Powell

London-based producer Oscar Powell makes abrasive, distorted experimental techno that carries a sharp wit and a defiant stance toward club music norms, a sensibility already hinted at by his surname. Drawing from ’80s post-punk and industrial acts such as Suicide and the Fall, alongside British hardcore techno and drum’n’bass, he favors gritty guitars and primitive drums over heavy, swinging basslines. His unconventional tracks have drawn widespread praise in the underground press, while his confrontational DJ sets and exchanges with legendary indie rock musician and recording engineer Steve Albini have brought him additional notoriety.

In 2011 Powell and Jaime Williams established the Diagonal label. Its earliest releases were Powell’s own EPs The Ongoing Significance of Steel & Flesh and Body Music, soon joined by work from like-minded artists including Shit & Shine and Prostitutes. Diagonal quickly stood alongside respected experimental imprints such as Pan and Editions Mego. During 2013 Powell issued further EPs on Liberation Technologies and The Death of Rave. After the 2014 appearance of Club Music and its accompanying remix EP, he gathered his first four years of material on the double-CD compilation 11-14.

Powell joined the XL roster in 2015 and issued the single “Sylvester Stallone,” followed by “Insomniac,” which incorporated a sample of Steve Albini introducing a song at a Big Black concert. Seeking clearance for the sample, Powell emailed Albini, who replied that he despised electronic dance music, granted permission without interest in hearing the result, and declined further involvement. XL erected a London billboard displaying the email, sparking controversy among listeners. When Powell sought to feature the exchange in the track’s video, Albini answered, “still don’t care.” In 2016, to mark Diagonal’s fifth anniversary, Powell toured North America alongside Not Waving and Russell Haswell. That same year he released the 12" single Frankie + Jonny ahead of his debut full-length, Sport.