Dark, hard techno producer and DJ Chiara Bubu, aka OCD, is working through chemotherapy and fighting cancer. She’s also using that as an opportunity to talk about the disease and treatment and remind audiences that young people can get cancer, too.
Club music in the public eye often exists in an alternate universe where people never age or face health challenges. (I had to be careful how I said that so I didn’t hear Wilford Brimley’s voice.) And frankly, the club music world can be cruel and out of touch with reality. If we love music – if we love one another – we need to be better than that norm.
I feel fortunate to have known Chiara over the past years because she’s consistently warm and supportive of everyone around her. She’s proof techno artists can be that way.
Recently, OCD got a cancer diagnosis. That’s tough to reconcile with the unforgiving world of professional DJing; it’d be easy in those circumstances to withdraw from public life altogether, let alone tying to continue a music career. But Chiara has instead opened up about the challenges of facing that, talking about treatment and how she’s dealing with it and working to raise cancer awareness.
For those of us who are more fortunate healthy right now, we owe OCD some extra energy to help her in that fight – and to continue to support her music work, even if it’s at a different pace alongside that treatment. Speaking of mutual care, Chiara is also diligent about sharing track lists and promoting the people who produce the music, not gatekeeping and starving out creative artists. (See last week’s discussion.)
And it doesn’t hurt to buy a t-shirt from her, too – especially with lost revenue from professional artist work! (? ??????? ?? ??? ???????? ????? ?????????? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ????????. Plus, they look cool and – I’ll spot you somewhere! The OCD club, IYKYK.)
Cancer and health awareness
First, OCD has opened up about taking a pause from the career to focus on health, and why that’s difficult. It’s a reminder of the importance of screening and health support (and while we’re on the topic, why health care for artists and freelancers matters, too). [Note: apologies – I’ll transcribe these later today-ish for accessibility!]
From her first announcement:
To talking about coping with treatment:
Mixes
OCD also has been busy with mixes lately – again, usually with track listings. Enjoy:
For Tbilisi’s KHIDI:
Anubis:
And the mighty Gegen x BCCO (with playlist on last slide):
Productions
I’ve written about OCD’s music before, and she continues working. She’s someone who has always been into brutally hard music – not just as a trend, but because she bleeds hard techno. Born that way. Check out the wonderful collab with Angel Karel on NOGENDER:
That project has a nice mission, as an example of how to expand the lens beyond just the party:
“The Morning After” is a dark techno industrial anthem fueled by the energy of our upcoming b2b set at the RSO for Gegen’s Saturday morning event.
This isn’t just an EP; it’s a call to action. It’s about fighting for a better future, for the here and now. We stand for the enduring moments of joy and wonder that life offers.NOGENDER Records: techno Industrial, noise, experimental queer label founded by Angel Karel.
NOGENDER Club: activist event preaching sexual liberation, gathering freedom souls looking for an alternative experience in a safe area invaded by dark techno music, where every sense is sharpened by all possibilities of the night. Concept of TFIF EVENTS – The Future Is Female created in 2017, a techno queer punk activist collective by Angel Karel, breaking the rules of gender, revealing the LGBTQIA+ minorities to imagine festive experience in all freedom.
Also check out 2023’s EP on Instruments of Discipline:
Or this gorgeous 2020 outing, which totally deserves more play:
I’ll also say that while I’m totally overwhelmed as a journalist (alongside about five other jobs) and do fail to answer important emails, I will stand by the artists I write about. I’m not interested in “breaking through”-style coverage because I care a lot more about how we as artists evolve over time.
And do get the tee. Find t-shirts on the OCD Berlin Bandcamp shop.
“WHERE EVERYTHING IS OUT OF CONTROL.” Yeah, feel that.