Techno trailblazers and Soma Records co-founders Slam are back with Dark Channel, their first album in seven years—a fierce, stripped-down tribute to the dance floor as a sanctuary in chaotic times.
Ahead of the full release of Dark Channel on Soma Records, we’re thrilled to premiere “Beat On The Drum,” one of the album’s most potent and unrelenting tracks.
Pounding and precise, Beat On The Drum is a six-minute masterclass in rhythm and energy. Built from the ground up using only their live setup—modular synths, Roland 909, Ableton, and outboard gear—the track channels the essence of Slam’s raw, live aesthetic. It’s a driving, hypnotic cut that demands movement, echoing the primal, communal spirit of techno’s roots.
Premiere: Beat On The Drum – A Relentless Peak-Time Weapon
Dark Channel: A Singular Focus on the Dance Floor
Written over a hyper-intense three-week period, Dark Channel is a laser-focused project. Unlike the more exploratory nature of their past albums, this record hones in on one mission: to create pure, unfiltered club energy.
Opening with the tribalistic “Use It, Lose It” and plunging into the gritty title track “Dark Channel”, the album wastes no time setting a powerful tone. Tracks like “Parametric Factor” and “Glide” extend the experience with synth-driven journeys and signature percussive workouts, while “Morganatic” and “Infinit Spaces” delve into darker, more warped territory.
A Soundtrack for the Times
In a world marked by division and disconnection, Dark Channel stands as a tribute to the dance floor as a space of unity and expression. It’s not just a record—it’s resistance through rhythm. A reminder that even in dystopian echoes of the present, music still connects us, still moves us.
The penultimate “Ghost Dancer” submerges into low-end sonics and eerie textures, before the premiere cut “Beat On The Drum” delivers an explosive lesson in intensity. The final track, “Irregular Object”, finishes the album on a disorienting, hypnotic high.
Slam are a driving force in global techno, known for their electrifying 6-deck back-to-back DJ sets and decades of influence through their iconic Soma Records label.
As co-founders of Glasgow’s Riverside Festival and the Maximum Pressure warehouse series, they champion both emerging talent and international heavyweights. With a vast catalog of releases, standout remixes for the likes of Richie Hawtin and Planetary Assault Systems, and over 630 episodes of their acclaimed Slam Radio podcast, the duo continue to innovate and shape the future of underground electronic music.
Dark Channel – Out May 9 on Soma Records
Dark Channel drops May 9 via Soma Records, arriving both digitally and as a limited edition double 12” vinyl. With this release, Slam reassert their mastery of the genre and the enduring power of techno to reflect, resist, and transform.
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