Review: Welcome to the Slippery Yard, a new label out of Spain which is sure to turn heads with this fine first release - a psychedelic blend of techno from various artists. A Morgan's 'Air' is urgent and cosmic a la Jeff Mills, Dc11's 'It's All An Act' layers up deft synth details with sleek linear rhythms and Judy's 'Bide Luzea' is a hurried, pulsing, late-night mental techno trip. A further deep and heady trio of tunes features on the B-side with Bassywax's sub-aquatic sound world on 'Amona Left Us Overnight' taking the headlines for us.
Review: Barrow Boy is a lesser-spotted alias of the great UK techno talent, Ben Sims. With this project, the Machine man veers into rave-flavoured sounds that are designed for maximum and immediate impact. Here they come on the infamous Retro-Vert label on a suitably garish acid-yellow vinyl. 'Berwick Manor' sets the pilled-up tone from the off with big beats, ravey stabs and retro flourishes. 'The Living Dream' is just as dense and full throttle in its aural assault and 'Dungeons' layers up gallivanting drums and razor-sharp stabs. A No Vox mix of 'Berwick Manor' shuts down with unrelenting energy.
Review: 'OHM Series #11' presents a vibrant mix of techno with contributions from four talented producers, adding depth to the ongoing series. On Side-1, Christine Benz's 'Sunset' opens with warm, enveloping chords, creating a serene atmosphere that feels like a sunset on a tropical island. Following that, Brizman's 'As We Should', featuring Linn, shifts the tone with a lighter, dub-infused house sound, perfect for a more relaxed vibe. Side-2 kicks off with Hidden Sequence's 'Dub Cycle', a darker, more ominous track, weaving catchy dub techno rhythms that pull you in. Finally, Martin Jarl's '02_37 AM' brings a smooth, ambient dub feel with a traditional techno edge. This airy composition evokes the timeless sounds and reminds us of Model 500's Starlight. This edition of OHM Series showcases diverse approaches to dub techno, balancing the atmospheric with the rhythmic - and all delivered with precision.
Review: Dutch label Brew returns with more moody techno that is both deep yet impactful. It's Robert Bergman at the helm and '3 AM' is his opening gambit. It has ghostly voices shimmering across the beats with a menacing low end, rugged bassline and scaring percussive sounds. '#5' is another fresh sound with great sound designs and alluring rhythms and last of all is 'Drum Trax' which is a third and final blend of nostalgic and futuristic house tropes for heady basements.
Review: The latest from Swedish techno legend is a full-throttle techno assault, pushing Drumcode's legacy forward with relentless energy. The title track is a peak-time juggernaut, built on heavy chords, pounding kicks and a futuristic intensity that commands the dancefloor. With its driving momentum and anthemic hooks, it's a high-octane statement from two producers at the top of their game. On Side-2, 'Living In The Moment' ventures into atmospheric territory, teetering on the edge of trance with sci-fi textures and sweeping builds. Its long, tension-heavy progression culminates in devastating drops, overloading the senses with a euphoric yet punishing crescendo. With Drumcode nearing its 30th year, this release proves there's no slowing downithe label continues to deliver high-impact techno designed for maximum effect. Beyer and Brown's collaboration is a successful dose of tension, release and unrelenting intensity.
Review: The Birgan project is all about melding diverse musical words - ambient, techno and Afro-inspired polyrhythms - into something that is utterly unique. Many artists set out with this intention but few achieve it as successfully as this one, as this sensational EP shows. It is an immersive and escapist five-track work of stunning sound designs and inventive rhythm that feels both organic and natural yet synthetic and futuristic. The tracks explore deep, mysterious sonic landscapes that are both tranquil yet complex and make for an immersive, thought-provoking listen from the dubscapes of 'Beats Of The Congo Cosmos' to the more psychedelic realms of 'Subaquatic Sonic Voyage'.
Review: Bloody Mary's Alternate States Of Reality on Dame Music delivers a powerful exploration of techno's diverse sounds. Side-1 opens with 'Reality One' (Acid mix), a heavy-hitting track drenched in mid-90s acid energy. The buildup is intense, leading to an explosive release that captures the essence of classic acid techno. Following it is 'Reality Two' (alternative mix), which shifts the vibe with a breakbeat/electro twist, introducing a darker, moodier melody. Flipping to Side 2, 'Reality Three' (909 mix) brings in a more percussive and straightforward warehouse techno feel. It's a banger designed for peak-time moments on the dancefloor. The 'Reality Three' (Slam mix) remix adds a Detroit flavour, playing with tempo shifts that keep the listener on their toes. Blending different styles while keeping the energy high, this is a strong addition to any techno enthusiast's arsenal.
