Dance chameleon Levon Vincent plugs straight into the techno grid with fifth album, Work In Progress. Danny Turner finds out more

As techno and house music enjoy somewhat of a renaissance, the door has reopened for the likes of DJ/ production stalwart Levon Vincent. With a reputation for quality and authenticity and a learned approach to dance music’s past, it’s of no surprise to see him hone his techno craft with laser-like precision on fifth studio album, Work In Progress.

Forgoing the story arcs that featured on last year’s architectural-sounding Silent Cities, the Berlin-based producer’s latest LP is a compilation of club-ready techno jams designed for any DJ to pick up and play. As referred to in the title, self-improvement is a philosophy that Vincent holds dear. Rather than complicate, Work In Progress delivers old-school techno that’s piercing, gritty and straight to the point.

Who introduced you to DJing, and how have you felt the culture has changed over the years since you started in the late ’80s?

“My very first interaction with turntables was around 1989 or so. My friend’s older brother had a pair and he also had two copies of Royal House by Todd Terry and I’ll House You by The Jungle Brothers. DJ Red Alert used to play that on the radio all the time and I was just a kid back then, but it stuck with me. I knew I wanted to get involved in studio work and produce music with machines at that time.”

Is it true that British EBM band Nitzer Ebb had quite an influence on your early interest in production?

“I saw them perform alongside Front 242 when That Total Age came out. To me, it sounded like anti-NY music… or if not ‘anti’ then almost definitely ‘other than’. It was very exotic compared to freestyle and hip-hop – the two sounds that dominated NY radio in the ’80s. But the album that really grabbed me was Cabaret Voltaire’s The Covenant, The Sword and The Arm of The Lord. Man, I can’t recommend that one enough – even in 2023! I’ve played I Want You from that LP in Berghain before and it was massive.”

You studied music theory with Dary John Mizell and undertook masterclasses with Philip Glass. How did those experiences help prepare you for a career in music?