Artist Profile: Varøsian

Varøsian is the DJ and producer alias of Nikolas Polycarpou, a UK-based artist associated with Leeds and its Rogue Puppet Records circle. His sound is raw, hardgroove techno that moves through groove, restraint, and acceleration, emphasizing selections across three and four decks. On May 22, Varøsian joins ctrl x Sqweez! x Rogue Puppet Records appearing alongside fellow Rogue Puppet artists Fussey, ESME and FAUST.

Before his rising discography, there was a scattering of online documents that brought quick attention to the Leeds selector. In February 2022, Shed Sagas 004 - Varøsian appeared as a 59-minute mix, and an early document of his tastes. Two years later, Rogue Puppets Presents #030: Varøsian appeared on Data Transmission Radio, a more formal podcast platform.

The Rogue Puppet collective began as an underground techno promoter in Leeds in 2022, with Varøsian headlining their night at Wharf Chambers that October. Rogue Puppet's later programming built a social field around him, with nights featuring Blasha & Allatt at Wire Club, COYU at The Old Red Bus Station, Anabel Arroyo in Manchester, and Samantha Togni at The DBA. 

The first substantial Varøsian is EXO MESA, issued through Amsterdam's SUB-EQ Music in 2023. The phrase EXO MESA reverses the Greek "mesa exo," meaning "inside out". The release was supported by the likes of Marrøn and Richie Hawtin. "Send It," released on Suara's Metaroots 5 compilation in 2023, put him on COYU's long-standing Barcelona label and charted on Beatport's Raw/Hypnotic Techno chart.

The Rogue Puppet releases, then sharpened everything for Varøsian. "Jenga," released in July 2024, became Rogue Puppet Records' inaugural release and entered Beatport's Top 100 Raw / Hypnotic Techno chart at number 6. "Open Mind" followed in September 2024, reaching the top 20 in the Beatport chart according to Varøsian's biography.

His most recent release is Stella, issued by 3MOON RECORDS. This release feels like the point where Varøsian has developed a more formally legible studio language. Across the 4-tracker, "Stella" gives the EP its melody, "Tekken" points toward a sense of combativeness, "Hypno" names the mechanism, and "Filth" pushes the material toward texture.

The picture of Varøsian in his young career isn't one of a bedroom producer parachuted into the scene through streaming visibility or release prolificity. It is of a groove-minded DJ through crew work, regional rooms support slots, and the much slower process of underground programming that bypasses commercial sanitization. Rogue Puppet's Leeds and Manchester activity gives him a base, while the increasing international links give his career another boost. In fact, he’s already appeared in Romania with Sqweez! 's April 2026 Timisoara collaboration with RIT.UAL, which presented Varøsian in a queer underground setting. Following a Sqweez x ctrl booking in 2025, this month’s date extends his relationship with Romania, one of its central rooms and the country’s foremost queer underground collective.