Parallel 9

‘Extremely versatile and blessed with a childlike curiosity for music and its machines, yet always self-critical, modest, and soft spoken’. When asked, that’s probably more or less how most colleagues and friends will describe Steve Rachmad. Over the years, Holland’s undefeated heavyweight champ has been creating numerous alter egos to reflect the diversity in both his interests and his output.

However, so far only a few of these characters have made it into the DJ booth. As Sterac, Steve delivers straight forward, stripped down techno. This has earned him a loyal following among the heads in clubs as Berghain. If you catch him playing as Steve Rachmad, the widely interested musical hippie takes usually over. On those nights, you’ll hear the best tracks from various genres, skilfully blended with many of his own originals, edits, and reworks. Thirdly, Sterac Electronics allows for a musical excursion to the 80’s disco era, when synths produced sounds fatter than a butter and cream sandwich, and gear only came in 3-D. This of course still is the dominant format in Rachmad’s studio today.

Now it seems the time is right to add a fourth permanent protagonist to Steve’s story: Parallel 9. This guy prefers to take the listener on a ride along the hypnotizing cliffs of the underground. A P9 set pays homage to timeless deepness. Tracks come from vintage deep house imprints, legendary dub (techno) producers, or befriended craftsmen with a similar attraction to the musical abyss.

Parallel 9 allows Rachmad to show a different side of himself onstage. It’s another way of speaking with the crowd through the four to the floor framework. And, whether it’s a 20-year-old classic or a recent release, Parallel 9 productions seem to always speak this same language. A vocabulary that lies at the heart of Rachmad’s personality: pure, profound, honest, and loving.