These days, to leave even the briefest of imprints on the ever-increasingly saturated orbit of dance music can be considered a feat in itself. To make a lasting mark, however, one that manages to cut through the onslaught of new music and artist profiles on spotlight each day, is another accomplishment entirely. Cue Dauwd, the US-born, Wales-raised artist who’s been releasing music for nearly 6 years on such noted labels as Ghostly International and Kompakt, and whose debut album Theory of Colours will be released via Ninja Tune imprint Technicolour Records this June 2nd.

An integral member of the Berlin night and radio show African Acid Is The Future, Dauwd Al Hilali’s releases have been met with as much expectation as they have intrigue. Spending the last few years out of the limelight and in his Berlin studio, Dauwd’s music has continued to ripple through clubs as his singular, sometimes thrillingly uncertain process of experimentation has continued. Pulling inspiration from electronic music legends like Terry Riley, Raymond Scott, and the seminal Radiophonic Workshop period in the late 50’s and 60’s, Dauwd’s 2017 LP draws a unique line between influences as disparate as hazy Detroit house and early German Krautrock.

A skilled musical engineer, Dauwd’s ability to balance between such sprawling genres is, paradoxically, an exercise in restriction, finding creative freedom in limiting his own gear. It’s clear he’s no stranger to focus; sonically, Theory of Colours runs tightly wound, its loops intentional and layers meticulously built. Spanning a succinct forty minutes across seven tracks, Dauwd’s fondness for delays and love for vintage synthesizers characterize much of the album, which was recorded over the course of a year primarily in the Utrecht based Sonar Traffic studio that houses one of the largest collections of vintage synths and other modular equipment in all of Europe. The result is an intricate, scintillating journey that hovers between familiar and strange. For many artists, that enigmatic gap is one that’s anxiously avoided-- the fear of misidentity as a musician more important than the music itself. Throughout Theory of Colours, it’s a space Dauwd comfortably renders as his own.

Love Over Entropy meticulously crafts his electronic sound world, blending slices of experimental IDM from the 90’s with the otherworldly melodies and sounds of early techno visionaries. Love Over Entropy revealed his vision with his 2013 ‘Off The Grid..'

Producing electronic music for over twenty years, he’s far from a rookie. But he’s still driven by the same enthusiasm and curiosity as if he has just discovered how to hookup a drumcomputer to a delay pedal. While difficult to pinpoint, his music is hypnotic, deep, atmospheric with a tender and soulful touch, paradoxically combining an obsessive attention to detail with plenty of space for chaos and chance. Utilising slowly unfolding arrangements which glisten with organically interwoven rhythms and shimmering melodies, it’s music that undeniably draws you in.

Love Over Entropy is about looking beyond the horizon of momentary impulses, trying to figure out answers to questions that will almost always lead to more complex and interesting matters to be explored. His curiosity got him into electronic music around 1989, but it wasn’t until 1993 that he started to produce his own music. Provoked by the ideology of early Detroit pioneers and experimental IDM, they still inspire the otherworldly landscapes Love Over Entropy navigates today.

A journey that has led him trough different phases and monikers, finally landing on Love Over Entropy with his ‘Off The Grid EP’ on Something Happening Somewhere late 2013. After being picked up by heavyweights like Mano Le Tough, Âme and Laurent Garnier, it seemed he was on to something. Subsequently gaining more momentum with the ‘Tonii EP’ on SoHaSo in the spring of 2015, of which Dixon liked the original so much, he offered to do a remix. The rest is history.

The summer of 2015 saw the release of his Inbetween EP on the esteemed Lossless label, while also doing his first remix work, spreading his wings further and expanding his sonic palette. Constantly pushing his own envelope to evolve his sound and skills, he never fully belongs to a tribe or scene and in that sense Love Over Entropy is a true artist, carefully carving his own groove for those who are willing to listen.

Modular produces Electronic Music Events and Touring Artists based in San Francisco. Venues commonly used include: Audio Discotech, Harlot SF, Public Works, Mighty, Project One and variety of other special locations. Booking the world’s top underground electronic artists, such as Stephan Bodzin, Sebastian Leger, Tube & Berger, Super Flu, Edu Imbernon, Oliver Koletzki, Agoria and more.