Kamyar Keramati is a DJ-producer born and raised in Tehran. His route into music was through guitar, which he’d play as a teenager, but because this was perceived as resistance against the Islamic regime, Keramati taught himself to produce music and eventually set up his own electro band called Langtunes. Between 2012 and 2017, as he would tour through Europe, he discovered electronic music—house, techno, electro, and disco. There were also many bands that influenced him, including Susanne Blech, John Coffey, and Steaming Satellites. In 2019, these experiences led him to set up Tonnovelle with Arman Jalili, and together they’ve put out EPs on Better Sound, OSMAN, and their own self-titled label, which is where they released their most recent EP, Equinox, with four tracks of techno and acid.

For nearly a decade, Keramati has been living in Berlin, where he works at popular record store Kimchi Records and runs I.V.O.E (Interactive View of Emotions), home to his most recent EPs: Abyss in 2021 and A.N.E.P last year. As a DJ, he melds genres and textures to deliver meandering club voyages that are dark, melancholic, and psychedelic, which is exactly where you’d place his XLR8R podcast, recorded a few months ago in his home. At exactly one hour in length, it’s packed full of his favorite records from the past few years—coming from John Dahlback, Jaumëtic, Derek Carr, and more.

01. What have you been up to recently?
I’ve been busy with Kimchi Records, as well as with the tech company job I work at. Luckily, I’ve recently become an early bird, so through the first part of the day I get to prepare my sets for the weekend gigs and manage to produce new tracks in the studio.

02. What have you been listening to?
I am digging into Iranian hip-hop music right now, especially the recent releases that have been put out about the subject of the recent revolution in Iran. At the same time, digging through dance music is my job and that’s something I always do. Also, recently I have been getting more into experimental and noise music as well. (And I still dig The Beatles!)

03. Where and when did you record this mix?
The mix was recorded on a cold evening in Berlin, in the large room I live in. I made myself a DJ booth in the corner, surrounded by my records, which feels more like an office to me than anything else. Recently, I realized how I like this corner more than anywhere else in the world!

04. How did you go about choosing the tracks you’ve included?
In general, I try to let the ongoing voyage that each mix represents find its path subconsciously. The records included (the mix is 100 per cent vinyl) are basically the greatest hits of the last two years of digging, and it’s likely that my friends who have come to some of my gigs will have heard some of them. I have mad respect for each gem in this mix!

05. What can the listener expect?
This is a glimpse of what they would hear on the dancefloor. Although, obviously, in a gig I am a bit less conscious of each record that I am playing. The constant exchange of energy between the party-goers and me plays the main role there, meaning that high energy in the crowd will push for higher energy records. In other words, it’s more usual for me to play “crazier” records when I play at a party!

06. How does it compare to what we might hear you play out live?
The mix starts at around 125 bpm, but the sound that I recently got to deliver on the last few gigs started at 100 bpm. I am starting to be more interested in long openings or closings at the parties than playing at peak times.

07. What’s next on your agenda?
There are two EP releases I am working on at the moment, one will be released on my own IVOE label and another one is going to be released on the Kimchi Records label. There’s also some release offers that I am studying. Also, I’m looking forward to playing open-air gigs in the near future and getting back into the spring and summer vibes!

Tracklisting

01. Tannen “The Black Out” (Oliver Moldan Mix) (Hope Recordings)
02. The Mighty Quark “Kangaroo #1” (DJ Morf remix) (Silicon Hustler)
03. Derek Carr “Punish” (Trident Recordings)
04. Nutmeg “Oscar’s Shed” (Neroli)
05. John Dahlback “Kingkong” (Pickadoll Records)
06. Shaka “Erfolgsgeblubber” (Floppy Funk)
07. O’forty four “Snide Chain” (Amanita Gems)
08. AN-2 “Wings” (Vital Version) (Theomatic)
09. Calabi-You “Calabi You” (Volga Select Beach Rush Remix) (Tropism Records)
10. Jaumetic “Lagrimal” (Iñaqui Marín Mix) (Software)
11. Olin And Co. Processing “Compton” (Nils Penner) (Discovery Recordings)

XLR8R Subscribers can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R subscriber, you can read more about it and subscribe here.