UNTER STRØM is the new musical project composed of Alex Gonzales (Matte Blvck) and John Kunkel (The New Division, John Grand). Together the duo create unexpected and transformative music that pushes the boundaries of techno, melodic house, and industrial sonics. Now UNTER STRØM has unleashed their new hard-hitting single “Fold.” Released via renegade label Breathing Records, the track follows their techno banger “Orynth.”
With “Fold,” UNTER STRØM takes a deliberate step deeper into the shadows. The track earns its name through restraint. “Fold” reportedly took shape at 30,000 feet, with Alex Gonzales sketching out its hypnotic low-end architecture during a flight to a festival in Calgary. What started as an experiment in layered bass movement and minimal rhythm grew into something far more consuming. John Kunkel’s subsequent contributions, his instinct for melodic tension and atmospheric detail, helped pull the piece into its final, immersive form.
The result is a slow-burning exercise in industrial minimalism. Pulsing bass, evocative percussion, and evolving textures coil around each other without ever fully releasing, creating the kind of late-night pressure that feels purpose-built for dark rooms and long dance floor sets. There is a steady, cinematic build that rewards patience.
Mixing duties were again handled by Aaron Short, whose credits include Madison Beer and The Naked and Famous, and his touch keeps the track’s dense low-end from collapsing under its own weight. Mastering comes courtesy of Mike Marsh, whose recent work with Nine Inch Nails threads “Fold” into a broader lineage of forward-thinking industrial music.
Already a recurring unreleased ID in UNTER STRØM’s live Transmission sets, the track has clearly resonated before most listeners even knew its name. Now that it has one, “Fold” stands as a confident statement of intent—brooding, precise, and wholly uninterested in easy answers.