the europe-centered techno scene might be thinking: where is techno in a city as vast, dynamic and electric as new york? it’s alive and well, and keeps growing through aptly-named new york trax. founded in 2016 and based in brooklyn, new york trax is an outlet for new york music, by new york artists, in new york city. new york trax 02 was written by boris brenecki (ontal, impulse controls), who has recently relocated to new york, starting a new chapter in his life and artistic career. this record is the very first material he produced in new york, heavily inspired by the city and its people. ‘the oven’, with its continuous filthy groove intensified by metallic percussions, is a serious candidate for an instant classic and a deadly weapon when used on a dancefloor. the grittiness of “the oven” was depicted through images of the less beaten paths of new york in a well-received official video published recently by the label. dark yet insanely dynamic “transit system”, based on field recordings of the new york city subway, opens with a bang the b side of the record, followed by “strictly hardcore”, a sonic manifesto of brutality. get it while it’s hot!