Prologue Rhythm that grew in the shadow of factories—from the lingering scent of industry
Text: mmr｜Theme: About Blawan’s cold yet somehow human beat that continues to have roots in the UK underground
Once upon a time, the industrial areas of northern England were filled with the smell of steam and metal. Jamie Roberts – or Blawan – may have grown up unconsciously inhaling its reverberations. The bloodline of electronic music flowing from Sheffield (Cabaret Voltaire, Warp Records, The Black Dog) It has echoed the rhythm of labor and the breathing of the city at the same time.
Blawan’s beat has the sound of hammering iron and the pressure of humid air. It’s not just techno, it’s also a rebirth of industrial memory. It is also symbolic that he is not based in London or Berlin, but continues to have roots in the UK underground. –Sound does not leave the gravity of the land.
The beat was cold and somehow human. Blawan’s music is a record of the “body temperature” that sleeps inside steel.
Chapter 1 Iron story starting from Bohla
“Bohla EP” was released by R&S Records in 2011. The hard yet strangely soft rhythm brought a “new weight” to the club. It’s a UK club sound trying to break out of the chaos of post-dubstep. It was a newly discovered ``touch.’’
At this time, Blawan loved Roland rhythm machines and analog filters. Grasp the sound with your fingertips and knobs, not in a DAW. It was the physical sensation of ``playing’’ electronic sounds that made his sound as hot as iron.
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Chapter 2 “Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage.”——The boundary between fear and pleasure
In 2012, the world club scene shook. “Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage.” This single song made Blawan’s name definitive.
The title is disturbing. The distorted vocal sample sounds like a ghost groaning in a basement. The beat is heavy and repeats with a tenacity that borders on madness. However, there is a strange “pleasure” within it. It compressed the listener’s body and at the same time released it - it was a moment of fear and euphoria.
Many DJs drop this track at peak times, The club floor was reportedly engulfed in a moment of “violent euphoria.” This song is not just a hit, It was a symbol of reviving ``feelings without emotions’’ in techno.
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Chapter 3 Karenn’s body—resonance with Pariah
Blawan’s other face is Karenn. The duo with his ally Pariah (Arthur Cayzer) was more of a workshop than a studio. He founded the Sheworks label and toured Europe with impromptu equipment gigs.
A pile of cables. A rhythm machine that never stops ringing. The coldness of the machines and the sweat of humans coexisted there. Karenn’s live performances are more like “forging” than “performance.” The sound of steel hitting, the heated air, and the body heat of the audience. For a moment when everything melts together, music becomes “substance.”
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Chapter 4 Wet Will Always Dry——Record of emotions without emotions
In 2018, Blawan finally released a full-length album, Wet Will Always Dry. As the title suggests, Wet, Dry. What we see there is an incomplete cycle of human emotions.
“Careless” “North” “Stell”―― Every song hides a slight warmth beneath its coldness. Amidst the expressionless, metallic sound, there are occasional pauses that look like breathing. Human emotions permeate through that small gap.
Strip away the sound and leave only the structure. On the contrary, his stoicism makes Blawan’s “emotion” stand out.
Chapter 5 A club without a body—Blawan in the 2020s
During the pandemic, clubs went silent. However, Blawan’s sound is quietly changing. Tracks like “Under Belly” and “Toast” have a softer, more introspective feel than before. The hardware noise sounds kind of gentle.
Even when the club closed, the rhythm in his body didn’t go away. He found ``human breath’’ in modular synths. This is the paradoxical sound of an era in which electronic devices imitate the heartbeat.
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Chapter 6 People and city surrounding Blawan
Blawan’s sound does not belong to any one artist. UK industrial genes built by Regis and Surgeon, The violent rhythms of Paula Temple and Giant Swan, And the delicate particles of Skee Mask. All of that is being rebuilt within him.
Rather than the sterility of Berlin, I prefer the humidity of London. Use the pressure of your palm rather than digital. Blawan continues to choose land weight. It is also a form of resistance for the club to continue to be a ``place’’ once again.
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Chapter 7 SickElixir — The rhythm of the collapse and rebirth of the steel city
Blawan’s latest work [‘SickElixir’ (2025)] (https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B087B9MBK4) is a rare work that dismantles the structure of techno but still makes you feel the presence of ‘humanity’. Amid swirling noise and distortion, the rhythm maintains its balance on the verge of collapse, and the voice loses its meaning and transforms into an instrument. The light shining in with “Rabbit Hole” and the torrent of deep bass with “NOS”. With each moment, Blawan’s sound straddles the line between coldness and passion.
