New releases last eight weeks: Techno (すべて)

Review: The pivotal Lobster Theremin welcomes D.Dan for a new EP that follows on from a fine run of recent form. As always, he serves up thrilling, hard hitting techno that has you clenching both your fists and your teeth as you buckle in for the white knuckle ride. "Switchblade" kicks off with distorted drums and urgent synth stabs that race along at 100 miles an hour. "Mutant Force" is just that with its tortured synths and surging drums, then burn out offers a dystopian take on mind warping Mills-ian techno. There is slightly deeper, warmer stuff on the flipside that carries you to the very fringes of the galaxy.

Review: Pampa offshoot Hart & Tief launched earlier in the year, via a split 12" featuring tracks by Soulphiction and Mike Denhert. This time round, fellow German producers DJ Koze and Robag Wruhme are at the controls. Koze kicks things off with "Driven", a clanking, booty-shaking fusion of metallic percussion hits, resonating electronics, dub techno motifs, and minimalist textures. It feels a little like a contemporary Berlin take on early '90s Sheffield "clonk" (think Sweet Exorcist's Clonk's Coming album on Warp), which is no bad thing in our book. Wruhme's "X-mop 198" is a much more straightforward, early morning techno bubbler, albeit with similarly clanking percussion hits amongst the thumping kick drums and restless, one-note riffs.

Review: Aniara's output has always been brilliantly designed for club deployment but could never really be considered as mere tools. The artists who appear on the Swedish imprint have a cultured sound and a knack for crafting maximum impact from minimal elements. Enter Mattias El Masouri who does just that with the sublime 'Time Dilation In Ultraviolet'. It's a hypnotic deep house cut with real drive that's down to the deft broken kick drum patterns, pulsing synth and heady pads that swirl above. 'Inre Dimension' is a 13-minute plus sonic daydream with paddy drums, drumming pads and perfectly airy hi-hats that anchor you in the heart and now as your mind wanders.

Review: Hailing from Spain's Non Series label, Ritmo Oscuro' offers a diverse techno exploration. Sciahri / Conceptual join forces to delve deep into the title track and evolve it enough to make alternate versions stand on their own. The original track oozes sci-fi ambiance with its heavy beat and eerie atmosphere. 'Ritmo Oscuro 2' shifts towards a more aggressive, energy-building tech sound. LDS' remix brings broken beats and distinctive sound effects. Finally, 'Ritmo Oscuro 3' transports listeners to the 90s with its ravey, linear techno. If you are looking for some percussive, sci-fi techno then look no further then this.