Japan's SUDO return to Drumcode for stunning 'We are Free' EP

Japan’s SUDO return to Drumcode with ‘We Are Free’, following their landmark 2024 debut ‘Real World’.

Last summer brothers Isao and Takashi aka SUDO gifted Drumcode one of the most inspiring releases we’ve heard in recent times with ‘Real World’. Inspired by Underworld’s incendiary ‘Rez’, the EP was the sound of two producers pouring all their passion and shared musical history into a work that’ll be remembered for years to come. The release peaked at no.1 on Beatport’s Release Charts and saw a follow up collaboration with Bart Skils ‘Nexus’ out later that year on Drumcode.

‘We Are Free’ continues SUDO’s emotion-led and timeless approach to techno, crafting a four-tracker inspired by the concepts of “freedom, divinity, memory and transition”. The title track genre-hops between electro-edged techno, silky ambient textures and breakbeats. Isao says: “We wanted to express in a powerful and explosive way one of our purposes on the dancefloor – a time of celebration, and freedom from restrictions.”

‘Elysium’ is a transcendental slice of techno that juxtaposes tough industrial rhythms with a stunning break that was inspired by a children’s choir Isao heard one day at Berlin Cathedral. “It took a long time to producer with many patterns until we were satisfied,” Isao shares. “It was a real process of immersing oneself in the hypnotic groove and finding divinity.”

Initially inspired by watching Bart Skils play a NYE 2025 set in Argentina, ‘Lost in Paradise’ is led by a delicate Latin vocal and crisp sun-dappled beats, before stepping up the pace in the second half. “As the production progressed, we were led to a wonderful result with the track’s vocal, a tribute to one of our biggest influences – the untouched nature of Ibiza and the vibes of the light and beautiful people that flow there.”

The EP winds down with ‘Horizon’, a simultaneously beautiful yet bittersweet hymn that signals the end of the party.

1. SUDO - We Are Free

2. SUDO - Elysium

3. SUDO - Lost in Paradise

4. SUDO - Horizon

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