Positive Centre

British experimental techno producer Positive Centre became a notable figure on the European techno scene of the 2010s, despite the relative paucity of his releases. His debut album, 2014's In Silent Series, gave its name to the record label he would go on to launch later in the decade. Born Mike Jefford and brought up in Medway, Kent, he was initially into guitar music while growing up in the '90s, only becoming interested in electronic music production in his late teens after discovering drum'n'bass and hardcore; he was later influenced by Detroit techno and acid house. Initially experimenting unsuccessfully with software-based production approaches, he hit his stride after purchasing an analog synthesizer, working with hardware from then on. After recording under a number of other aliases, he settled on the name Positive Centre, taking it from a polarity setting on a power adapter. He started out promoting parties in alternative hub Brighton before moving to Berlin in the early 2010s, at the same time as many other British producers who were forging a new blend of bass music and techno. There he met Sigha, another British expat, who was excited by Jefford's demos and signed him to his label Our Circula Sound. His two EPs for the label, 2013's An Assembly and 2014's Hiding Knives, were followed by his debut album, In Silent Series. All three releases set out his signature sound: a murky, abstract, slowed-down kind of techno with dark ambient and industrial elements. Later releases appeared on Stroboscopic Artefacts, Leyla, and SNTS. In 2017, after moving to Lisbon, he launched his own label, also named In Silent Series, with the Reassembly EP, featuring new versions of some of his older tracks; the Ancestor One EP followed in 2018. ~ John D. Buchanan