Waz-u - Prayer For Dawn (2024)

‘Prayer for Dawn’ is Biodiversity’s first record and debut LP from label founder Waz-u. Biodiversity is the label arm of Biodiversity Studios, a multidisciplinary music studio situated in South London. Guided by the connection between religion and dance music, Waz-u tethers ritualistic traditions, both emancipatory and spiritual. There is also a sense of loss and growth, darkness and light and grief and euphoria; three dualities which are common features of organised religion.

The record sits somewhere between techno and electronica, deemed by some as ‘a dubby Jon Hopkins’. The approach to bass frequencies sets this apart from many other techno releases and the melodic motif of ‘Euphemie’ feels very futuristic and modern. ‘Pax’ is more of a traditional techno track, bringing together ambient textures and noisy percussion sounds. However, the emotional quality of ‘Oncoli’ illuminates Waz-u’s interest in classical progressions as well as dub techno sonics. ‘Dawn’ closes the record and highlights some of the process behind some of the more straight ahead dancefloor tracks; the piano and keyboard is used to create the emotion, the beat and sound design create the world that this exists in.