We Tried to Figure out the Real Identity of the Mystery Techno Producer from Outer Space | AU | Translation

Daribow makes the kind of belly-of-the-beast Berlin techno that pounds so purely and surely in your ears that tearing yourself away isn't an option. Having been pulverised by other-worldly synths and extra-terrestrial loops, I was soon scouring the internet to find out more about this harbringer of cosmic wonderment.

What did I found out? Well, he's just signed to Rødhåd's label Dystopian. Other biographical detail was scant. Described as a "well-known producer transformed into a dystopian character" creating "science fiction sounds in a world of eclipsed and melancholic souls", the final note then referenced the 'visions' of literary behemoth Isaac Asimov, stating "2015 has landed." Essentially I had an intergalactic-hidden-identity-techno-mystery on my hands.

Asimov is generally considered one of the great sci-fi writers of all time. Listening to Daribow's 'Nightfall EP', the influence of sparse galactic environs and robotic laws are palpable. Even the titles of the four tracks, such as "Apostles of Flame" or "The Darker Stage of Twilight", ruminate on the celestial. I continued reading Asimov looking for clues, compiling the first letter of his novels to see if that spelt out a name - but nothing. Beyond a Facebook comment from someone convinced Daribow was David Bowie, I was running out of options and no closer to knowing where this techno was coming from. So I cut to the chase, tracked him/her down, and asked them myself.

THUMP: Hi Daribow. Your identity has remained pretty mysterious until this point - tell us a bit about yourself?
Daribow: I am coming from the past and back in the future now. I am living at a place somewhere near to you.
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. I am old and young at the same time. And no, I am not from america.

Did you create this EP with Dystopian in mind?
I have a strong feeling for all the bleeps and spaces in the music. so i am just producing a lot of tracks with techno in mind. The relationship to dystopian was kind of clear - as the sound and the whole story of the tracks fit perfectly with the vibe of a dystopian world.

What led you to the sci-fi influenced titles for all of your tracks?
It was a nice back and forth with the label - we wanted to get titles done which I associate with the music and which can tell a story of the whole idea of the EP. And of course which were fitting into the concept of dystopian. So I read all the books of my favorite author Isaac Asimov again and found this little pearl of sci-fi-dystopic culture.

What else can we expect from you in the future?
Working on stuff, but maybe you will never hear that. Daribow is Daribow. Maybe it will be released, maybe it is just happening in my mind.

I saw somebody on Facebook thinks you are David Bowie - is this true?
if I would have lived in Berlin in the 80s, yes.

Thanks very much for talking to us.
Thanks for talking to me.
your
Daribow

Now it's probably a typo - but notice Daribow ends our conversation with two words: "your Daribow". If, as I suspect, Daribow meant to write "you're" then the only logical conclusion is that the mysterious techno producer nobody knows anything about is in fact me. Glad we've cleared that up.

Daribow's 'Nightfall EP' is out now on Dystopian.

You can follow Angus (Daribow) on Twitter