DJs: Most Charted - Minimal / Tech - January 2016

Review: Having notched up releases on the likes of Raum...musik and Apollonia, Makcim & Levi make the move to Lazare Hoche to deliver another shedload of hard-grooving house bombs for the deepest part of the night. The 1055ml EP is a mixed bag that leads with the title track, which encapsulates everything that's great about the stripped down house sound that Lazare Hoche is committed to. "Sandwiches" meanwhile is a quirky, bugging jam that wriggles under the skin in the most subtle of ways before "Sowhaa" brings a much more hypnotic, pad-laden blend to the table for a soft landing from this feisty 12" of forward-thinking 4/4.

Review: Och has been a regular fixture on Baby Ford's Trelik label in recent years, and he returns with the late night delights of the Love Unconditional EP sounding stronger than ever. "Sunday Love" is a warm and cosy bumper, keeping the keys bright and breezy while the beat skips away dutifully before the more heads down thrust of "More Journeys Into Swing". The real star of the show though is "Love Unconditional", a particularly gripping track that unfurls seductive synth licks and vocal licks across the whole B side on a one-way trip to nocturnal body jam perfection.

Review: Sikret man John Dimas may not exactly be prolific, but he's certainly kept up a solid schedule of releases in recent times. Multiverse is his third 12" of the year, and his first for Olaf Zern and Dorian Paic's Raum Musik label. He starts as he means to go on with "Verse", a metronomic dancefloor shuffler that expertly combines a bold bassline and swinging drums with a hypnotic synthesizer motif. "Verse 1" introduces a punchy, break style beat pattern and creepy, otherworldly breakdowns, leading to a clandestine, early morning feel. Finally, he channels the spirit of UK tech house pioneers Swag on the skipping, acid-informed peak-time hustle of "Verse II".

Review: Tech-house's own cockney rebel, East End Dubs, has been busy of late. The master of DJ tools and rhythm-focused box jams kept up a steady stream of releases in 2016, delivering a trio of coloured vinyl treats. His first missive of 2017 comes on psychedelically inclined "splatter" pattern vinyl, but doesn't stray far from his usual musical blueprint. On the A-side you'll find "Swing Riddim", where liquid chords and spacey electronics cluster around an immaculately programmed, bass-heavy tech-house groove. B-side "Lexa Groove" is a slightly deeper and more becalmed affair, even if it does boast a more sizeable bassline and chunkier drums.

Review: Back in November 2016, previously unheard producer Session debuted with a two-track salvo of untitled tech-house bumpers. The mysterious act has plumped top retain a similar blueprint for this speedy follow-up. A-side "Track 1" focuses the action around a swinging, robotic tech-house groove, with rubbery electronics, dreamy pads and occasional spoken vocal samples helping things roll along. Flipside cut "Track 2" is a little darker and wonkier in ethos, but maintains the producer's obsession with rough-but-groovy rhythms, quirky electronics and thrusting, mind-bothering bass vibrations. Both tracks feel heavily influenced by classic tech-house material from the likes of Rob Mello and Swag, albeit brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Review: Frankfurt innovator Rajko Muller returns as Isolee, working his magic this time for The Drifter's rather impressive Maeve imprint which in recent times has brought us fantastic work by Ed Davenport, Baikal and Ripperton. "Pisco" is a slow burning groove with phased marimbas that cause a hypnotic dream state, while "L5 Syndrome" dives deeper: this smooth and introverted trip is definitely suited to the early night as it is to the afterhours and reminds us of his earlier seminal works in the nineties, on labels like Playhouse. Finally, the title track is where Muller saves the best for last; this dubby, lo-slung groove is drenched in delayed and reverberated aesthetics.

Review: Virginian-in-Berlin Adam Longman Parker digs deep across eight tracks on Cure. Tantamount to an album, he expresses himself with fittingly broad brush strokes - from the jittering funky techno of "Vibrations" and the Funk D'Void style modulations and charm of "Mischkin" to the wry, deep jungle homage "Someone", there's not a dull moment as we're wrapped up in mood after mood... Whether it's the high-chin strutting and Green Velvet-style trippiness of "Inveighed" or the shuffling twitchy drums of "Nothing Happens", he's got you covered.

