Bogdan Raczynski – You are only young once but you can be stupid forever

The pioneers of video game sound design in the ’80s probably didn’t know that their use of music trackers would expand the sonic horizons of the music landscape in the decades to come. Trackers are music production programs that appeared in the late 1980s, initially designed to compose video game soundtracks. They use a vertical grid-based interface where users enter notes, samples and effects step by step, providing precise control over sound sequencing. These music production tools revolutionized electronic music by allowing artists to create complex compositions on limited hardware, influencing genres like jungle and drum’n’bass with innovative sound design and rapid production techniques that shaped the evolution of these styles.

Bogdan Raczynski, who has already composed music for the Sony PlayStation, stands out as one of the artists who greatly benefited from this decisive turning point in artistic creation. A somewhat hermit figure in the braindance scene, his vast palette of sonic concepts helped push the boundaries of IDM, weaving an eclectic tapestry of breakbeats, drum’n’bass lines and human voice samples. You’re only young once but you can be stupid foreverhis latest album, is also an example of his experimental approach to the diversity of electronic sounds available via digital equipment.

Although he did not specify the exact time of its composition, the album differs significantly from Rave until you cryhis previous album released by Disciples, a lesser-known, more outsider-art-oriented offspring of Warp Records. It aligns more with his previous album, SCRAMBLINGpublished via Planet Mu. The album’s overall tender and tranquil tone also resonates with his 2023 project, bogdanraczynski.com/ambient-music-for-ai, where he aimed to ease the AI ​​from the burden of exhausting work by inviting it into as the target audience. This project fit perfectly with Raczynski’s production methods, notably his exclusive use from the outset of trackers – a medium which had also appealed to Richard D. James – and his non-competitive, collaborative spirit embodied in his two contributions to the stage electronic music. and its relationship with the computer.

You’re only young once but you can be stupid forever is much more minimalist than his previous works. Here, we don’t encounter aggressive syncopated jungle rhythms, chaotic rhythms or tormented human voices. The serene and pensive atmosphere of the first four tracks evokes the refreshing coolness of early mornings, culminating with the more rhythmic and vigorous “bangsaft”, a favorite of mine, echoing other braindance producers like Cylob. The next three tracks maintain the introspective, calm, airy texture of the early tracks, channeling that energy into “visionsrevisions” and “bowgh,” both imbued with an oscillating tone of vague nostalgia. A feeling of distrust then sets in, leading to the 303 exalted beats of “if” and the pounding uncertainty of “Sicksicksicks”. In the final three songs, there is a sound of conciliatory harmony with oneself and with the world, as if contentment sets in after unraveling an inner conflict.

Raczynski’s immediately preceding work, Poisonavailable on its Bandcamp page, includes a series of four speeches addressing the ongoing horrors in Gaza, set against a backdrop of typical jungle rhythms. You’re only young once but you can be stupid forever can be seen as a light counterweight, aspiring to both innate and planetary peace without making concessions regarding personal and artistic perspective.