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 centre 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 Blank Code, Occultists, and Northern Parallels. A pivotal turning point saw Max launch a label called Peer. He set forth to introduce a techno platform free of superstar ego, prioritizing musical merit over celebrity. He's released a compelling catalogue through this imprint alongside respected friends in techno such as Drumcell, Insolate, Uun, Secus, Annika Wolfe, Declan James, Cory Simpson and Knowbody. Max's 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 Medellín, Leland City Club and The Works in Detroit, RSO in Berlin, and Moog in Barcelona. He’s also held residencies at all the major venues in his home base of San Francisco, including F8, 1015 Folsom, Monarch and 222 Hyde. Max is an originator of the influential Direct to Earth collective as well as a resident throughout its lifetime of 12+ years and counting. He is also a return guest at gatherings like OBSERVE in LA and The Great Beyond outside Minneapolis. His first European tour in 2023 saw him visit Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam and a gathering by Phase Collective in Madrid. Max Gardner lives for the ephemeral moments in which time stands still, where words fail, as pure and honest audio shakes every reveller 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.