Review: Otherworldly sounds: longstanding Moscow machine musician Anton Zap returns with three deep-furrowed cuts that stand so alone they don't need titles... "Track 1" is a hypnotic drum track with a ricochet funk pinging back and forth across the spectrum, "Track 2" is a much denser piece of work with tripped-out textures and FX delicately layered to reveal a morphing, shifting, slightly unnerving technoid picture while "Track 3" closes with a calming acid tonic washed back with deep faltering pads a warm beat that shuffles from here to ULAS J0015+01. Far out.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: After getting off to a strong start, ReSolute's DisDat sublabel noticeably raises the bar with a heavy hitting cast for its second edition. Thomas Melchior takes a break from his usual haunts to drop a track brimming with micro house flair, as "Hillbilly High" throws down an infectious run of goofy samples over a solid beat. Vincent Lemieux meanwhile takes a smoother route with the warm chord-laden atmosphere of "In Momo's Jeep", working crafty percussion impeccably in the deep surroundings. Rising talent Barac meanwhile gets fresh with the cheeky synth lines on his own offering, making this an EP of fresh variations on the minimal house sound.

Review: East End Dubs' output is strong and consistent. In addition to running this successful eponymous imprint, he also runs the great Eastenderz label where he pursues the more rolling and hypnotic grooves of the Romanian scene. This is demonstrated on releases by the likes of Priku, Lizz and Nami. Here the London based producer focuses solely on his own work and pursues his first love of tough and functional house grooves; just take a listen to the dubby deepness of "Mind Over" where a swing fuelled rhythm and short vocal loops remind you of NYC attitude by legends like Kerri Chandler or Mr V. On the flip, we've got the equally functional groove of "Inwards" which rolls along with its tough drums assisted by woozy pads and an infectious yet restrained melody.

Review: Alter Mahnn is a new collaborative project founded by two long-established production talents, Ion Ludwig (arguably best known for his various releases on Quagmire), and Plkaya man Frank Greiner. This outing on Perlon marks their debut, and consists of two, stretched-out, locked-in early morning workouts. They begin with "Ein Ganz Alter Mahnn (Brett Take)", a hazy chunk of 5am minimal techno in which a solid kick-drum/hi-hat pattern is smothered with wonky, effects-laden touches. The hushed, lost-in-the-groove vibe continues on flipside "Ein Mahnn (Dub Take)", which boasts a more fluid feeling groove and quiet variations on the same subtly shifting, dubbed-out electronic theme.

Review: Lazy Harts Club man Evan Baggs is not one for keeping up a regular release schedule; in fact, his last single of note appeared way back in 2015. This first appearance on Time Passages has arguably been worth the wait, though. The Neu Rochelle EP offers a quartet of contrasting cuts. For example, compare the rough-and-ready, bass-heavy Drexciyan space electro of "UTL", the rolling, acid-flecked old school tech-house of "Neu Rochelle", and the melodious machine jam that is closer "Still Breezin". Best of all, though, is "All Question All Answers", which comes on like an unlikely collaboration between 'Pure Trance' era KLF, bleep types Sweet Exorcist, and late '90s tech-house jams.

Review: Having made their name via a series of acclaimed parties at Ibiza Underground, Archityp founders Archie Hamilton and Rossko have decided to turn their hand to music production. The M25 EP is a confident and assured debut. It begins with the robust, analogue sounding bounce of "10 Points", which deftly combines elements from Detroit futurism and dub techno, before diving into deeper, warmer waters via the melodious tech-house dreaminess of "Kool 946". "Xr3l", with its bubbly acid bass, dreamy chords, hypnotic groove and barely audible vocal samples, concludes a quietly impressive first effort. It's certainly a lot more fun than driving around the M25.

