Nihil Young has a habit of writing melodic techno with a clear sense of control, and “Automatic” kept that approach intact. It landed today on Magnetic Magazine Recordings as a single that moved with purpose, then got out of the way, with no extra versions and no extra framing.
Part of what has made Nihil Young’s output stick over the years is that he has never sounded comfortable with music built to disappear. He has been vocal about how modern discovery systems reward familiarity, and that pressure has had a real effect on arrangement habits across the genre. The result has been plenty of “safe” music that hits the expected checkpoints, then slides by without leaving much behind.
“Automatic” came across as a direct response to that environment, because it stayed focused on tension, release, and momentum, and it did it without resorting to obvious gimmicks.
A single built around tension and decision making
“Automatic” made sense as a one-track drop because it worked like a concise tool. The arrangement felt deliberate, with a steady forward motion that left space for the details to do their job, and it held back enough information to keep the record from flattening out. This is the kind of writing that translates in a booth because it gives a DJ room to layer, then still provides moments that register in the room when the mix opens up.
That DJ-first logic has always been part of Nihil Young’s identity.
He has talked about valuing clean mixing while still wanting records that can shift the temperature of a set, and that mindset tends to show up in the way he structures his own material. He also comes from a background that included hip hop and turntablism before he moved deeper into electronic music, and that early training often reveals itself in how he treats impact and timing. “Automatic” sat comfortably in that lane, with a sense of pacing that felt intentional from start to finish.
Why it landed cleanly on Magnetic Magazine Recordings
Magnetic Magazine Recordings has been building a catalog around records that work on dance floors while still carrying a point of view, and “Automatic” fit that direction without needing explanation. It read like a release made for sets that lean into pressure and patience, and for DJs who want a track that can hold a room without spelling everything out.
For Nihil Young, it also landed as another step in a longer run that has consistently pushed toward sharper edges in melodic techno. “Automatic” did not present itself as a pivot. It presented itself as a continuation of a clear approach, with tension as the main currency, and with the kind of structure that rewards people who pay attention.
The post Nihil Young Drops “Automatic” on Magnetic Magazine Recordings appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.