genesys1.0 are ambitious, and not exactly short on vision. More than just delivering accelerated BPMs and euphoric trance signifiers, the London-incepted duo of Anam Mclean and Rain Müller are out to build entire worlds. From unlicensed MMA-rave hybrids in London to throwing shows across Asia, their events aren’t just parties—they’re experiments in group energy. How far can you push a shared experience? genesys1.0 are looking to find the threshold.

To talk to them is to dive into a dense web of references. During our interview, they touched upon both ancient cosmology and otaku club culture; Hideo Kojima games and Dogon astrology. They describe their latest event as “eucatastrophic” and their creative mission as something closer to spiritual tech-work. They’re not interested in nostalgia or lo-fi aesthetics for their own sake. They want to use the most advanced tools to make something transcendent. 

Read our interview, and listen to abyssal core, their new EP on YEAR0001, below.

How did this new EP come about?

genesys1.0: I would say it's been like 11 years in the making, summer 2014, ten years old watching the Yung Lean “Kyoto” music video on loop on my LG NowTV, been plotting ever since. 

You’ve hosted events all over the UK and Asia, each with their own distinct cultural energies and reference points. How do you tailor each event to the location and the space? 

It is so beautiful to see how people generate and experience euphoria and trance in different cultures. One big contrast we experienced is the difference between Eastern and Western fan culture. In the UK, we practice abrahamic religions which prohibit the worship of “idols,” whereas in Chinese culture for example, the religious and philosophical traditions have no such taboos, in fact many deities were born on earth as humans and attained godhood during their lifetimes through great feats of valour or grace, this greatly narrows the chasm between manhood and godhood, I think this manifests in the treatment of musicians by fans. In London we can book a huge artist and fans will act super nonchalant and above it all, whereas in China we can book a pretty underground local musician and fans will come from all over the country bearing intricate and meaningful gifts. I think they recognise the fact that artists are conduits of the divine. 

Could you tell us about your Total Sonic Knockout event? Walk us through that night.

It was truly eucatastrophic. Humans have a beautiful tradition creating overstimulating experiences to induce trance states, this is used to overcome our epistemological solipsism, this is usually through repetitive polyrhythmic drumming and dancing, or combat. The intensity of the experience essentially overloads the brain and dissolves our individuality, allowing us to bond deeply, we call it the biotechnology of group formation. Total sonic knockout was an attempt at creating this experience on a large scale. It was kind of nerve wracking as we were deep in the bliss of ignorance about the legality of putting on an unlicensed MMA event in the middle of the city. But in the end everything came together as planned, the bloodlust was quenched.

What are some video games that have inspired your approach to world building? Do you have a favorite Hideo Kojima game?

 
Metal Gear Solid, Nier/Drakengard, Death Stranding, Halo, Zone of the Enders. 

There is an Abyssal Core NFC vest. What are your thoughts on the future of combining tech and art?

Our generation has a terrible fetish for the obsolete/nostalgic, a lust for lost futures. This is apparent in the way that Gen Z & A produce art with a focus on old technologies, VHS cameras, old iPhones, analog synths, etc. In actuality, the greatest artists throughout history were using the most advanced technology available at the time to create their work, Davinci was using the cutting edge tech to generate his creations, Chris Cunningham was inventing entirely new methodologies to facilitate his massive ideas. It is our duty as artists to use high technology as a conduit for creativity, otherwise we will stagnate.

Favorite ancient cultural movements, moments, or mythologies?

Hugely into daoist cosmology, Hermeticism, Dogon astrology, Khoisan trance rites, the Alawite mourning rituals of Husayn ibn Ali, Shoor music, Hausa Dambe boxing, Senegalese Laamb wrestling, Vanuatu Land diving. Absolutely do not fw the moment at which the first human planted a seed in the earth, it’s all been downhill from there.

Any specific artists from YEAR0001 you are especially drawn to?

We love Eurohead, his synth melodies were quite an inspiration for the hardstyle section of our EP’s titular track. Also big fans of ESP, nothing cooler than an arcane boyband.

What is the underground rave scene like in Tokyo and Seoul, and how does it compare to the scene in London?

Tokyo probably has the most diverse, heterogenous underground scene on earth, most likely because of otaku culture and the Japanese ability to become obsessed with an extremely niche subject matter and develop highly active communities around them, the Jcore scene is something we have longingly observed from afar since our early teens and still really want to infiltrate. Seoul is cool too, but lacks the burning otaku passion of Tokyo’s underground, it is more reminiscent of a less drug-fuelled London.