late to the party #2: Toca

05-11-2025

Gautham "Decoder" Garg, also known as "Cratan" (an alias seemingly used almost entirely on releases in 2021), is a producer/DJ based in Dallas, Texas, who makes "scifi" and minimal techno. Jorge "Jay York" Magana is a producer/DJ from New York, New York. Together, they run an imprint called Toca which yetsofar focuses on their works together and individually.

2023

Decoder & Jay York - Idols (TC01)
A1 Awake [5:02]
A2 Minus [6:05]
B1 Merk [6:04]
B2 Marching [6:38]

This four tracker which kicks off the label is named after their recognition of the fact that they dance on the shoulders of giants. Others on discogs have summarized my feelings on this EP and label more succinctly than I ever could. One user, nowhereaffiliated, calling the label "incredibly exciting...future classics" but to be more specific, I refer to jonarmst's comment on this particular 12" calling attention to the similarity of sound here to the classic sounds of Synewave "with little modernistic touches to keep it engaging when headphone listening".

2024

Jay York [b/w] Decoder - Distance (TC02)
A1 Jay York - Peligro [5:35]
A2 Jay York - En Medio [5:33]
A3 Jay York - Untouched [6:21] B1 Decoder - Falling Flat [7:15]
B2 Decoder - Riverside [7:26]
B3 I Am Nothing [5:49]

Starting things off is Peligro, meaning "Danger". Which in its individual parts isn't necessarily novel but is new in its combining of different styles. En Medio is well named for it drops us not only in the middle of the A-side of the EP, but also the action, starting in full swing. Untouched has some really neat sound design but also the slightly humourous inclusion of what sounds like an elevator chiming. Falling Flat doesn't. In fact it's a lovely track which feels deeply aquatic... but not in the sense that adjective is usually used to describe--this isn't a piece of generic dub techno (no disrespect, I love dub techno but maybe we can all try to do better when describing it, eh?). Riverside takes you right there, with sounds which evoke frogs in marshes and tall bullrushes. I Am Nothing is the only piece on here I'm not 100% into. I don't dislike it but there's something cute about it that makes it feel not well suited to as wide a range of use as the other pieces.

2025

Jay York - Viaje (TC03)
A1 CDMX [5:41]
A2 Ghost Writer [5:56]
B1 Sodium [7:15]
B2 Baile [6:01]

CDMX ain't bad, but the rest is stronger. Ghost Writer has some beautiful sound design, much of which could be described as ear candy, but there is a little bit of humour to the warm bleeps of what sounds like an elevator which come in after awhile. The third and fourt cuts, Sodium, and Baile are my favourites. The first of these has beautiful sound design and some of that glorious washing machine bassline feel to it, the latter, whose title means "Dance" in Spanish will have you doing just that with what feels very inspired by Joey Beltram at his finest yet highly original in its use of drum programming and the tension that builds starting around the 2:22 mark and only full lets out at the 4:00 minute mark only to be brought back just before the 5:00 minute mark.
Check out the label here

<< late to the party #1: Conundrum Records
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