UPFRONTBEATS

ANII makes her Renaissance debut with two cuts demonstrating beauty and power’

ANII is a rare artist crossing techno divides right now. There are few, if any, who can lay claim to a discography that swings from melodic titans like Afterlife, Herzblut and Sincopat to the admired, indie bastion of JEAMON! and legendary forefathers Kompakt. She even finds the wherewithal to run her own ANIITIME imprint – it’s fair to say she is one of the hardest working women in dance, whose output is as diverse as it is prolific. Now, she makes her Renaissance debut with two stunning, very different tracks that further confirm her fluid studio skills’

Taking the lead is The Innocents, which finds her in a haunting, introspective mood. ‘It’s inspired by cinema,’ she explains, ‘I guess you could call it a tribute to the synth-driven, pioneer composers; from godfathers like Vangelis (RIP) and Tangerine Dream to contemporaries such as Hans Zimmer or Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. I even chose the title ‘Innocents’ to evoke that feeling of indie film.’

The original’s roots are firmly electronica; it starts with a jaunty topline and 4/4, which develops into broken beat that cleverly holds its ever-so-beautiful riff back till the second half. ‘It is more experimental for me, but it was fun and rewarding to do,’ ANII confirms.

To securely bring the track onto the dancefloor, Renaissance and ANII turned to another label family-member, Luke Garcia, who swiftly said yes and drafted-in his frequent collaborative partner Th3 Oth3R. ‘This was one of those rare tracks that was very different, yet offered massive potential,’ they explain, ‘we agreed to do it because we could immediately hear that infectious riff, powered-up for peak time!’

The intensity then continues with All Day, where ANII shifts into full techno mode, although not without a certain amount of doubt, ‘I should have called this ‘All Year’ because I started it 24 months ago,’ she laughs, ‘And it was supposed to be a summer drum track, but as it developed over time it turned into this utter monster. It’s been a mainstay in my recent sets and the reactions have been great, which makes the time and effort so worthwhile. I’m looking forward to finally getting this one out there.’

Credited - For The Record