Giant Swan( UK) - LIVE

Difan

SpaceReturn

 

 

 

“They're not the first to approach techno from a hardcore punk sensibility, but their energy on stage is pushing them into a league of their own. Imagine Container and Alan Vega attempting a peak-time techno record, and you’re halfway to grasping the Giant Swan sound.”
- RESIDENT ADVISOR

“A Giant Swan show is heavy and direct; there’s a physicality you won’t find at most live techno shows. The duo throw themselves behind every synth squeal, crashing snare and vocal wail with an energy often echoed by its audience.”
- MIXMAG

“Their tracks induce odd perceptual tricks through prolonged repetition. What was hitherto still becomes slippery: drones go kaleidoscopic; electricity itself dances”
- WIRE

“Their live performances are exceptionally potent, recalling the ecstatic dance-not-dance music of early Holy Fuck and the pure WTF?! gristle and energy of the first Rezzett records.”
- THE QUIETUS

Giant Swan is the brainchild of Robin&Harry; an acerbic marriage of energised, aggressive dance music, quaking bass and hypnotic electronic noise.

 

With strong ties to Bristol's deep musical heritage, Giant Swan are a maelstrom of potential energy, bleeding between several sonic movements that both obliterate and invigorate. Building on a foundation of rhythmic tension and frenzied improvisation, no two performances are the same as the duo re-build and destroy their twisted vision of techno-not-techno.

Steadily assembling an arsenal of heavy hitting releases on Howling Owl (2015), FuckPunk (2016), Timedance (2017), Mannequin (2018) and most recently Whities (2018), their recorded output has been sculpted and refined into consummate snapshots of the unrivalled, ecstatic energy they fire from the stage through raw improvisation. Relentless touring of the DIY circuits as well as festival stealing performances at the likes of Unsound and Atonal has seen their reputation take flight as the unstoppable force in live electronic music.

2018, they have also been nominated for a DJ Mag Award, in the running for ‘Best Live Act’ alongside The Chemical Brothers and Orbital.

 

Difan has been active in Shanghai’s underground music scene using the alias HYMN (Hate Your Memes Nonstop). Besides Djing, she is a media planner and editorial producer. She started DJing in addition to build a streaming platform of underground culture in Shanghai. She is also a co-founder of SHCR (Shanghai Community Radio). over the past 16 months, SHCR has invited over 100 DJs/Producers to perform, and booked JS Aurelius and Batuk for offline events in Shanghai. She also plays at Cosign party every Wednesday.

 

Coming from the underground Shoegaze/Alternative Rock scene in Shanghai, China, SpaceReturn developed a keen sense for uniqueness in music. Anything with un-replicable aesthete means quality and weight to him. Therefore over the years, SpaceReturn has been trying to develop his own sonic identity. Later years he dived into electronic, Techno/House to be specific, and embraced all the advantages brought by nowadays technology booming.

 

That being said, SpaceReturn took inspiration from both worlds. Well-known bands like Radiohead and My bloody Valentine were his favorites throughout the years. Later on dig into post-modern electronic innovators like Four Tet, Jon Hopkins, Bicep etc. as well as Techno/ House world’s greatest sounds originated in Detroit and Chicago all the way to Europe cities like London and Berlin.

 

During his time in Los Angeles, SpaceReturn followed Mark Bell, aka Blakkat, also the label owner of Shaboom America, one of the most influential Record Labels responsible for the west- coast House music movement in the United States. With his invaluable mentoring, SpaceReturn developed his strong production skills and released his first solo EP Melatonin under his own label KNTRW8 records.