Laura BCR, real name Laura Le Marchand, is a French DJ-producer and founder of agency-label On Board Music, where she books the likes of Cinthie, Steffi, Virginia, and Finn Johannsen and has released music from Vera Logdanidi and Diane Barbé. She takes her name from the now-closed Berlin record store Bass Cadet Records, which she founded alongside Etienne from Arcarsenal in 2013, but nowadays she’s becoming more widely known for her deep and dubby DJ sets. She began sharing her own productions last year, mostly through On Board Music’s charity compilations, and over the summer she released her debut EP, Initial, on Utrecht’s Something Happening Somewhere label. The release comprises four originals plus a collaboration with Forest On Stasys, each track focusing on a distinct strain of introspective techno and ambient.

As a youth in the south of France, Le Marchand spent her school years exchanging whatever music she could find with friends before joining a band as a bass player. She’d spend her weekends attending free parties across France which led her into buying her first records and her first turntables, and she hasn’t looked back since. It wasn’t long before she was organizing parties across Paris and playing out. To support herself after a move to Berlin, she launched Bass Cadet Records, a much-loved record store filled with her favorite artists and labels, and then On Board Music two years later. Not only did this shape her musical style, but it introduced her to new labels and artists and gave her a grounding in the German capital’s music community. Through her Influences show on Refuge Worldwide, she connects the dots between her wide-ranging tastes, while she also curates a mix series for Italian ambient label Pregnant Void.

Le Marchand’s XLR8R podcast caps a breakout year in her development. An alluring selection of immersive dub techno, it mixes music from familiar names like Eric Cloutier, Kangding Ray, and Luigi Tozzi with lesser-known gems from Le Marchand’s private collection, and cements her status as a rising DJ with something to say. She recorded it on the fly in Berlin over the weekend, aiming to deliver a “trippy dancefloor experience.” All in all, it’s a snapshot of what you can expect to hear her play out as touring picks up in the new year.

01. What have you been up to recently?

I’ve been running the On Board Music agency since 2015 and we have been expanding lately. This is my main occupation. I’ve also been working on my second EP, which is coming out on a prestigious German label. I’ve also released a couple of tracks on compilations for Semantica and Technologia Organica. And I’ve been doing a few gigs, which has been nice after all these months staying home. I’ve also started a residency on Refuge Worldwide in Berlin called Influences.

02. What have you been listening to during lockdown?

Mostly ambient, pop, and blues.

03. What drives you to make electronic music?

Everyday life, anger, and joy; a big mixture of things!

04. When and where did you record this mix?

I recorded this mix in a studio in Berlin because I needed a full setup. I don’t have two turntables and two CDJs at home.

05. How did you go about choosing the tracks you’ve included?

This mix is basically based on what I’m playing in clubs at the moment.

06. What can the listener expect?

To feel a trippy dancefloor experience. It’s quite groovy, too!

07. What’s on your horizon for 2022?

I’m part of two new compilations. One is coming on vinyl at the beginning of 2022 on Out-Er, and it includes tracks from Efdemin, Inland, Fabrizio Lapiana, and Simone Gatto. The other one is an ambient compilation on SoHaSo. Other than that, I want to work on new material and remixes, and also on the agency. The next EP on On Board Music is coming in February from Madrid duo Uanamani. It’s a beautiful ambient techno and downtempo piece.

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. LF58 “Side F” (Astral Industries)
02. Eric Cloutier “Ekpyrosis” (Palinoia)
03. Nali “Chance Encounters” (Patterns of Perception)
04. Martinou “Cirrus Apparition” (Nous’klaer Audio)
05. Laura BCR “Tryptamine” (Technologia Organica)
06. Luigi Tozzi “Flesh Mechanics” (Non Series)
07. Aleja Sanchez “The Acheron Passage” (Ilegal Alien)
08. Blazej Malinowski “Unpredictability” (Inner Tension)
09. Buck “Ora Finalmente La Luce” (Out-Er)
10. Luizar “Flowing Return” (Eclectic Limited)
11. Atomic Moog “Static Flow” (Rework) (Monument)
12. Kangding Ray “Doppler Shift” (Figures)
13. Jasen Loveland “Epoxy” (Patrick Russel Remix) (Acid Camp)
14. Benales “Untitled 04” (Analog Solutions)
15. Sev Dah “Marija Bursac” (Proletarijat)
16. Mary Yuzovskaya & Craft “Schaefer Conclave” (Monday Off)
17. Polygonia “Mùgong” (Polygonia)
18. Maurizio “M4.5” (Basic Channel)
19. 36 “Bring The Sun Down” (9128.live)