RA.696

I have referred to the Columbus, Ohio-bred Brooklynite Titonton Duvanté’s techno approach as wry and brainy, but I will admit that this was shaded by my one in-person encounter with him. Early on during the writing of The Underground Is Massive, Todd Sines convened an evening with Titonton and Charles Noel — they had all matriculated in Columbus’s active rave scene, along with Ed Luna, as the party crew Ele_mental. Almost nothing of the conversation made it into the book, but I’ve thought of it more often than I have others I conducted that did. I understood why, looking back at that transcript a year or two ago, Todd was clearly steering the conversation in a specific direction and I was flitting around topically, an unusual reversal in an interview situation. All three are very smart and made great company, but Titonton’s cool reserve and thoughtful approach to every answer made a particular impression.

Are there analogues in listening to this particular set? Sure. Are they definitive? Nah, it was one conversation. But I will say: I remember laughing a lot that evening, and I get a similar sense of delight in this hour.