Since he began spinning minimal and house records at friends’ parties in 2014, Pressure Point, the Italian DJ-producer also known as D:fferent Place, has never really looked back. Shirking away from the limelight that many of his compatriots have pursued, he’s instead released a stream of quality EPs that stylishly blend the two genres that kick-started his journey in music nearly two decades ago. Next up is Ghost on Tape, a four-track outing on Pluie/Noir—a label in Berlin, one of Pressure Point’s former homes. It follows a collaborative track with Christopher Ledger on DeWalta‘s Meander.

Little is known about Pressure Point’s origins as a producer but what we do know is that he began with three slick micro-house tracks on Italian label Castanea Records, and his music instantly gained traction. From there, he signed to Sol Asylum and launched Telharmonic Texture, a little-known label with a big roster: Akufen, Paradroid, and Jeff Samuel have all put out music there. More than anything else, it’s a space for Pressure Point to share music from the artists that have influenced him, and it’s one of those few play-on-sight platforms in minimal electronic music.

Recorded last last month in celebration of the upcoming EP, Pressure Point’s XLR8R podcast is full of the complex compositions and deep melodies he’s known for. Much like Telharmonic Texture, it shines on a light on Pressure Point’s favorite artists: you’ll hear music from Edward, Youandewan, and Thomas Melchior, any many more. Fortunately, these are also some of XLR8R‘s favorite voices, so we’re also a big fan. Press play for just over an hour of wonky, effortless minimal groove.

01. What have you been up to recently?
Finally, I am starting to live some normalcy once again. Until recently everything seemed so surreal, with the pandemic, and this influenced everything that was a source of inspiration for me. I never stopped listening to and buying new music, just as I never stopped experimenting with new sounds, but everything felt much slower. And now slowly everything seems to be taking its normal shape once again.

02. How has the lockdown period been for you?
Boring! And also worrying because the music and art scene has suffered a lot. In fact, it’s the one thing that hasn’t fully restarted yet. When there was no light at the end of the tunnel, there were some pretty dark moments, but I hope this will be nothing but a bad memory and we can recover better than before.

03. Which artists and labels have been impressing you recently?
For some time I have been focusing on the past in terms of influences—exploring and trying to understand the artistic evolution of electronic music throughout the years. At the moment I feel particularly influenced by artists like Herbie Hancock, Larry Heard, and Jovonn, but also more recent names like Patrice Scott plus his label Sistrum. As for the minimal scene: I really like Edward.

04. What is it that draws you to make electronic music?
Music is a state of mind, and this has always been my thinking. We’re all free to do whatever makes us happy in life. Making electronic music has always been a source of life for me. With a growing career in music everything becomes more serious, but it’s important to always keep in mind the real reasons for one’s passion while working hard. Seeing some good results after many sacrifices brings more positive energy to continue ahead on the path.

05. You’ve got a new EP incoming on Pluie/Noir. What can you tell us about it?
I’ve always tried to establish a relationship of trust with the labels that I intend to release music with and fortunately I’ve found this with Bruno Cleymoore who has been shaping Pluie/Noir for years. So together we decided to publish this EP, Ghost on Tape, which, as of now, is one of my favourites releases ever. It’s experimental with a touch of deviation from the standard minimal sound; it presents the sort of “distorted” vision I have of the genre.

06. Where and when did you record this mix?
I recorded this mix two weeks ago at my place, with a good glass of wine.

07. What can the listener expect?
I hope that listeners can dive deep into the flow that I’ve tried to create here: every record is placed in a specific position and has its unique purpose. I want the listener to wonder: What’s coming next?

08. How does it compare to what we might hear you play in a club?
In a club everything is different because you have the energy coming directly from the people. It’s very different to a podcast. In both cases the end is the same—to provide the listeners with a good final product—but the contexts are different: during a set in a club, the variations between genres which I love very much (shifting from micro-house to old school Chicago old, for example) can be more common. It’s me selecting the next track but it’s the dancefloor dictating what I should play. I’d say 90% of the time the flow is decided this way. In a club setting, you will most certainly hear my set dictated by the heart rather than the mind.

09. How did you go about choosing the tracks that you included?
I simply chose records that represent me as an artist at this time. Some are older, some are newer—no different than what I do when I prepare for a set in a club. I always choose what I like the most at the moment.

10. What’s next on your horizon?
There are various projects on the horizon, some of which have been stuck since lockdown. I am in the mix phase for D:fferent Place 005 which will be released next year. I’m enthusiastic about this and can’t wait to share more information. As Pressure Point, other than the Pluie/Noir release next month, there will be another EP coming out on Residual Recordings soon. For now, this is all I want to share because the rest is still in the production phase. Ah, and next year, I might reintroduce a more complex live set for tours.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to hear the podcast offline you will need to subscribe to our Select channel to listen offline, or subscribe to XLR8R+ to download the file. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

Full XLR8R+ Members can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R+ member, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Tracklisting

01. Norm Talley “Ataxia” (Leftroom)
02. Tom Ellis “Wrong Time” (Trimsound)
03. Matthias Reiling “Outpace” (Giegling)
04. Edward “Walk Free” (Giegling)
05. Omni A.M. “Space Horse” (Euphoria Records)
06. Fumiya Tanaka “Iikanji” (Sundance)
07. Zepp001 “Don’t Sleep” (Delusions Of Grandeur)
08. Thomas Melchior “Everyone’s A Winner” (Playhouse)
09. XDB “Frocks” (P.Scott mix) (Sistrum Recordings)
10. Youandewan “Loophole” (Small Hours)
11. J.Brent “In The Bedroom Department” (Vinyl Underground)
12. Cignol “Memory Minor” (Nocta Numerica Records)
13. Bobby Konders “Version” (Nu Groove Records)
14. Leaves “Alley 4″ (Iron Curtis Edit)” (Sounds Benefit)
15. Patrice Scott “Analog Dreams” (Sistrum Recordings)
16. Jovonn “Welcome Dance” (Dogmatik 1204)
17. D’marc Cantu “How Are You Doing” (M>O>S Recordings)