekly Visionquest nights—a worthy introduction to the city he now calls home.

Of late, there is a new generation of party people who will know Plaslaiko from his extended sets (up to 12 hours) in New York, Paris, Seattle, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, or his regular appearances at clubs like Tresor, Hot Mass, Beta, Output, Smart Bar and Berghain, and festivals like Decibel, Communikey and Movement. Or some who caught his name on the flier for the No Way Back series of parties put on by Interdimensional Transmissions, the Detroit imprint that has put out several of Plaslaiko’s rare original releases, along with Perc Trax and Minus.

There are tens of thousands of others who caught on to Plaslaiko following his record-breaking 12-hour Boiler Room set, where he gave viewers a look into his living room, while friends and friend’s toddlers enjoyed the day. This landmark session properly archived the full Plaslaiko musical experience, from flawless house and techno, to hip-hop, classic rock, and whatever other musical moment this life-long record obsessive chooses to share. And let’s not forget the thousands of folks who have befriended Plaslaiko while sharing the dance floor with this committed clubber who refuses to hang out in the booth and will always skip the DJ dinner in favor of catching one of his peers behind the decks.

Wherever one picks up Plaslaiko’s story, maybe during his days dealing discs in Detroit’s famed Record Time dance room or possibly the years spent moving serious weight at Watts and Syntax Distribution, the one constant is top-shelf musical taste, as defined by Plaslaiko’s personal heroes—names like Laurent Garnier, Daniel Bell and Zip, and colleagues including Carlos Souffront, Jason Kendig and Mike Servito—and a passion for music that over-rides the usual trappings of the modern DJ industry.

This may mean to some that Plaslaiko is still unsung. But for those who know better (and there are many all over the world), praise for Derek has been sung for decades.

Patrick Russell is a true veteran of the US underground, perhaps one of the last unsung heroes of a now lost era in the Midwest. A genuine sonic storyteller, he magically transforms the diaspora of acid, IDM, and pure jack energy into a deep, fluent sonic dialog that never fails to devastate both minds and dance floor.

A Detroit-bred DJ, artist and producer active since the early 90's, Patrick has now made New York City his home. Perhaps best known as a key figure in the legendary No Way Back parties, his ability to weave intensely unique, long-format narratives has earned him critical acclaim for his recent appearance at Berghain, not to mention featured spots at festivals such as Japan’s famed Labyrinth, Unsound, and his numerous appearances at DEMF/Movement. Patrick has also been steadily building a strong catalog of high-profile productions to compliment his increasingly varied, hypnotic, and in-demand DJ sets; his upcoming 3-track remix EP on The Bunker New York also marks his induction as an official resident DJ at the long-running Brooklyn party.

His consummate taste and disciplined execution have created a respect that cannot be purchased. Patrick Russell is not just a name to watch, he is someone to be experienced.

For the past 12 years, The Bunker New York has led the way for American techno by bringing together hundreds of artists from all over the world. More than a mere techno party, The Bunker unites diverse sounds from across the electronic music spectrum, connecting the dots between house, techno, experimental sounds, and much more. The Bunker New York began as a party, grew up into a record label, and has become a collaborative community, fostered by founder and curator Bryan Kasenic since its launch in 2003.

Kasenic's roots in the world of music go deep. In 1993, at the age of 16, he began DJing on Carnegie Mellon’s WRCT in Pittsburgh. He went on to launch his own radio show on WNYU in 1997. The radio show, and his interest in the many weird corners of the NYC music scene, eventually morphed into the creation of a weekly email newsletter, which included noteworthy party and event listings at a time when nothing of the kind existed online. As Bryan became more established in New York City, he created Beyond Booking, the agency that would become a core part of The Bunker New York. During this time, Bryan was also a sought-after DJ, performing at parties and events on a weekly basis. Currently, Bryan also hosts a weekly show on Red Bull Music Academy Radio, featuring The Bunker's friends and family.

Bryan is much more than a mainstay at The Bunker New York. He has also played in many of the finest clubs and venues around the world: Berghain, Panorama Bar, and Atonal Festival in Berlin; Output, Verboten, and MoMA PS1's Warm Up series in New York; Air Tokyo and Circus Osaka in Japan; Smart Bar in Chicago; the Communikey and Decibel festivals in Boulder and Seattle respectively; Public Works in San Francisco; and many more. Additionally, he has co-produced numerous events and festivals, including several years at Unsound Festival New York. Unsound is one of the leading electronic and experimental music festivals worldwide, and he subsequently brought The Bunker to Krakow, Poland, Unsound's native city.

To understand Kasenic as a DJ one needs only look back at his decades of passion promoting electronic and experimental sounds in New York, and towards the sound of the artists that have become key members of The Bunker New York family: the psychedelic, cerebral bent of Atom™, Voices From The Lake, and Reagenz; the swirling, atmospheric soundscapes of Clay Wilson, Zemi17, and Marco Shuttle; and the industrial-strength hardware dynamics of Løt.te, Mark Verbos, and Romans. 12 years after its founding, The Bunker is stronger than it has ever been and continues to grow, thanks to Kasenic's vision and effort.

While shopping for vinyl at a record store, Ryan Smith met Ron Like Hell, a veteran DJ of 19 years. Both excited to meet another like-minded gay individual appreciative of timeless music, they were inspired to work on a project together. They really came into their own when they launched Wrecked as a monthly doors open at midnight party at National Underground, which was an immediate success. They've made it their mission to book solid underground talent to express the changing tides in the gay underground. Their sound has taken them to the dance floors of Berlin to San Francisco and The Black Party to 718 Sessions. On their own, Ron works for Academy Records and produces Classic Album Sundays NYC and Ryan works as an agent at the Windish Agency. For the past couple of years, Wrecked has become a regular part of the lineups at The Bunker, shining bright as both openers and in prime time slots.

Techno producer Justin Cudmore’s coming-of-age as a fan and creator of dance music happened amidst the wide expanses of central Illinois. As a kid growing up in the state’s tucked-away capital of Springfield, he played the drums at home and in school as a jazz percussionist. But where most of his peers were tuned into pop music, Justin was wearing out self-made mixes and classic disco compilations. As a college student Justin dove further into electronic music, workshopping new-wave influenced beats in bands and DJing parties, primarily at the club night Physical Challenge, which he started in 2007.

He moved to Chicago after college and began working for the influential dance music blog Little White Earbuds, which opened him up to the city’s thriving underground house and techno scene. Currently, Justin is a fixture across Brooklyn, popping up on dance floors and behind booths. 2016 saw his 12” debut on Honey Soundsystem Records (HNYTRX) featuring remixes by Mike Servito and Gunnar Haslam. The trio have taken their Hotmix party and sound across Brooklyn, most recently for all-night tag sets at The Bunker NY.

Through it all, Justin has remained a student of history who recognizes that house and techno still drip with the sweat of its pioneers. Much like the teenager who burrowed deep into his own mind, Justin prefers old sounds over new. He has spent years digging into crates both digital and physical, gathering inspiration for his own productions, which marry snaking acid lines and bouncy grooves to samples that have remained close to his heart. 2017 will see Justin continue to push forward with new releases and remix collaborations.

Antenes is one of a few projects that Lori Napoleon is behind. Aside from hand building synths to perform her own music as Meridian7, she has also released a track on L.I.E.S. as Antenes, and has more material in the works. She's also working on a release for The Bunker New York, which will hopefully be out in 2017. Tonight she warms things up with an opening DJ set.