The Plot Thickens For CCL

1 month ago 14

Before they had much output to their name, CCL was one of the buzziest up-and-comers in clubland. From the mid 2010s and onward, the Berlin-based selector, producer, and event programmer has gigged heavily in a respected corner of the party circuit. They have orbited crews including Planet Euphorique and T4T LUV NRG and become a fixture at lauded festivals such as Dekmantel and Sustain-Release. CCL flaunts a meticulous approach to DJing, pulling from a bag of chunky deep cuts unearthed from dusty dollar crates and obscure recesses of the internet. For evidence, look no further than their Resident Advisor guide to expansive digging with Discogs, which encouraged one fan to develop an impromptu app.

CCL got an unassuming start, when they took up DJing as a hobby during college in Bristol. Their involvement in nightlife gradually escalated upon relocating to Seattle. They coordinated genre-eschewing parties as a reprieve from the stress of their career as a social worker and conduit for meeting friends. Though they were born in the UK to an Italian father and mother from Illinois and bounced between Europe and the States as a child, CCL views their DJ ascent as a distinctly American story; they find that crowds in North America are especially receptive to their left-field tendencies.

In 2019, CCL moved to Berlin to escape a burnout spurred by American capitalism. When pandemic restrictions trapped them abroad, they quickly embraced the newfound bandwidth to lead a life primarily motivated by creativity. In spite of Germany’s merciful cost of living, CCL is candid about the challenges that they face as a professional DJ. It wasn’t very recently that they were able to leave their full-time job to tour for a living. “I question the sustainability and precarity of the scene; the DJ circuit; the world,” they tell me on Zoom. Plants, books, and tapestries adorn the shaded wall behind them. “It feels like both what is expected workwise and is valued right now feels unsustainable on a fundamental level.” For someone whose process hinges on precision impacted by a youth spent in elite ballet academies, they worry about ceaselessness as a setback.

While they were previously renowned for their mixes, it wasn’t until 2024 that CCL truly allowed themself to emerge from their cocoon as a recording artist. They began producing around 2016, but it took time for CCL to reach a comfortable stopping place. This year, they have begun to overcome some of their shyness. In January, T4T LUV NRG issued the mixtape A Night In The Skull Discotheque — a comprehensive ode to dubstep’s roots that reinforces CCL as an adept music historian; in July, CCL dropped the Ciel collaboration Tilda’s Goat Stare, which included three glittery originals and reworkings from Yushh and Priori; later this month, CCL will finally release their official solo debut EP, Plot Twist — titled as a self-aware jab at a willfully unpinnable identity.

Plot Twist arrives via heavy hitting German imprint K7. With the exception of a few tweaks, the four tracks largely sparked during the freetime posed by COVID lockdowns. Blending homespun voice snippets, laser-y leads, and inventively disguised guitars, CCL describes Plot Twist as “innocent and immature, in kind of a nice way.” The end result is as fluid and nuanced as rushing water. Exhilarating D. Tiffany collaboration “The Plot Thickens” surfaced from an easygoing jam session as CCL’s birthday festivities were winding down. The swirly arpeggiations of Finnish electronic powerhouse Aleksi Perälä inspired “Strange Attractor.” From front to back, Plot Twist packs the punch of a hallucinogenic excursion.

When asked what themes shine through Plot Twist, CCL is quick to mention an interest in the tension and disorientation of dark UKG. The style frequently samples crime films, invoking horror in the mundane. Yet for all the weight and thoughtfulness that sculpted it, Plot Twist is ultimately the outcome of CCL letting go. “I feel like I had so much pressure on myself to make this record that was all of me in a record,” CCL says. “This record is not, but none of them will be.” By loosening up on their quest for perfection, Plot Twist radiates the joyous discombobulation that CCL had already mastered as a DJ.

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