Sound of Mind

Egyptian-born, Barcelona-based producer Raxon makes his Kompakt debut with Sound of Mind, a ten-track album of hypnotic, sci-fi-tinged techno that distils the instincts of a DJ who has spent years holding peak-time slots alongside Tale of Us and Mind Against. Long a fixture of the Ellum and Afterlife circles, Raxon arrives on the Cologne label with real momentum behind him, and delivers a confident, considered statement of intent rather than a stack of floor-ready singles.

The record opens in suspended animation. Majestic (2:33) is a brief, widescreen overture of slow-swelling pads, designed to lower a room’s shoulders, easing directly into Flyby (4:15), where a dry, driving kick locks in beneath arpeggiated synth lines that glint like something picked up on a deep-space scanner. Phantom Report (5:30) is the first real peak-time statement: a rolling groove, sub bass prowling beneath the surface, and reverb-drenched stabs that resolve into a hook lingering long after the track moves on.

The middle section finds Raxon working a narrow palette with genuine skill. Droid Solo (3:17) earns its name with a wiry, syncopated lead that sounds like a machine learning to improvise, whilst Vice (4:37) settles into a slinkier, near-minimal groove with tight hats and uneasy pads. Almost Human (4:11) is the emotional heart of the album, its processed vocal emerging from the mix like a transmission slowly coming into focus above a steady four-to-the-floor pulse.

The closing stretch leans hardest into the sci-fi thread running through the track titles. Exit Station (3:09) and Journey Mode (3:38) are brief, meditative interludes, whilst El Multiverse (6:25)—the longest track here—is the centrepiece, unfolding over cavernous reverb, huge pads and an elastic bassline that carries it deep into hypnotic territory. Outworld (5:42) closes by stripping everything back, its hypnotic pulse left to fade on its own terms.

Sound of Mind does not grab you by the lapels; it works on you gradually, building a world and trusting you to stay inside it. On a label with Kompakt’s history, that patience is a virtue, and it confirms Raxon as one of the most reliable architects of afterhours techno working today.