5 Impressions with Charlotte de Witte
(Words by Josh Pavlou)
In a scene overwhelmed by successful male talent, up-and-coming DJ and producer, Charlotte de Witte has quickly risen through the ranks to cement herself as a mainstay in the global techno agenda. The Belgian is hot property in 2018 ranking among the countries’ greatest exports alongside craft beer, chocolate and waffles.
Charlotte De Witte presents as a calm, confident and driven artist who has a technical prowess that exceeds her 26 years. Brimming with an envious amount of talent, De Witte is responsible for delivering hard, edgy techno that is unrelenting, gritty and determined.
A string of her latest releases have drawn critical acclaim and it is fitting that we showcase the most poignant moments of the last year with Charlotte de Witte.
Charlotte de Witte – Closer
Having only recently entered the international techno circuit as a mainstay, Charlotte de Witte could be forgiven for taking her time to find her feet. However, her 2017 ‘Closer’ EP, for Dutch label Mary Go Wild Black, is akin to the home-run that wins a Baseball World Series. De Witte walks up to the proverbial strikers’ plate with very little to loose, creating a stripped back techno masterpiece. A heavy kick-drum and hi-hat combination paired with a mystic vocal refrain allow this track to flourish into a full blown acidic gem.
Charlotte De Witte – Remember
The same heaving baseline, transferable to most stripped back techno jams appears at the beating heart of De Witte’s most recent release, ‘Remember’. Unlike ‘Closer’ which was far more pensive, ‘Remember’ is oozing with purposeful synth-lines and a more aggressive undertone. Out via Drumcode in September 2018, ‘Remember’ is a match made in heaven for those that love dark, unrelenting and edgy techno.
Charlotte de Witte presents KNTXT: Charlotte de Witte (07.09.2018)
Versatility is an issue for many artists who are unable to juggle the demands of remixing, curating sets and producing their own content. KNTXT (pronounced ‘context’) is De Witte’s answer to this industry-wide problem, a banner she performs under at Belgium’s Tommorrowland festival, a Studio Brussels mix series where she is a resident and the name of her own local club night. This KNTXT mix is powerful from start to finish. Highlights include industrial hard hitters such as Noneoftheabove’s, ‘Our Special Place’, and the intergalactic sounds of Unisis’, ‘Kurtz” (Apocalypse Mix).
Charlotte de Witte – Essential Mix 2018 [BBC RADIO 1]
Having made her Essential Mix debut for BBC’s Radio 1 in 2018, Charlotte de Witte probably thought to herself; ‘Girl you’ve made it!’. We agree…and so too does the enigmatic producer who curates the infamous Essential Mix series, Pete Tong. Spanning 2 gigantic hours and 24 tracks, De Witte stuns us with a sprinkle of unreleased joints among a number of her favourite tracks from across the globe.
Charlotte de Witte @ La Rotonde Stalingrad for Cercle
The final check on an artist’s credibility is most often their ability to perform live. De Witte’s performance at La Rotonde Stalingrad, a unique Parisian night spot, is evident that this Belgian means business. You can garner this from the DJ herself, brimming with confidence and relaxing into the groove, throwing down bombs such as Sicko’s, ‘Corrosive’ and her original mix, ‘Wisdom’. Check out the guy in the front row (wearing the beanie), he acts as De Witte’s metronome, swaying and moving to each distinct beat.
Catch this deadly DJ at Novel’s newest event, Smalltown at B3 with DJ Koze, Charlotte De Witte and Gerd Janson hosted at the Etihad Stadium carpark in Melbourne’s CBD on September 27th, 2018.
Tickets have sold out, but you can use the resale facility here to find one:
newrhythmsmusic.com 