TuneLab
Speedy J
at the Gashouder for Awakenings Festival 2020 | Online weekender
When Speedy J takes the decks, you brace for impact—this Awakenings 2020 Gashouder set, captured during the online weekender, is a reminder that true techno veterans play by their own rules, and we're just along for the brutal, beautiful ride. The vibe is industrial and uncompromising, all concrete and strobe lights in that iconic Amsterdam venue. Locked into a relentless 140 BPM and favoring the 12A key, this is hard techno delivered with surgical precision, with an energy profile that leans into the high-end for a crisp, punishing assault.
His mixing is tight and functional, letting the tracks' raw power speak for itself, whether it's the trance-inflected chaos of Gareth Emery & Activa's 'All Is Now' or the gritty bass of Scape One & Tau Sagittarii's 'Cygnus'. For those paying attention, the crate dig reveals wild cards like a blistering remix of Cao Nam Thanh's 'Từ Khi Có Em' and the sheer audacity of dropping Alice Deejay's 'Better Off Alone' into a techno framework. He starts with a thunderous unknown opener, pushes into the chaotic peak of the 24-minute 'Ultra-Sonic - Check Your Head' odyssey, and closes on the syncopated thump of 'MoneOnDaBeat - Lonely'—a tracklist that defies expectation at every turn.