Benabou – Rise & Merge on Blank Mind

Benabou returns to Blank Mind with “Rise & Merge”, a 6-track exploration of driving techno (raw / deep / hypnotic) pressure. Out now in lossless formats. Spanning 66–135 BPM across its 6 tracks, this release gives DJs flexible tempo options for different set moments.

Rise & Merge on Blank Mind

Behind the Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) : Release Notes

French-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer Benabou returns with ‘Rise & Merge’, her second solo EP and first standalone project since 2018’s ‘Hottan’. She now presents a body of work that reaches beyond the familiar contours of techno while retaining the rhythmic precision of her core sound. The six-track EP emerged from a period of creative recalibration. Benabou found herself drawn towards exploratory forms, embracing movement via dub structures, broken rhythms and ambient atmospheres alongside more direct dancefloor energy. Benabou’s position as a mastering/cutting engineer at Berlin’s Manmade Mastering studio is a central element of the record. Conceived as a vinyl release and brought to life with the assistance of Mike Grinser, the run time is deliberately contained to 15 minutes per side to preserve the EP’s warmth and fidelity. The inky opening track ‘Projet G’ slinks through cosmic textures and prowling sub-bass, built around layered Korg Mono/Poly and rich analogue components. Kliche’s remix follows with a spacious, kinetic dub techno interpretation that teases out the original’s deeper currents. ‘Interlude’ then offers a fleeting bridge between worlds. Conceived during a flight back to Berlin, its unfinished quality is entirely intentional, allowing the listener to imagine where it might lead. The B-side flows towards club territory with ‘Rise’ and ‘Shift’. Both tracks favour broken beats and fluid arrangements that lend them an organic, elemental quality. ‘Merge’ provides the EP’s emotional resolution. Its experimental/ambient resonance unfolds through wispy melodies and porous textures; the state of separate elements finding their way back to a common origin. “Im really happy to present something this eclectic and to go where people might not expect me”, Benabou explains. “To step slightly outside the techno world I know, and reach for something more open and luminous.”

Download ‘Rise & Merge’ in MP3, FLAC, and AIFF Formats

Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) Tracklist

1. Benabou – Projet G Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 66 BPM | A Minor | 5:33

2. Benabou – Projet G Kliche Remix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 132 BPM | A Minor | 7:05

3. Benabou – Interlude Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 84 BPM | E Minor | 1:53

4. Benabou – Rise Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 135 BPM | G Major | 5:18

5. Benabou – Shift Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 100 BPM | Ab Minor | 4:48

6. Benabou – Merge Original Mix

   Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) | 130 BPM | Eb Minor | 5:41