“I don’t believe that people are drawn to hard, angry music solely for its intensity,” says Berlin-based industrial techno producer and DJ Unhuman. “It’s the depth and complexity within these genres that captivate me.” As a solo producer, Unhuman’s music is safely described by the industrial techno label, but he always aims to include subtle changes and evolving details to create variation and atmosphere in order to keep people on the dancefloor. And he layers multiple tracks at a time, preferring to DJ with four or more decks to sustain high energy levels.

Unhuman will be playing at BLAQ LYTE ROVER this Fri, Feb 28th, as part of his Asia tour. The show features support by heavy electronic dance music OGs RAZE, who’ve been spilling industrial slicks on BKK dancefloors since 2018.

When DJing, Unhuman—whose real name is Manos Simotas—fills a significant portion of his sets with unreleased music by himself, from his label Liber Null, and by other like-minded artists. You will definitely catch music by them that you can’t hear anywhere else, and hearing them on a quality sound system is central. “It’s crucial,” he emphasizes. “The details and depth of my music rely on clear and powerful audio deliver.” Headphones or laptop speakers simply won’t cut it.

His Unhuman project mostly grew out of Berlin’s queer scene, and he says that “this scene has been key to shaping my work and creating a vibrant, welcoming dancefloor experience. I would say sexuality serves as a medium to advocate for freedom of expression and equality.” That attitude towards self-expression extends to everyone: “I encourage club-goers to embrace their individuality. Whether it’s avant-garde, gothic, punk, or any other style, the key is authenticity. It’ll be a night where you’ll sweat a lot and never want to leave the dancefloor.”