Top tips for Positive Education 2022

Musically it’s driven by their own tastes (which are very very good if we do say so ourselves) and encompasses everything from breaks, bass and techno to electro, ambient and experimental – sounds that are at the epicentre of the country’s electronic music scene at the moment.

Of course there are many returning faces on the bill this year including A Strange Wedding, Simo Cell and Anetha, but plenty of new artists will also be making their debuts: The Bug & Flowdan, Mama Snake and Palms Trax to name a few. Ahead of the festivities next month, which will also mark the last time the festival will take place at the symbolic Cité du Design for a few years, we picked out some top tips that you need to add to your hit list…

OKO DJ

We’ve gone for several members of the Positive Education family in this list, all of whom are helping to put France’s musical underground on the map. OKO DJ has been a recurring figure since the festival’s beginning. The Athens-based French DJ is part of the inimitable BFDM crew and the Bruits de la Passion collective, as well as being the founder of the Paris arm of online radio station LYL Radio. Not one to shy away from the freakier side of the music spectrum, think wonky outsider rhythms, oddball cuts and weirdo DIY electronics, she always finds the groove in these seemingly “un-grooveable” tunes.

Mary Lake

The Amsterdam-based DJ makes her debut at the festival. We’ve been big fans of hers since hearing one of her early productions, an acid techno stomper called ‘Dribble‘, on Carista’s United Identities compilation. Just like her DJ sets, which have landed her slots at festivals like Dekmantel and Lowlands, her musical output is divided into two vibes: jacking and groovy or heady and leftfield, and have formed releases for Nous’klaer Audio and Radiant Love.

LISA & RONI

What Positive Education do well is pairing up artists, whether it’s for B2Bs or live sets. We’ve seen magical collaborations happen every year, and that’s no different for this edition. Lisa (AKA Lisa More) is another member of the festival’s crew. The Clermont-Ferrand-based artist has got her fingers in many pies: as well as being head honcho of Tsunami Recordings, she’s a programmer and a resident at local club One O One (101) as well as Le Sucre and Rinse France. This time around Paris-based DJ RONI, a firm favourite here at R$N, will be joining her on the decks. The Nehza Records boss and Rinse France resident is known for her ravey, high energy sets that glide between breaks, bass, jungle, techno and trance. We can’t wait to see what happens when these two come together…

P.s. If you want a taster, RONI will be joining another Positive Education mainstay Simo Cell at our ADE party next week at Borisov 😉

Kendal & Pablo Bozzi presents Infravision

Another two names who make their return are Infravision, the project of producers and DJs Pablo Bozzi and Kendal. As individuals the pair need little introduction in this world: Pablo Bozzi has been making waves solo and as part of Soft Crash, alongside Phase Fatale, while Kendal has been touring extensively and helming his Ritmo Fatale imprint with label co-founder Paul. When they join forces it’s pure magic. We’ve been waiting for them to make an Infravision debut over here in the UK, the moniker that serves their love of Italo Body Music (no guesses what that sounds like), so we can’t wait to catch them in action next month.

The Drift Institute (NVST & Théo Muller)

Last year these two burgeoning names joined forces for their second B2B. It went so well they decided to adopt their very own official name: The Drift Institute. NVST and Théo Muller had already collaborated on some music together but their ear for one another’s tastes is just as fine-tuned as their production work. They’re back with a bang, with a solid year of individual happenings: NVST has been sharing her music through the likes of Serious Trouble and her own Big Science label while Théo has been running his KRAKZH imprint and sharing tracks via Grid and Tsunami. What better way to hear what they have in store for us this year than the live recording of their set from last year’s festival 😉

Positive Education runs from 8th-13th November. Grab your tickets.