mnml ssgs mx47: oni ayhun

last week levon vincent kicked off a special start to 2010 for the ssgs. this week we continue with another artist who really defined 2009 for us: oni ayhun.

i first heard of oni ayhun back in late may when OAR003 was released. hardwax described it just as 'atmospheric tripping techno', which was sufficient to get me curious. after hearing samples, it quickly became clear hardwax had been overly understated in their description. i checked oni's site and read the full description for the release, which commenced with these evocative words: 'discover steep, rugged canyons, painted rock minarets, desert vistas framed by blooming wildflowers, soaring raptors and singing canyon wrens on the wildest remaining rivers.' it was quickly becoming apparent to me that this oni ayhun was doing something very interesting. listening to the samples for OAR001 and OAR002 confirmed this. i emailed pete about all of this and went to bed. i woke up the next day with about three emails from pete, the first one agreeing with all of my thoughts, the second one suggesting we should ask oni for a mix, the third one i was cc'd on and was sent to oni asking for a mix... pete and i were agreed: oni ayhun had to be part of our mix series.

oni is exactly the kind of artist we believe in and wish to see more of: someone pursuing a distinctive, individual sound, doing it very well, and working with a concept, rather than just churning out releases. so far oni has had only 3 releases and a remix, each defined (for me at least) by the power of the sounds and the high quality production values. oni is constructing his own little universe, and that is good for all of us.

one thing we've tried really hard to do with this mix series is to get people that don't have (m)any recordings already on the net. plenty of people who would fit very well in the series we haven't considered simply because they have lots of mixes available elsewhere. oni's mix is keeping with this tradition. not only is it the first recording available online, it is also taken from the first ever live performance of oni ayhun, at the donau festival in austria on 30th april 2009. and it is exactly what you'd expect: distinctive, powerful, and seriously mindbending stuff.


mnml ssgs mx47: oni ayhun @ donau festival, 30.4.09
sendspace miror

huge thanks to oni for sharing this special recording with us. pete and myself are very proud and happy to have this in the mix series. if you want to experience more, oni ayhun is playing live at the excellent club transmediale festival in berlin on 4 february, and on 13 march at the panorama bar. and, it also looks like OAR004 is on the way soon... check oni ayhun's website for more info on what he is up to.

now enjoy the sounds of oni ayhun live. more heat next week...