Alessandro Adriani is a lot of things – producer, DJ, live performer and label owner – but above all, he is a tireless music researcher. The Berlin-based Italian goes further than your average “crate-digger” in pursuit of information about sounds, styles, artists and record labels, devoting countless hours to unearthing the untold stories behind the music he loves, regardless of when it was made.
Adriani’s obsession has naturally shaped his other musical endeavours, not least Mannequin Records, the label he established over a decade ago, voted label of the month by Resident Advisor in 2017. Over the years, the imprint has won praise from buyers and critics alike for its open-minded blend of on-point reissues, archival collections and fresh productions.
The intriguing, leftfield mixture of material on offer – think techno, electro, cold wave, industrial, EBM, minimal synth, and more – is naturally a reflection of Adriani’s wide-ranging and off-kilter tastes (as you’d discover if you had a quick flick through his vast and growing record collection).
Adriani is distinctively drawn towards the dark and obscure, and you can hear this approach amongst the long, drawn-out mixes of his similarly eclectic DJ sets. Alessandro has contributed outstanding mixes for Resident Advisor, FACT, Crack Magazine, Bleep, Cxema and Dekmantel. On the festival circuit, he’s made appearances at Dekmantel, ADE, Dimensions, Neopop, Positive Education, Signal and more, together with his bi-monthly dates at Berghain and Panorama Bar, a residency he’s held since early 2016.
As a producer, Adriani’s output naturally draws on these inspirations but also reflects his obsession with electronic hardware. Under his own name, Adriani has built a reputation for delivering heavy, angular and forthright club cuts for such celebrated labels as Stroboscopic Artefacts, Jealous God, Pinkman and – of course – Mannequin Records.
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