ABSOLUTE. on the Legacy of the 909 in Queer Dance Music

ABSOLUTE. is a defining queer force in dance music. His sound moves from raw, percussive house into surging progressive euphoria: sweaty, hypnotic, built to carry a room.

Now a fixture of the global dance circuit, his remix of Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy has become a peak-time must-play for DJs around the world. For ABSOLUTE., it’s just one of many releases on iconic labels like Permanent Vacation, UTTU, Shall Not Fade, Hot Haus, and Maximum Airtime

ABSOLUTE. is also known for his collaborations with the likes of Joe Goddard, BIG WETT, and BIMINI, and is one half of NIGHT manoeuvres alongside London Grammar’s Dot Major. NIGHT manoeuvres have released several lauded singles and EPs on the legendary fabric Records, and have played iconic sets the world over, from The British Museum to Pitch festival in Australia.

Whether ABSOLUTE. is collaborating or working alone, his intent is always the same: generous, queer, and serious about the floor.

This Pride Month, we caught up with ABSOLUTE. to talk about the legendary gear that’s defined the last 40+ years of queer dancefloors, the artists that used them and how he incorporates those sounds into his music today.

Is there a classic bit of gear that remains a definitive part of the queer dancefloor experience today? Why do you think it continues to resonate?

It has to be the Roland TR-909. The legendary 909 kick has a body that other drum machines just don't have. Snap at the front, roundness at the back and it sits under a vocal without bullying it. Queer dancefloors needed a kick that could carry a diva reach, an M1 piano stab, a Sylvester falsetto. The 909 does that.

You can be messy with it, and it still sounds right, which is probably why queer dancefloors took to it.

What example of a queer artist using the 909 has most influenced how you use it in your own music?

Frankie Knuckles' use of the 909 in his Warehouse sets and his productions. The way the hats sit, the way the kick carries the song instead of fighting it. That lesson runs through the DJs I'm into right now.

I feel my sound at the moment sits somewhere between Job Jobse's melodic, emotional warmth and Roi Perez's driving percussive house energy. The 909 lineage is the through-line in both, and pretty much every ABSOLUTE production I've ever made.

How have you incorporated the specific sound of the 909 into your recent productions to create a "signature" feel that resonates with crowds?

The tracks of mine that usually resonate do it through emotion, how they make you feel.

Sometimes that's a vocal like Keep On Dancing with BIMINI or my tunes with BIG WETT and Joe Goddard. Sometimes it's an instrumental that carries its own story. Either way, the 909 is doing the work. The kick you don't always notice is often the one carrying the track.

Can you recall a specific track or a night where the sound of a classic piece of gear fundamentally changed your creative direction?

Honestly, no single track or night. It built up slowly, across millions of records and clubs. The gear and music are part of it, but it's the people in the room that bring the moments.

I do know that when you work with the right samples or equipment, they get you where you're trying to go musically so much faster. You don't need to overproduce them. Better to pick the right sounds in the first place and enjoy the creative process, rather than spending all your time on post-processing.

With instruments moving from rare hardware to accessible software, how do you think this helps more diverse voices get involved in production?

Hugely. No queer kids in Chicago or London could afford an original 909 in 1983, and an original unit now goes for thousands.

Nowadays, you can find emulations online and use them with just a laptop and headphones. That's how I started. Without it, I wouldn't be making music at all.

We need more voices from all perspectives. So much amazing music comes from working class people who don't have access to high-end gear. You make something with what you have; that's what being creative is.

The gatekeeping was always financial as much as cultural. Anything that helps break that down is a good thing.

Is there anyone from the US or UK who's releasing music today that's capturing the classic sound of queer pioneers through a modern lens?

In the US, Octo Octa and Eris Drew are doing it, both individually and on T4T LUV NRG. Their tracks carry the spirit of Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles without copying it. Elsewhere, a lot of us look to Honey Dijon moving between Chicago, New York, and Berlin.

In the UK, the parties and festivals Adonis, Body Movements and Club are where the queer lineage continues.