Chapter 1: The rise of a key figure
Gabriel Cassina, originary from Italy, has grown in Spain where he started to shine as Regal on the techno scene.
His taste for electronic music has been sparked during his teenage hood when one of his friend gave him a cassette full of Hardsytle tracks. Immediately, Gabriel begun to dig into more underground influences inspired by icons such as Len Faki, Sven Väth or Emmanuel Top.
In 2009, he started producing identifiable tracks for their acid hues which has led him to be coined as Acidboy. He quickly earned the support of big names of the scene. From Spanish DJ and Producer Coyu who owns Suara, the label of the cats, and has released Regal’s first tracks to Len Faki, one of Berghain’s resident and founder of Figure, with who Regal has collaborated on The End EP. Yet, 2012 happened as a turning point in his career with his first hit Pulzar and the launch of his label Involve Records. Since he became more and more a headliner invited to gigs around Europe in the most pointillous techno clubs such as Madrid’s Mondo Disko XIX, Tsibili’s KHIDI or Berlin’s Berghain and Tresor.
Chapter 2: Regal’s signature
Regal’s mixing style is renowned for his ability to evolve between atmospheres and sub-genres. His selection is picky and eclectic building up a blend of trancy melodies, acid hues at the core of his sound signature and 90’s ravish kicks. The result oscillates between strong rhythms and hypnotizing melodies.
It has led him to remix key artists from the techno scene such as Nina Kraviz with 3 acid versions for Ghetto Kraviz which Dub version propelled the original title into a colder ambiance, his icon, Emmanuel Top, on This Is Cocaïne and recently Ellen Allien on a ferocious version of Electronical Joy.
Chapter 3: Regal’s vision for the underground techno scene
Regal is involved in promoting the underground techno scene in order that in the future it gain relevance as one of the major genres in the music industry. It is one of his aims behind Involve Records which tends to create a connection with a broader public looking more and more for harder sounds and faster BPMs.
With artists such as Charlotte de Witte or Amelie Lens who benefits from a greater exposure and credits because they have succeeded in seducing this ‘new’ public he tries to promote the sound from the underground. On Involve 020, Regal and Amelie Lens join their skills to create big stage’s bangers. They even remix each other on the EP with Amelie Lens’ Render which is turned up by heavier bass from Regal while his track Fenix has been boosted by infectious rhythms from Amelie.
One may not agree with his mission but in any case techno music tends to be well represented on broader events with presence of artists like Regal or I Hate Models, who has done the closing of Dour. Then, it is not so much the quality of the set played which is altered but one of the major change is the place where techno is played. From a club’s basement or an illegal gig in a warehouse to a festival scene aside of artists playing completely different genres.