In the background lies his own life, including the loss of friends and struggles with addiction.
Behind the cold mechanical sounds is the breathing sound of loss and rebirth.
After making an impact with Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage.'', what he has arrived at after more than 10 years isa prayer that dwells in destruction.’’
At a time when techno is becoming more abstract and clubs are melting into the digital world, Blawan dares to bring back “gravity.” The beat that runs through the veins of the Steel City. In it, he quietly asks: Can sound still be human?**
Chapter 8 Chronology + Discography
| Year | Title | Label | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Bohla EP | R&S Records | Amazon |
| 2012 | Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage. | Hinge Finger | Amazon |
| 2013 | Works The Long Nights | Sheworks | Amazon |
| 2018 | Wet Will Always Dry | Ternesc | Amazon |
| 2020 | Immulsion (Come To Me In Full Mix) | Ternesc | Amazon |
| 2025 | SickElixir | XL | Amazon |
Appendix: Fragments of voices — “sound” and “body” spoken by Blawan and his surroundings
``When I make techno, I don’t make songs. I’m just chasing the moment when the rhythm makes the air tremble.” —— Blawan
“When I first heard that “Why They Hide Their Bodies…” The club felt like it was “frozen” for a moment. Fear and pleasure come at the same time. A truck like that comes around once every 10 years.” —— Ben UFO (Hessle Audio)
Blawan has a proper temperature in itshard sound’’. That’s what makes me different from everyone else. I look like I work in a factory, but I’m actually a poet.” —— Pariah (Karenn)
“When you go to his studio, the first thing you see is silence. The silence before turning on the switch is already laden with rhythm. That space itself is the “batting surface.”” —— Paula Temple
“When I play Blawan at the DJ site, Everyone stands ready for a moment. But then you laugh. Your body reacts on its own.That’s not logical.” —— Object
“I was watching Karenn’s live performance from the sidelines, It felt like being inside a steelworks. Sounds like sparks flying. Still, the faces of the audience were somehow kind.” —— Surgeon (Anthony Child)
“As club culture melts into digital, Blawan has regained his “gravity”. Sound falls to the ground. I think that’s the most human thing to do right now.” —— From Resident Advisor writer comment
“There is a “hand” in the sound. That’s the sound of Blawan.” —— Anonymous DJ, a word after the Boiler Room set
“His music is not ‘inorganic’. He’s just acting an inorganic character. The moment when the listener senses that there is a temperature there. He cuts down on the sound for that moment.” —— Music writer/reconstruction comment
Final Chapter: Prayer of Steel—Dancing is survival
Blawan’s sound is sometimes cold and sometimes harsh. However, deep within, there is certainly a ``human prayer.’’ The act of dancing is a ritual for “surviving” in the noise of the city. “Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage.” still attracts people because Because there is both fear and relief.
A sound like steel. But every time I listen to it, my temperature rises. Blawan is an artist whose blood flows through the cold world.
“Sound is the shadow of the body” ——Blawan (from interview)
Appendix: Blawan modular setup diagram (2020–2025)
“All sounds begin with touch.” ——Blawan
Blawan Studio Features Memo
| Classification | Equipment | Application | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sequencer | Intellijel Metropolis | Melody/Rhythm Generation | Emphasis on hard 16-step feel |
| Oscillator | Verbos Complex VCO / Plaits | Main oscillation source | Combination of analog distortion and digital particles |
| Drum Synth | Moog DFAM | Metallic percussion | The core of Blawan’s “industrial noise” |
| FX Chain | Analog Heat / Mimeophon / BigSky | Texture adjustment | Build space with drive and reverb |
| Mixer | WMD Performance Mixer | Real-time construction | Also used for Karenn live |
| Recorder | RME Fireface + Ableton | Final recording | “One-shot recording” philosophy without overdubs |
The sounds produced by this setup are completely hand-crafted electronic sounds. Blawan is not “typing” but “performing.” Therefore, his techno retains a ``human instability.’’
“It’s not like operating an electronic device, it’s a feeling of empathy.” ——Blawan (RBMA Interview)
Postscript
Heavy bass echoes in the night city. In an era where everyone consumes sound on their smartphones, Blawan is trying to bring back the sound of touch.
There is a human warmth within the steel-like sound. That contradiction is the reason for his existence.
“I believe in techno. As long as someone is still dancing.” —— Blawan
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