Long before streaming playlists and algorithm-driven discovery, a teenager in Los Angeles was already chasing sound — not in a studio, but through a PlayStation console in 1995. Three decades later, that curiosity has grown into one of the West Coast’s most enduring independent electronic music operations, led by producer, DJ, and label owner Jonra Designforms.
Born Jonra Babiracki, the artist has spent the better part of 25 years building a name in the acid techno and electro underground, both as a solo performer and as one half of a longtime creative partnership with producer Eric Cowden. Together, and separately, the two have released music under a rotating cast of aliases — Living in Ghosts, Hymns, and Jonra & Emachinery among them — while Jonra also runs Designforms, the LA-based label he founded and has operated for a quarter century.
“It’s what I am — there is no life without music,” Jonra says of his relationship to the craft. “It’s just part of me and what I love, at this point.”
The Sound of Detroit and Chicago, Filtered Through LA
Jonra’s musical DNA traces back to the pioneers who defined electronic music’s early decades. Kraftwerk, Plastikman, Juan Atkins, and Yello all left their fingerprints on his approach, alongside a deep pull toward the sounds of Detroit techno and Chicago acid house. That lineage shows up clearly in his own output — a style he describes as a cross of electro, techno, and acid, threaded with early EBM textures reminiscent of Nitzer Ebb and Kraftwerk, and touches of Chip E and Cabaret Voltaire.
Growing up in Los Angeles also shaped the harder edges of the music. “The aggression and attitude have definitely become a product of what we do,” Jonra explains, pointing to the city’s culture as a quiet but persistent influence on the tone of his records.
Much of that sound is built through his long-running collaboration with Eric Cowden. “We have fallen in love with the sounds of analog machines and the whole acid music movement,” Jonra says of the partnership, which has now spanned close to two decades. When the pair performs live, it’s a joint effort; when Jonra DJs, it’s a solo affair.
A Quarter Century of Designforms Records
Currently signed to a handful of imprints — including Specimen UK and Omerta Moscow — Jonra also remains deeply rooted in his own label, Designforms, which he has run out of Los Angeles for 25 years. The imprint has now published more than 350 songs, a milestone Jonra describes as part of one long, unlikely arc.
“The whole journey has been one big dream,” he says. “Starting off making music on a video game on PlayStation back in 1995, and now it’s coming full circle. Having put out over 350 published songs on the label, it’s been one big circus journey.”
That longevity hasn’t come without adaptation. Jonra points to the format shifts that have reshaped the industry around him — from vinyl to digital and now to streaming — as one of the more persistent challenges of a decades-long career. “It’s always something new to adapt to,” he says simply.
New Music, New Collaborators for Jonra Designforms
The latest chapter for Jonra Designforms centers on a fresh collaboration with rising artist Scotia. The two teamed up on a new track titled “Just What It Is,” slated for release this fall via Designforms as part of an EP under the name Jonra & Emachinery feat. Scotia, which will also include a remix from Scotia herself.
It’s a fitting next step for an artist who says the goal has never been to slow down. “To always be creating and making something, and not stick to just tried methods — that keeps it fresh,” Jonra says of staying motivated in a competitive industry. Looking ahead, he’s planning more releases, more records, additional touring, and the unveiling of a new Designforms live A/V act.
His message to listeners, for now, is straightforward: “Keep listening — we are just getting started.”
Fans can follow Jonra’s latest releases and updates on Spotify and Instagram.
