Techno is a layered phenomenon. On the surface level is the talk, fleeting and temporary. Beneath it lies an intricate web woven by all manner of creatives and intellectuals. At the center of it all is the sound itself, and it is in this realm of sonic abstraction that you find Max Gardner.

The San Francisco DJ and producer did not initially pursue electronic music with ambitions to promote himself as a brand. Doors opened nonetheless, and they never stopped. He is now one of the artists most closely associated with Bay Area techno, releasing on labels like Occultists, Resource Records and Northern Parallels.

His often psychedelic, sometimes suspenseful, always hypnotic range of the techno spectrum has afforded him audiences in cities across the globe. He’s performed at clubs like MUTE in Medellin, Leland City Club and The Works in Detroit, Beta Nightclub in Denver, and Desterro in Lisbon. He is also a return guest at gatherings like DEPTH in Seattle and The Great Beyond outside Minneapolis.

Max Gardner lives for the ephemeral moments in which time stands still, where words fail, as pure and honest audio shakes every reveler to their core. To see him behind the decks is to understand that he belongs here. He knows this world intimately. His place in it is permanent.