Perc

Perc has spent two decades proving that a one-person label can shape a scene. Ali Wells, the London producer behind the name, started Perc Trax in 2004 with a first record that sold poorly, and the imprint went on to become one of the reference points for the hard, industrial-edged strain of techno that now fills warehouses worldwide. His own records, from the bleak first album Wicker & Steel to the 2026 Microtrax EP, tell the same story from the producer's side.

Newcastle, Prime and the First Records

Details of Perc's early life come mostly from his own interviews, and his birth date is not published. In an interview with IU Mag he said he was born in Peterborough and moved at about four to the village of Westmill, a place with one shop, one pub and one primary school. A Techno Airlines profile lists Cambridge as his birthplace instead, so sources differ and we do not state one as fact. What the interviews agree on is the path: he grew up on pop, early-1990s hip-hop and mainstream metal, while his older brother collected acid house and early British hardcore records, and he went to university in Newcastle, where he found vinyl culture and the underground scene.

At around 18 he teamed up with a producer who owned a sampler, and the pair played live acid techno as Hardware and later Drive Space. The name Perc, he told IU Mag, came from a university project and refers to percussion. After university he moved to London and worked at the distributor Prime, packing orders and then helping run labels from the management office. James Holden heard a cassette of his through a family connection and gave him releases on Easy Access, a sub-label Holden started in 2001. Perc first signed to progressive house labels before drifting toward harder techno, which, he said, was also what sold.

Starting Perc Trax in 2004

Perc Trax launched in 2004, based in London, and the first record was by Perc himself with a remix under another name because he could not afford a second release. It sold poorly until James Zabiela licensed the remix for a Renaissance compilation. He promoted early records by mailing CDs to DJs from an address list he took from the distributor when it went bust. A first round of demos in late 2006 went unanswered; a second wave in spring 2007 went to Drumcode and Kompakt, and Kompakt released his track that summer. Releases on CLR, Drumcode and Kompakt followed within about four months, according to the IU Mag interview.

The label's early catalogue leaned on Japanese artists, and Wild City's history of the imprint singles out Redsound's Pink Body as one of the first records to show a gritty industrial sound. Avus's "Fancy Arse", with a James Holden remix, was the second release and the first to reach a wide audience, and Go Hiyama's Mathematical Accuracy EP, with a remix by Berghain's Norman Nodge, drew many Berlin DJs to the label. Over the years the roster has included Truss, Ansome, Forward Strategy Group, Ghost In The Machine, Scalameriya, Frazi.er and Million. Harvey McKay, the Scottish producer whose death RTS.FM covered, released early records on Perc Trax.

The Albums: Wicker & Steel to The Cut Off

His debut album, Wicker & Steel, appeared in 2011, with "My Head Is Slowly Exploding" the track that unlocked it, he told Attack Magazine. The Guardian read it as an audio portrait of a Britain of riots and economic anxiety, a reading Perc himself pushed back on in interviews. The Power and the Glory followed in 2014, a record that started as a project about organised religion, used church field recordings, then turned toward the idea of inner power, according to Wild City. Bitter Music arrived in May 2017 with "Look What Your Love Has Done to Me", a track featuring Gazelle Twin, which a later Perc Trax release note reportedly calls the label's best-selling track.

The Cut Off, released in March 2024 as TPTLP100, was his first full-length in seven years. Resident Advisor's review, published on 4 April 2024, called it an "I'm still here" statement in a post-punk, claustrophobic mode and picked out "Milk Snatcher's Return", "Static" with Sissel Wincent and "Cold Snap" with EAS. Three remix EPs followed on Perc Trax, with the first two, according to the label's Bandcamp, landing in March 2025.

Where Perc Sits in Techno

The tempo and the aggression are what put Perc in conversations about the genre's current direction. RTS.FM's report on the American hard techno boom points to Perc Trax as one of two lineages behind the modern "hard techno" tag, a UK strand that borrowed from industrial and noise music without losing functional peak-time structure. In his IU Mag interview Perc described himself as part of a new wave of industrial techno alongside Ancient Methods and Blawan. Our piece on techno tempo by genre notes a December 2019 Beatportal quote in which Perc said his own 134 to 135 BPM tracks had become the start of a set.

2025 to 2026: Soft Launch, Microtrax and the Road

His recent output has been steady and personal. The Soft Launch EP came out on 17 October 2025, his first full EP since The Cut Off, with three tracks written, produced and mixed by Alistair Wells, according to Bandcamp. In an Undertone interview he said Hypercolour asked him for an updated remix of his own "The Drums", which became a "Future Mix" and set the direction for his next release. That release was Microtrax, a five-track EP issued on 30 January 2026. According to the Bandcamp description he wrote the tracks in hotel rooms across Europe, the USA, Canada and South America and finished them in his London studio, and it is the first time he performs his own vocals on a record.

On the road he has played Perc Trax showcases at Tresor and in Amsterdam with Intercell, Awakenings, and more than ten sets at Under Club in Buenos Aires, according to the Undertone interview. The same piece mentions a Warsaw gig promoted by Derschein as his first Polish show since early 2024. RTS.FM's Singapore scene guide lists Perc on a 7 August 2026 programme there.

FAQ

How old is Perc?

Perc's birth date is not published in any source we could verify, so we do not state his age. He has been active in electronic music for more than 20 years, and Perc Trax launched in 2004.

Where is Perc from?

He is a British producer based in London. Sources differ on his birthplace: in an interview he says he was born in Peterborough and grew up in the village of Westmill, while Techno Airlines lists Cambridge.

What nationality is Perc?

British. He works from London.

Who is Perc?

Perc, whose name is Ali (Alistair) Wells, is a British techno producer, DJ and live act who founded the Perc Trax label in 2004. He is known for industrial-tinged techno and for albums including Wicker & Steel, Bitter Music and The Cut Off.

What is Perc Trax?

Perc Trax is Perc's London label, launched in 2004. Its catalogue includes Go Hiyama, Truss, Ansome, Forward Strategy Group and Scalameriya, as well as Perc's own records.

What is Perc's best-known track?

"Look What Your Love Has Done to Me", with Gazelle Twin, from the 2017 album Bitter Music, is reportedly described by Perc Trax as its best-selling release. "My Head Is Slowly Exploding" from 2011 is another widely cited track.

What is Perc's latest album?

The Cut Off, released on Perc Trax in March 2024, is his latest full album. Since then he has released the Soft Launch EP in October 2025 and the Microtrax EP on 30 January 2026.

What does Perc's music sound like?

It is hard, industrial-edged techno aimed at the dance floor. Resident Advisor's review of The Cut Off described it as claustrophobic, post-punk-flavoured techno, and he says his own sets mix harder techno with acid and rave influences.

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