999999999 (pronounced Nine Times Nine) is an Italian techno duo from Venice, formed in 2016 by producers and DJs Carlo B. and Giovanni C. The project became known for its intense fusion of acid techno, hard techno and industrial techno, as well as hardware-based live sets in which a substantial part of the music is shaped in real time. Among 999999999’s most notable releases are 300000003, Power to the Raver, Conveyor and other records issued through their own NineTimesNine label.
Both members grew up in Venice and were involved in DJing and electronic music before launching the project together. They met through the local club scene and discovered that they shared a similar approach to music. After an early studio session together, they decided to continue working as a duo.
The name 999999999 reflects the project’s underlying concept. Rather than building their careers around personal biographies or public personas, the members deliberately chose to keep the focus on the music and the live experience. The numerical name was intended to remain as abstract as possible, leaving the project free from any predefined image or aesthetic.
The Formation of 999999999 and NineTimesNine
The project officially emerged in the summer of 2016. Around the same time, the duo launched their own label, NineTimesNine, which initially served as the main outlet for their vinyl releases.
Their first records quickly found an audience within the European techno scene, with several pressings requiring represses due to demand. One of the most significant early releases was 000000002, whose first pressing reportedly sold out in less than a week.
The defining characteristics of 999999999 were already apparent at this stage: powerful four-to-the-floor kicks, resonant acid sequences, minimal decorative elements and continuous manipulation of sound parameters. A central feature of their aesthetic became the distinctive TB-303-style acid line, or synthesizer patterns built around a similar approach.
At the same time, the duo were never interested in simply recreating the acid techno of the 1990s. Instead, they adapted traditional hardware techniques to a much denser and more aggressive contemporary club sound.
300000003 and the International Breakthrough
One of the major turning points came in 2018, when Dutch label Planet Rhythm released the 303 101 EP. The record included 300000003, a track driven by a rapidly evolving acid sequence and a heavy, relentless four-to-the-floor rhythm.
The track reached a much wider audience than the duo’s earlier vinyl releases. It was reissued several times, while 300000003 became a regular fixture in techno DJ sets. The track played a major role in introducing international audiences to the distinctive 999999999 sound and remains one of the project’s most recognisable recordings.
The success of 300000003 did not lead the duo away from their independent model. NineTimesNine continued to function as the main home for their own catalogue, while releases on external labels remained selective.
Hardware Live Sets
Live performance became just as important to the story of 999999999 as their studio work. The duo present themselves primarily as a live act rather than a conventional DJ project. Instead of relying on a pre-arranged sequence of finished tracks, they perform with drum machines, synthesizers, sequencers and effects units.
Their live setup has included equipment such as the Elektron Octatrack and Analog Four. Rhythms, acid sequences, transitions and individual parts of the arrangement can all be altered during a performance, meaning that the same piece of music does not necessarily sound identical from one set to the next.
Neither member comes from a traditional academic music background. Synthesizers and drum machines effectively became their primary instruments, while their performance technique developed through self-directed experimentation with hardware and countless hours in the studio.
This live format became one of the main reasons behind the rapid growth of their reputation as performers. In concert, the studio aesthetic of 999999999 — distorted drums, unstable acid lines and dramatic filter movements — is transformed into a form of controlled improvisation.
Boiler Room and Growing International Recognition
By the end of the 2010s, 999999999 were performing regularly outside Italy. One of their best-known early filmed sets was Boiler Room Paris: Possession, recorded in 2019. The hardware performance circulated widely online and became one of the duo’s most viewed live appearances.
That same year, 999999999 performed their first 12-hour takeover at KHIDI in Tbilisi, a format that allowed them to explore a much broader range of material than would be possible in a standard festival slot.
The duo went on to perform at Awakenings, Possession events, London’s Fabric, Madrid’s Fabrik, Brussels’ Fuse, Ghent’s Kompass, Sub Club in Glasgow and numerous other major venues. Their touring schedule eventually expanded across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia.
From Acid Techno to a Harder Sound
The early 999999999 catalogue was largely rooted in acid techno, but over time both the tempo and density of their music began to increase. Elements of industrial techno, hardcore, hard dance and contemporary rave music gradually became more prominent within their sound.
