After the conceptual depth of Parallel Traces of the Jewel Voice (2021), dj sniff returns to Discrepant with a more direct and visceral document: Turntable Solos.

Composed from live recordings made during the latter half of 2024, Turntable Solos captures dj sniff’s improvised performances in their rawest form. At the core of his setup is Cut ’n’ Play, a software sampler he originally built in Max/MSP in 2007. Since then, he has continued developing custom tools and instruments that extend what Derek Bai-ley called the “instrumental impulse” — the tactile, responsive relationship between musician and machine that de-fines improvisation.

Following a summer 2024 tour of Japan with Gonçalo Cardoso, sniff was encouraged to document and release a se-lection of his live sets. Not long after, a performance at 20α (Alpha) in Hong Kong would become the emotional and conceptual anchor for the project.

In the liner notes, sniff reflects on the eerie parallels between recent footage of protestors in Los Angeles — assaulted by police using so-called “less-lethal” weapons, and civilians being abducted into detention centers — and the 2019 Hong Kong protests. A place once filled with personal nostalgia began to feel like a grim foreshadowing of what might unfold in Western societies.

In this turbulent context, 20α stands out as a space of resistance and renewal — a beacon for a new generation of ex-perimental musicians, growing in defiance of increasing censorship and surveillance. Turntable Solos is both a per-sonal statement and a public act of sonic resilience.

dj sniff (Takuro Mizuta Lippit) is a musician and curator in the field of experimental electronic arts and improvised mu-sic, now based in both Los Angeles and Tokyo. His musical work builds upon a distinct practice that combines DJing, instrument design, and free improvisation. Collaborations include Evan Parker, Otomo Yoshihide, Koichi Makigami, Jaap Blonk, ErikM, Paul Hubweber, Tarek Atoui, Ken Ueno, and Senyawa.