oronto Canada’s Arthur Oskan is known for his powerfully resonating dance floor releases. While much of his music is described as intricate, driving, melodic, and moody, his more minimal stripped down tracks created under his Myers Briggs alias expose a simpler and more elegant side of his musical repertoire. The story of his evolving music and his career as a producer is an interesting one.

As a teenager during the late 80’s and early 90’s, Arthur Oskan began immersing himself in a variety of musical styles. During this time he listened to and soaked in information about studio gurus like Georgio Moroder, Vince Clark and Alan Wilder, and industrial bands such as Nitzer Ebb, Cetu Javu, and Front 242. In his quest to quench his appetite for synthetic music he eventually purchased his own EPS Sampler, a TR-606 drum computer, a Roland JX3P and a 4-Track. It was with this first gear that he was able to experiment and make his first electronic music. These early years of training proved invaluable because they provided him with a solid foundation for his budding studio prowess.

By the mid-nineties, following a brief period producing for and performing with Toronto industrial and techno acts, he began recording a series of studio sessions under the pseudonym Auracle. Years later, these very same live studio sets were re-distributed and caught the attention and admiration of event promoters. Armed with his growing collection of analog relics and a 24 channel mixing desk, Oskan dropped incredible sets for several underground events during this time. As time went on, he introduced a more percussive edge to his synthesizer lines and drum programming.  By the end of the decade, he had found his place among a solid group of Toronto electronic music producers and DJs, and he was performing with both local and international talent alike.

During the early 2000’s while Oskan was establishing his career outside of music production as a graphic designer, he spent some time in his studio away from gigging. In 2002 he re-emerged and resumed performing live sets at various high-profile club events in Toronto. Since then, he has been producing and recording his innovative breed of techno music almost non-stop.

After years of orienting his music releases around harder dance floor techno labels, Oskan decided to expose more of his music by adding productions to his catalogue that were simpler and more delicate. Coincidentally, minimal music was on the rise to its pinnacle of popularity and, as a result, Oskan’s newer productions have been frequently noticed by international labels and artists.

In 2006, under his newer nom de plume, Myers Briggs, Oskan’s memorable live set which he performed at MUTEK's Le Placard showcase made a lasting impression. This exposure connected him to more record labels – Beretta Grey, Thoughtless Music, and Noah Pred’s Sentient Sound – which subsequently released several of his singles and one of his widely celebrated EPs.

Then in 2007, Oskan came full-circle with a two-volume retrospective. In collaboration with Decibel Palace, the recordings that launched his career were remastered and compiled into album format for the very first time. Spanning the years 1995-97, The Auracle Sessions Vol. 1 & 2 are a must-have for fans of lush, atmospheric, downtempo techno.

Today, Oskan’s previous and current productions appear on a variety of labels representing a comprehensive spectrum of proper techno. His releases reside on labels including Beretta Music, Restructured, Secret Weapon, Cratesavers, Matrix Records and Decibel Palace.

Also exciting has been the acclaim given to his recent work by several of the world's top dj's and producers – Funk D'Void, Los Hermanos, Chymera, and Fabric Lig. In fact, his “Resolutions” EP topped Alan Oldham's chart for Tresor (Berlin), and his nine-minute long “Forever”  will appear on John Digweed's "Transmission Vol. 4" compilation in the spring of 2008. “Forever” has also been celebrated by James Holden, Nic Fanciulli, and Hernan Cattaneo.

Currently, as one of Toronto’s leading live acts, Oskan has been performing alongside a slew of international artists such as Aril Brikha, Alex Under and Samuel L. Sessions. He is continuing to work on new music with labels such as Ovum, Beretta Music and its sub labels, Beretta Red and Beretta Grey. 2008 will be a busy year for Arthur Oskan, as he plans to produce remixes and perform live through every season.

Photo by svenfrenzel.com