This evolution happened gradually and did not mean abandoning their original aesthetic. TB-303-style sequences, short repetitive riffs and hands-on filter manipulation remained central, while the rhythms became harder and the arrangements faster and more direct.
Power to the Raver became one of the defining releases of this period. In 2021, the duo also collaborated with Scottish techno veterans Slam on Conveyor, released through Slam’s Soma Records label.
This development coincided with the wider resurgence of faster and harder techno across major European clubs and festivals. Yet 999999999 carved out their own position within that movement by translating the aesthetics of contemporary hard techno into a fully hardware-based live format.
The Development of NineTimesNine
In its early years, NineTimesNine essentially functioned as the personal label of 999999999 and focused primarily on vinyl releases. In 2020, that model began to change: the duo started officially releasing their own music digitally, while the catalogue also opened up to other artists.
NineTimesNine gradually evolved from a supporting platform for a single project into an independent label associated with acid, hard techno and heavier forms of contemporary rave music.
Alongside the label, the duo also developed the 9×9 Invites event series. These parties allowed 999999999 to invite artists from different corners of the underground techno scene, including names such as Sunil Sharpe and Umwelt. Some of the early editions took place at Berlin club Griessmuehle.
BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix
On 20 May 2023, 999999999 recorded a two-hour Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1, one of the world’s best-known radio programmes dedicated to electronic music.
The mix revealed a broader range of influences than their own discography alone might suggest. It featured industrial and hard techno, acid, trance and fast-paced rave tracks. Alongside established names, 999999999 also included a significant amount of music from lesser-known producers and independent labels.
In 2024, the duo also recorded an edition of the Resident Advisor Podcast. By that point, their sound had moved considerably closer to high-speed hard techno and hard dance than to the comparatively restrained acid techno of their earliest releases.
Releases in the 2020s
As the decade progressed, the boundaries between techno, hardcore and hard dance became increasingly blurred in the music of 999999999. At the same time, the duo began collaborating more frequently with other artists.
In 2024, they teamed up with Rian Wood for The Hardcore Warriors. The collaboration continued in January 2025 with In My House, a track combining hard techno with elements of hardcore and a contemporary neo-rave aesthetic.
In the summer of 2025, 999999999, Rian Wood and Angel Cannon released the collaborative Trinity EP through NineTimesNine. It featured Smasha, No Lies and Future. The release highlighted a more contemporary side of the project, where classic acid elements meet hard dance and high-speed techno.
Despite the evolution of their sound, the original principle behind 999999999 has remained intact: their studio music continues to be closely connected to the way the material can be reconstructed, manipulated and reshaped during live performance.
The Musical Style of 999999999
The music of 999999999 is rooted primarily in acid techno and hard techno, although the duo’s catalogue also incorporates elements of industrial techno, hardcore, hard dance, trance and rave.
Many of their tracks are built around a single instantly recognisable element — an acid sequence, a synthesizer riff or a rhythmic pattern. Rather than relying on complex harmonic structures, the duo develop their music through gradual changes in timbre: opening and closing filters, adding distortion, adjusting resonance, introducing percussion and reshaping sequences.
This approach is directly connected to the project’s hardware-driven origins. Many musical ideas can be manipulated in real time, which is why 999999999’s studio recordings often retain the feeling of a continuously evolving live session.
The rawness of their sound is also an intentional part of the aesthetic. The duo do not attempt to conceal the characteristics of analogue and hardware-based production: distortion, abrupt transitions and instability can all become expressive tools in their music.
As a result, 999999999 occupy a distinctive position between the classic acid techno tradition and the younger generation of hard techno and hard dance. Their career has been defined not only by a series of successful releases, but also by their performance model itself: music is treated as a system of rhythms and synthesizer sequences that can be assembled differently in front of an audience every time.
From the first NineTimesNine vinyl pressings and the breakthrough of 300000003 to Boiler Room, the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, international festivals and their own 9×9 Invites series, the project has remained faithful to its original concept — minimal emphasis on the personalities behind the music, and maximum focus on hardware sound, improvisation and the physical energy of the dancefloor.
