Ōtone
clanging music & mineral grooves
The work of Ōtone (Pablo Diserens’ other moniker) is characterised by an ongoing investigation of abstract industrial soundscapes with the practices of field recording and attentive listening at the core of their creative process. Inspired by musique concrète and electroacoustic sonic manipulations, they manipulate, combine and alter sounds from the real → from their surroundings, from found objects and from their series of self-made metallic objects, called 'Tetsu', that they use as compositional tools and performable instruments. Stemming from this approach, Ōtone engages in rhythmical and textural research to elaborate a — peculiar, acousmatic and almost tangible — percussive, experimental, and club-oriented, clanging music.
Ōtone is the founder and co-curator of ygam — an independent record label for tangible, percussive, and experimental music
> est. 2015 ~ run by Ōtone & Catartsis
Ōtone is the founder and co-curator of ygam — an independent record label for tangible, percussive, and experimental music
> est. 2015 ~ run by Ōtone & Catartsis
Ōtone has performed live in venues such as OHM, Urban Spree, ACUD MACHT NEU, Spektrum, Punctum, and DJ sets in clubs such as Tresor, about:blank, and Arena Club.
RELEASES
2022 Helices [Subverted, vinyl & digital]
2022 Awaken Alloys [Camera Magmatica, cassette]
2022 Springs - with Catartsis [ygam, digital]
2020 Mechanical Gesture - split EP with Catartsis [Obscuur, vinyl & digital]
2020 In-between [Etang Brulant, digital]
2020 In the years of salt lands [ygam, digital]
2019 performance for the month of contemporary music [ygam, cassette & digital]
2019 Testu I [One Instrument, digital]
2019 Anthracite [suspension, digital]
2019 Colonne [LARMES, digital]
2018 Polaris [ygam, cassette]
2018 Nor here, Nor there (in collaboration with cplt) [digital]
2016 Past Structures, Present Matter [ygam, digital]
2022 Helices [Subverted, vinyl & digital]
2022 Awaken Alloys [Camera Magmatica, cassette]
2022 Springs - with Catartsis [ygam, digital]
2020 Mechanical Gesture - split EP with Catartsis [Obscuur, vinyl & digital]
2020 In-between [Etang Brulant, digital]
2020 In the years of salt lands [ygam, digital]
2019 performance for the month of contemporary music [ygam, cassette & digital]
2019 Testu I [One Instrument, digital]
2019 Anthracite [suspension, digital]
2019 Colonne [LARMES, digital]
2018 Polaris [ygam, cassette]
2018 Nor here, Nor there (in collaboration with cplt) [digital]
2016 Past Structures, Present Matter [ygam, digital]
DJ SETS & LIVE PERFORMANCES (selection)
2023 Tresor, Berlin (DJ set)
2022 Astron Bar, Athens (DJ set)
2022 about:blank, Berlin (DJ set)
2022 Pattern, Berlin (DJ set stream)
2022 Wilde Renate, Berlin (DJ set)
2021 about:blank, Berlin (DJ set)
2020 HÖR (DJ set stream)
2020 HÖR b2b with Catartsis (DJ set stream)
2020 playing Bin Cir’s scultpure - backsteinbot, Berlin (live)
2020 OHM, Berlin (live)
2020 Urban Spree, Berlin (live)
2019 Party des Monats (der zeitgenössischen Musik) - ACUD MACHT NEU, Berlin (live) → recording
2019 Noiselab Festival - Teufelsberg (live)
2019 OHM, Berlin (DJ set)
2019 Punctum, Prague (live)
2019 Arena Club, Berlin (DJ set)
2019 Spektrum, Berlin (live with Magnétisme Animal)
2018 Tresor, Berlin (DJ set)
2018 Spektrum, Berlin (live)
2017 Drone-Übernachtung - Modular+ (live)
2023 Tresor, Berlin (DJ set)
2022 Astron Bar, Athens (DJ set)
2022 about:blank, Berlin (DJ set)
2022 Pattern, Berlin (DJ set stream)
2022 Wilde Renate, Berlin (DJ set)
2021 about:blank, Berlin (DJ set)
2020 HÖR (DJ set stream)
2020 HÖR b2b with Catartsis (DJ set stream)
2020 playing Bin Cir’s scultpure - backsteinbot, Berlin (live)
2020 OHM, Berlin (live)
2020 Urban Spree, Berlin (live)
2019 Party des Monats (der zeitgenössischen Musik) - ACUD MACHT NEU, Berlin (live) → recording
2019 Noiselab Festival - Teufelsberg (live)
2019 OHM, Berlin (DJ set)
2019 Punctum, Prague (live)
2019 Arena Club, Berlin (DJ set)
2019 Spektrum, Berlin (live with Magnétisme Animal)
2018 Tresor, Berlin (DJ set)
2018 Spektrum, Berlin (live)
2017 Drone-Übernachtung - Modular+ (live)
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Awaken Alloys
contribution for Camera Magmatica’s fundraising compilation in aid to Ukrainian children. All proceeds are donated to the Ukrainian charitable foundation "DIya Tene".
[Camera Magmatica - cassette & digital, 2022]
Camera Magmatica’s compilations focus on out-of-the-radar experimental electronic music, each time curated by an artist. The second volume of this series was entrusted to Jacopo, Midgar label founder. Jacopo selected 6 tracks by 6 different artists: Munich based multitalented Polygonia, Harmony Rec affiliated artist Shoal, Swiss rhythm master Agonis from Amenthia Recordings, London based Taiwanese artist and sound designer Jin [靜], Berlin based ambient and texture prodigies Ōtone and - Midgar ambassador - Ground Tactics.
Awaken Alloys is a sonic window on an encounter with an uncanny metallic body animated by a passing wanderer. Somewhere in the vestiges of a decaying factory, a silvery organism lay dormant. Little did the roamer knew what phenomenon they would spark as they crossed this isolated landscape.
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Mechanical Gesture
a sonic investigation of rhythms and timbres from various apparatuses — split EP with Catartsis
[Obscuur Records - vinyl & digital, 2020-2021]
“Excellent, dark, stepping Industrial Techno EP” - Hard Wax
“[...] jam-packed with undulating grooves powered by snarling, unruly mechanics that, despite fitting into the techno mold, buck away from generic formulae. No straight-forward 4/4 time signature here - loaded with swing and unusual beat patterns, each stretch of the tracks shows keen creativity. Two names to watch for those who like their techno breaking free from long-held constraints.” - Freddie Husdon for Inverted Audio
Also appears in Reeko’s chart for Clone
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performance for the month of contemporary music
a recording of Ōtone’s performance for the month of contemporary music organized by Initiative Neue Musik Berlin at ACUD MACHT NEU (Sept. 2019) — an improvisation on two metallic instruments of the 'Tetsu' series and field recordings.
[ygam - cassette & digital, 2019]
In this recorded performance, Ōtone improvises on Tetsu I and Tetsu III, elaborating slowly evolving percussive accumulations and wind-instrument-like frictions, while a drone made out of recordings of resonating metal bars gradually ascends. Subtle recordings of birds, water and sea urchins also appear throughout the performance giving an organic touch to the metallic soundscape at play. — Ōtone dedicates this performance to Éliane Radigue.
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other selected works
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tetsu series
Collection/series of self-made/found metallic objects used as compositional tools and performable instruments.