Review: It's barely been a month since the last instalment in Yoyaku's YYY series landed in stores, but already the Parisian record store, DJ agency and studio has readied a new volume. As usual, there's scant info about artist or release - just the way I like it - so you'll have to draw your own conclusions. YYY323 doesn't try too hard for attention, presenting two groove-based DJ tools that should appeal to those who like their techno bass-heavy, percussive and hypnotic. A-side "Tool A" peppers an undulating rhythm track with fluttering electronics and bold, mind-altering bass, before things get rougher on the flip via the thrusting drum machine hits, pulsating sub-bass and subtle acid style electronics of "Tool B".

Review: Portuguese producer Trikk has enjoyed a hugely successful year in 2016, delivering well regarded EPs on Lossless and Optimo Trax. Predictably, this first outing for Dixon and Ame's long-established Innervisions imprint is also rather good. While the hushed, late night shuffle of "Veneno" sticks rigidly to the label's established tech-house template, the EP's other three tracks are decidedly different. Opener "Florista", for example, makes merry with military style drum fills, whistling melody lines and cascading marimba hits, while "Mozam" sits somewhere between tribal-influenced deep house, trippy techno, and the new age wooziness of Young Marco. Arguably best of all, though, is stretched-out closer "Wandance (Dub)", which is little less than spellbinding.

Review: Two years after first hooking up in the studio, Adam Port once again joins forces with veteran British duo Stereo MCs. In its original form, "Changes" sees mic man Rob B wearily half singing, half rapping over Port's melodious, tech-tinged deep house backing track. Although the music is quietly positive and attractive, the track feels strangely subdued. It's accompanied by a couple of fine, more obviously club-focused remixes. Port's own hypnotic, bubbly tech-house re-make expertly mines the Innervisions back catalogue for inspiration, while Freerange boss man Jimpster laces Rob B's entire vocal (spoken word section included) over snappy beats, rich bass, and immaculate deep house chords.

Review: Pictu doesn't put out Unanim releases anywhere near as much as we'd like. But when he does, we all need to pay attention. After almost two years since Herodot's release Dutch deepsmith Ludwig jumps on board with two dense but sparse grooves that instantly suck you in. His sound fits the label instantly: "Mania GR" pops and jerks with a classic jacking, bubbling funk while "Wishkey In An Icejar" is drenched in total sub pressure as the drums are smothered with layers of low end frequencies and a tripped out spoken narrative. Let's hope both parties don't it leave us hanging too long.

Review: Artyom Ziobin's distinctive style of minimal house stands apart from the usual thoroughfare of moody, dubby shufflers. Instead the Russian producer reaches for a warm, disco-influenced sound palette which he then slices and dices into sleek, crafty party workouts with lashings of panache as well as studio ingenuity. Following appearances on Bump Foot and Grow Vinyl, the latest outing for Plantae comes via Elephant Moon, with lead track "Amber Light Of Ethereal Shadow" cutting a dashing figure across the soundscape with its busy but nimble mixture of synth splashes and stuttering drums.

Review: Mystery label Digwah debuted in the summer, with a soul soaked trip into minimal techno territory that was supported by Ricardo Villalobos, amongst others. Like that 12", Something Else is a single-sided, hand-stamped affair, with no information given about the identity of the producer (or producers) involved. This cut retains the late night techno vibe of the original, but with percussion and whizzing electronic noises that recall classic tech-house from the likes of Swag, Rob Mello and David Duriez, rather than Berghain-friendly minimalism. The subtle, party-minded approach is confirmed by the use of cut-up vocal samples from Cuba Gooding Jr's "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend", which also featured on Nightmares On Wax's 1990 bleep techno anthem, "Aftermath".

Review: Having previously showcased his fluid brand of techno and deep house on Suena Hermosa and Beste Modus, Diego Krause decided to launch the Unison Wax label as a vehicle for his productions back in 2013. Here he returns with a fourth volume, seemingly keen to wring maximum atmosphere and deepness via a quartet of smooth, well-produced cuts. He opens with a subtly starry fusion of techno hypnotism and quiet deep house warmth, before concentrating on groove with the late night tech-house throb of "Track 2". Flip for the bass-heavy, stripped-back groove science of "Track 3", and the typically Germanic afterhours pump of "Track 4".