Stage elements made of aluminum, unfolded black boxes, and tangled intertwined cables that seem to have neither a beginning nor an end, mixed with diffused light and overdriven sounds in the room. Suddenly it becomes quiet. The soundcheck is complete. A glimpse behind the scenes reveals an authentic parallel world that stands in strong contrast to the perfectly staged show. The scene as a whole appears unfinished, chaotic, and somehow improvised. Ultimately, everything is aimed at a specific moment that fades away after a certain time and only exists in our thoughts or in recordings in the form of sound, videos or images. It has been a while since I first heard of the Parisian record label Latency. If I remember correctly, I learned of the label through the hypnotic rhythms of North American musician and sound artist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe on the single Kulthan, which was released sometime in 2017. As a sonic-enthusiast and operator of a music platform, I was naturally drawn to it and continue to follow the curation work of the owners Sidney Gerard and Souleymane Said with great enthusiasm. Since the label's introduction, an elaborate catalog of artists such as singer and DJ Laurel Halo, virtuoso percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, and pop polymath Lafawndah has emerged.
In the past year, Latency made waves with a series of exceptional concerts, each of which took full advantage of the unique acoustic properties of their respective venues. Attendees were treated to impressive performances in the magnificent Flamboyant and Baroque-style church of Saint-Merry or the ancient Bourse de Commerce, originally used as a commodity exchange, in Paris.