François X / LOLSNAKE / Saint Velez / Pearson Sound / Anthony Naples / Jek at Basement - Saturday, May 3 2025 | Discotech

François X is easily one of the standout artists to have emerged from the teeming Parisian underground. Initially turning heads for his dusky, moody worldbuilding and razor sharp DJing, his work has, over the last few years, evolved into something more startling and unique. Coating his tracks in the sickly-sweet textures of hyperpop and thick, tek-y aggression, his take on techno sounds truly futuristic and otherworldly. Weeeirdos co-founder LOLSNAKE returns to the room for a round of cerebral, psychedelic techno. Although they’re a DJ of great versatility, the last few years have seen LOLSNAKE homing in on a gritty, tensile that ripples with barely-contained intensity. Illegal Rhythm founder Saint Velez completes the lineup. The NY artist has been making waves with his surging productions; last year’s “Queens Village” was a standout of double-barreled, ravey techno. Hessle Audio co-founder Pearson Sound lands at STUDIO. One of the true landmark artists of the UK’s post-dubstep boom, Pearson Sound’s work has covered the gamut from low slung, down-and-dirty atmospheric dread to neon-bright peak time bangers. But across it all, there’s a throughline of authenticity that defines his work. Even at his moodiest and most restrained, his tracks are custom tooled to take the dancefloor deeper, while his most expressive and extroverted works nonetheless maintain a sliver of mystery. He’s a DJ’s DJ, an outstanding craftsman who keeps the groove moving but never settles into a rut. Anthony Naples is a rare peer. The US-based artist first broke through over a decade ago on the strength of his bubbly, semi-outsider house EP “Mad Disrespect”. But his career since then has been defined by an exploratory, ever-evolving sensibility that has taken him into the obscure, chilled out and club-ready in equal measure. His Incienso label has become a hub for forward thinking artists whose work finds ever more cracks to slip through. Jek completes the lineup. One of NY’s best emerging artists, the Earth Dog co-founder has been a rugged, neo-psy sound, fused with dubbed out spaciousness and lysergic shivers.