This week, French techno producer UFO95 is releasing his latest album, A Brutalist Dystopian Society Part 2 – a long player that has been described as “functional, imposing and tough”, just like the architecture that inspired it.
The Brussels-based artist is renowned for his electrifying live sets, at venues such as Berghain, Bassiani, Basement New York and Tresor, where he holds a residency. He has released on labels such as Tresor, WSNWG and MORD, as well as his own TSSRCT imprint, which he runs alongside Hadone.
909originals caught up with him to discuss the new album.
How did Brutalist architecture shape not just the aesthetic but the structural and compositional decisions behind the new album – how did you seek to translate architecture into sound?
Brutalism influenced the way I build tracks, not just how they sound. I worked with rigid structures, repetition, and weight. Very few elements, but each one carrying mass.
Like architecture, it’s about load-bearing components: bass as foundations, rhythm as pillars, textures as surfaces. Nothing decorative, everything functional. The tracks are constructed rather than arranged.
The album has been framed as a reflection of a ‘failed promise of a better life’, as well as a reaction to contemporary ‘brutalism’. Is it your most politically-charged work to date, and why is that important to you?
Yes, because it’s less abstract. Brutalism originally carried utopian ideas, but many of those spaces became symbols of control and neglect. That mirrors how progress is sold today. I’m interested in that gap between promise and reality.
Techno has always been political through context and pressure, and it felt important to confront that directly rather than hide behind pure functionality.
Are there echoes of Brutalism’s tension between idealism and oppression in the current state of electronic music culture?
Definitely. Electronic music was built on radical ideas, community, freedom, alternative spaces , but it’s now heavily standardised and commercialised. The structures remain, but the ideals are often hollowed out.
You have cited your influences as ranging from psychedelic rock to 90s techno, jungle, and experimental electronica. What elements of each have you channelled on the new album?
From psychedelic rock, I take hypnosis and duration. From 90s techno, discipline and function. Jungle brings fragmentation and nervous energy, even when slowed down. Experimental electronica allows me to break symmetry and introduce instability. My music is a mix of all those aspects.
You are a live performer rather than a DJ – how does that influence your creative process and production workflow when working on tracks?
When I make music in the studio, I always think about my live performances and how I will play a track live. My tracks need to works in a live situation and at home for a listening session.
You operate the TSSRCT multidisciplinary platform alongside Hadone. How has that evolved since its inception?
TSSRCT is becoming bigger. Our schedule is full until 2027 with lots of releases, new artists on the label and showcases around the world. We are really excited to see our vision finding its audience. It’s an amazing feeling.
What creative risks taken during the early part of your career have proved most influential on the artist you are today?
Never follow trends, always try to sound different, and have a strong sonically identity. Those are the rules I still follow today.
What’s next on the agenda for UFO95 in 2026?
Lots of gigs around the world with the album tour. We have also lots of shows as Civic Instruction with Hadone, and a label showcase for 2026. And of course some new music as UFO95.
UFO95 – A Brutalist Dystopian Society Part 2 is released on MORD on 6 February. You can order it here.