Occultists is a label concept born out of the idea of playing with the polarities of finding the light within the darkness and curating a musical output of techno that has an esoteric flair. After making some noise with the imprint’s freshman release from Dugong, label founder James Demon continued on the hunt for some fresh new artists to officially join the Occultists family. Finding just that, the label is proud to present its sophomore release Book Of Shadows: Various Spells Vol. 1.
Starting off the journey is Adra, an old time friend of James Demon – the two met as young ravers in the underground scene of Las Vegas as teenagers. Though reconnecting in their adult techno lives while based in San Francisco, it was finally when James moved to Berlin that he discovered Adra as a techno producer. Bringing a pure techno approach to her track “Ami”, she adds a special flair that is destined to create magic on the dance floor.
Following Adra is none other than Occultists artist Dugong who made her debut on the label with last year’s well-received Dead Man Rising EP. This time around Dugong shows her diversity as a producer by delivering a techno-friendly track while still being true to herself with her one-of-a-kind voice and songwriting style. The track “Heart Of War” takes the listener on a journey through the world of Dugong while remaining ready for those special moments in the club.
Turning the pages of the book of shadows brings the listener to James Demon, the founder Occultists. Taking inspiration from his favorite horror and sci-fi films James creates a club ready track “Old Magick” that tells a tale from the dark side that is sure to bring out the light within.
In the beginning stages of the label when James was looking for artists that fit the vibe of the occult concept, a friend from Berlin reached out to introduce the next artist, F600. When James heard this music he was immediately sold on his eerie approach to techno and chose the track “CH2=CH2” for this little book of spells.
Rounding out the EP is the only non-techno track on the release, creating a sense of diversity in the line-up of artists. Berlin based duo Zoid^ was discovered by James after meeting artist Ze Royale at one of his events in Berlin. After seeing the unique performance of Zoid^ with production and visuals from Misster Mystery James instantly knew he wanted them to be part of the Occultists concept. Their track “Freak” takes the listener on a journey through an android’s exploration of something or someone strange.
Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) – “Digging the funky, driving ‘Old Magick’ by James Demon.”
Jon Fugler (Fluke / XLNT radio show) – “Some very subtle and hypnotic things occurring here.”
Anri (Tokyo Redlight) – “These tracks are very cool and amazing. I will love playing these in my set.”
DJ Morpheus (Lysergic Factory Radio Show) – “Freak by Zoid^ is excellent!”
Rob Warner (Ibiza Voice) – “Heart Of War is fantastic.”
Iron Curtis (Mule Electronic) – “Old Magick sounds excellent!”
Darrell Stout (Next Level) – “Mind altering and haunting.”
Henderick AKA Thelonious Funk (Thelonious Funk Sessions) – “Very cool EP. I will definitely play these tracks on the show.”
Project Gestalten (ARAAA Records) – “Another consistent release by the label. I loved the first one and this is really great. I love the dark yet danceable approach. Definitely supporting this.”
Tiago Onez (Bane Le’ Dex Radio Show) – “What a wonderful release! Truly wonderful! I LOVE every single track. Fantastic release from the Occultists label.”
Available Now From: Beatport, What People Play, iTunes, And Spotify.