One of my all-time favorite producers is Gesloten Cirkel (aka Ratsnake). I think he is insanely good, and no one else’s music sounds like his. He is underrated though and I suspect it’s partly because he doesn’t self-promote much. So here’s to spreading his name and his music!
Related: Discovered Music: Rein
As mentioned, Gesloten Cirkel’s music has its own distinct sound. But if I was forced to categorize it though, I’d say his music is somewhere between techno, electro, or/and acid. Although, when I’ve shown his music to people IRL they haven’t immediately categorized it as anything specific. Probably because it is special. Anyway, here’s some facts about him before we move on to his actual music!
About Gesloten Cirkel
- Gesloten Cirkel means “closed circle” in Dutch.
- He is supposedly from Russia (according to Discogs). Although, it seems that he is currently located in Germany (according to RA). In one of his recent releases (2020), two of the tracks are titled in russian, so I guess it isn’t impossible.
- He’s been active for more than 10+ years, releasing his first official music in 2009, and is still going strong.
- Gesloten Cirkel has most frequently played in Amsterdam, Berlin, The Hague, Rotterdam and Helsinki. The clubs he’s played in the most are Berghain, PIP Den Haag and Perron (according to RA).
- He has an alias, “Ratsnake”.
You can find Gesloten Cirkel on social media/internet here:
Music
The thing with Gesloten Cirkel is that his internet presence isn’t the strongest. Although it’s probably going pretty well for him anyway since he’s playing all over Europe. But there isn’t a central place on the internet where you can find all of his music, live sets, and other stuff gathered. Instead, it’s a bit sprinkled all over the place. There are a few albums on Spotify, but most of his newer music is on his Bandcamp. His Soundcloud profile is very empty, but I tried to gather some of his music in this Soundcloud playlist. The only social media he seems to be half-active on are his Facebook page and Twitter.
My absolute favorite music of his is from his 2014 album Submit X. In it, my favorite ones are Submit X and Feat Liette. Here’s the album on Spotify. Another one of his that I love is Yamagic (Soundcloud).
Anyway, moving on, here is a short clip of him playing at Dekmantel in 2015, and woooooow! The sound, I love it! On Soundcloud, there are a few other recordings of him playing live.
I also managed to find his recent set on HÖR Berlin in 2020. Here it is!
I kind of get the feeling that he’s someone who is very talented and passionate about the music first and foremost, and doesn’t feel the need to put on a show of looking flashy or cool. Not that there’s anything wrong with doing that, but perhaps that would also explain his anonymity on the internet and that he doesn’t seem to self-promote much at all.
Why I love his music
I love Gesloten Cirkel’s music because it always sounds so clear in my head, even though there’s always so much going on. It’s like the sounds are just so perfectly timed and moving together in a very thought-out and controlled way. It’s just refined, but a sort of refined unrest (?). I experience that much of other similar music is often too messy, blurry, and lacks the refinement his music has.
If I’d go into it deeper, I think I love how most of his music has this very strong, stable, and almost combative bassline. And close behind it, the other sounds seem to “chase” the bassline, but always lagging a bit behind. It’s like the feeling right before something really big and exciting is about to happen. And then it just goes on and on, and it doesn’t end. It’s hypnotizing, and it’s like my mind is stuck in the loop he keeps unfolding, at the same time as the music is dynamic and changes. So, so, so good!
Aaand I’m ending this with my favorite Submit X. Like the comments on YouTube says, you have to listen to this on repeat 20x to get maximum effect.