Born in an isolated community of Borneo Island in 1993 Wanton Witch is a DJ and producer with a hyper-sensitive connection and approach to sound through performance.
Coming of age in the relative isolation of island life, it wasn’t until relocating to Bangkok that she was able to access the different communities of musical genres that she would later travel between. With an early taste for trap and hip hop, she began working in the deconstructed club and techno scene where she found her musical voice, beginning her DJ career in 2018. Wanton is also a cofounder and original member of Queer underground creative collective ‘Non Non Non’ that has become a Bangkok nightlife staple.
Being an “outsider” musician and producer with no formal training, it was the fortuitous crossing of paths online that has sparked the creative collaboration between Wanton and label owner and creative director Lucy. Last year Stroboscopic Artefacts celebrated ten years established between experimental and dance floor spectres and this is the first record the label is releasing after one year break, marking the launch of a new chapter for the imprint. It is with releases like the eponymous debut album from Wanton Witch and the support given to emerging artists like her that the imprint continues to forge pathways within the industry. The LP is often frenetic, intense with cavernous techno like “Lament Ceremony” or “Resentment,” which towards the end sounds like someone battering you in the face with a double peddled bass drum. However, songs like “Nervous Burial” open with something much softer and more melodic with the thudding techno tucked away in the background to not let you forget what this album is, but also create a different mood altogether.
Wanton Witch brings together various parts of electronic music sub-cultures into this album for a project that is energetic and powerful. It even manages to squeeze quintessential 90’s trance and rave influences with “The Beautiful Trauma Of Being” featuring some great synth work. Like the start, it ends with dark and ominous deconstructed club music on “Grieve.”
