"The appeal of Surface Access is the way they embrace dub techno aesthetics while steering their results towards communal spaces and experiences."
Nicolas Jaa’s imprint Other People serves as an outlet for his solo work and wide-ranging collaborations — from the subtle electronica of Darkside, his long-running project with Dave Harrington, to the vocal-led fusion he’s explored with Ali Sethi. His solo output often favours rhythmic techno, frequently paired with live instrumentation and an ear for adventurous club experimentation. When curating new additions to Other People, Jaar is drawn to everything from experimental compositions to jazzy, mutated pop, yet he never strays too far from the dancefloor – and the label’s latest release delivers an exceptional jolt of energy.
Parisian duo Surface Access debuted in 2025 with ‘Advanced Surface Habitat’, an ice cold pair of late night burners stirring concoction of deep, psychedelic dub techno. In a genre that embraces various shades of grey and black, ‘Advanced Surface Habitat’ sounded like the transition from black and white to vivid technicolor while maintaining the traits of everything you love about it. Foggy, noirish soundscapes dissipate in the air with transfixing beats that capture your attention until the record spins out. Almost a year later, they return with ‘Transfer’, a two-track 12″ chock full of blistering, immersive dub techno perfectly tuned to the cold, wintry expanse of the new year.
The reverb on “Isolation Depth” echoes like a rave in the Grand Canyon on a clear, star-filled night. Spacious keys filtered through a cosmic storm and beamed back into our ears paired with rumbling beats for an engrossing thrill ride. It’s a track that hits the sweet spot for fans of the genre, where it doesn’t go too far into the clouds yet it retains a dark, brooding sense of mystery beneath its dancier aesthetic.
Continuing on a similar trajectory, “Exposition Zero” excavates a dazzling, pulsating track that’s high energy yet warped enough to appeal to the club kids looking to get lost in the smoke for an evening. The appeal of Surface Access is the way they embrace dub techno aesthetics while steering their results towards communal spaces and experiences. You can easily play either track from ‘Transfer’ on your headphones and immerse yourself in their world; however, hearing a harder hitting sound you can dance to hits the right spot.
While dub techno in its beat-driven form often feels like the warm up set early in the night. Surface Access wisely kick up the intensity and present an addition to the genre that could get a crowd worked up in the right setting. Hopefully, this is the first of many good things to come from the duo. If their early output is any indication, we’ve been given much to savour with releases like ‘Transfer’, and there’s a bright future ahead for Surface Access.
‘Transfer’ is out now via Other People. Buy a vinyl copy from Inverted Audio Record Store.
TRACKLIST
A. Isolation Depth
B. Exposition Zero