Balance is back with a lineup that perfectly encapsulates the ethos of the party. Truncate is a returning champion, having previously headlined the party. The LA-based producer is one of the major players in pared-back, hardware techno. He wastes no time getting straight to the heart of the matter: throbbing machine funk loop techno with perfectly attuned bleepy hooks glistening in the shadowy crevices. A Truncate arrangement is a masterclass in less-is-morel; each element speaks with total authority, and the whole is always more than the sum of its parts. Lauren Flax is a modern treasure; one of the best to channel tight, groovy techno with a straight-to-the-jugular physicality and an acidic sheen. A true fixture of the NY community, Flax is an artist with a seemingly endless CV of releases, collaborations and gigs logged. A regular at STUDIO, it’s been a few years since she played BASEMENT. Let’s welcome her back in style. Juana is back, with a raw, jacking bite that never fails. The DC selector and organizer is one of the most fearsome DJs on the East Coast, and commands a level of respect from her peers that many would envy but few would dare to earn. Last year’s “We Are Everything We Think We’re Not” is a piercing slow burn, with a rich, moody hypnotic flow and thick, muscular power that is in direct conversation with the best Detroit techno. Stacy Christine steps into the STUDIO booth for the first time. The LA-based artist has over a decade of deep immersion in the city’s queer underground. A former resident of Shits & Giggles and a current resident of Bears in Space and member of the Sirens collective, her sound can range from darker, edgy sonics to bright italo and Hi-NRG. In her own words, she plays “only the good stuff.” Tap in. Club Chow also makes his debut. A Chicago “omnivore,” Chow’s versatility finds form through the pure, unalloyed vibrancy he brings to the booth. Justin Cudmore closes the loop. Always one to deliver, Cudmore’s searing, saucy energy calls forth the deviant spirit at the core of the best house music. The Bunker resident has become one of NY’s most esteemed artists, and on his home turf at Balance you can feel his vision in full effect.