Review: Blue Hour have dropped a couple of essential new 12"s this month and here is one of them. It's another of their famous various artist's collections, all with a focus on the deeper end of the techno spectrum. The eponymous Blue Hour kicks off with 'Afterglow' which has wispy neon synth trail and soft, rubbery drum and bass blends that take you into a cosmic sky. Dold's 'Warning' is more textural and raw with its percussion and synth energy and Steffi's 'Volley 5' is driving, dynamic, dubby techno for intimate basements. Newa's 'Seduction' is a psychedelic wonder to close.
Review: Bluets' debut on Kimochi Sound seamlessly integrates into the label's well established and distinctive style. This one, with a hand-sprayed sleeve as always, opens with "if you can imagine," a confident bit of microhouse that mixes rich melodies and a lively bassline. 'Action Potential' echoes RDMA's aesthetic with its precise beats and on the B-side you will find a vaporous melody that weaves through sparse downbeat house grooves to make for a dreamlike atmosphere. Closing the EP, 'Buong Bilog' features distorted IDM rhythms and a poignant refrain that balances twitchy textures with melancholic tones. This carefully crafted release bridges home-listening electronics with dancefloor clout.
Review: Compelling, melodic and dreamatic new techno from Italian duo Boston 168, who transcend the rest with their intelligent and contextually grounded take on the genre. Drawing inspiration from the transformation of industrial settings into rave venues, Sergio Pace and Vincenzo Ferramosca deliver the latest iteration of their arpy analog sound here for leading experimental techno pushers, Arts. Their opener 'Acid Arcane' instantly recalls the feeling of leafing through forbidden codexes and grimoires, in desperate but vain search of the gab-giving essence of Faustian techno knowledge; then there's the cryptic, smoke-blocked weights of 'Codebreakers', which equally conjures a kind of impossible-to-track techno scytale or puzzlebox, in its various moody pad chord movements and piquing acid plucks. The B-side errs more horrific and driving, 'Depth Perception' serving as the worthy culmination of a throng of heaters.
Review: Return To Disorder welcomes Evighet Records label head Marco Bruno for some brilliantly controlled sonic chaos on this new electro exploration. His Sharp Focus EP brings together ambient, breaks and techno to snappy electro rhythms of the sort that he has already showcased in style on labels such as Blueprint Records and Machine. This one opens with the sleek, future-facing and speedy sounds of 'Storyteller' before 'Values Over Ego' gets more textured and raw with knick-snapping hits and prying synth lines making for real turbulence. 'Twist Of Fate' is a jungle workout that ducks and dives on warped bass and 'Karmic Pattern' is a slow but textural and intense closer with rueful chords.
Review: Analogue pressure from Bufobufo, who stops over in Japan for Cabaret Recordings after earlier international stints with Art Of Dark, Partout and Furthur Electronix. His second single for the label, founded by So Inagawa and DJ Masda, proffers a hypnotic blend, binarising the mood with the sliding melodes of 'Watercourse' and 'Armour Plated' with comparatively sparse and gritty perc-slaps of 'Wood Ant' and 'Cinnabar'. That strange but difficult-to-nail split between of hypnotic intrigue and immediacy is well and truly nailed.
Santonio Echols - "Piano In The Light" (Emanuell Echols mix)
Brian Kage - "This Saturday Night"
Ryan Sadorus - "Down Below"
Review: Upstairs Asylum is kicking off the year in some style with a couple of killer new EPs. This one is the first in what is presumably a new series to showcase the talents of the Motor City. Mike Clark & Marcus Harris get things underway with 'Hey' which has a subtly uplifting feel thanks to the bright, sustained chords and cuddly drums. Santonio Echols's 'Piano In The Light' (DJ Emanuell Echols mix) is laidback, playful deep house with magical chord work and Brian Kage brings his classy depths to the smooth grooves of 'This Saturday Night.' Ryan Sadorus brings things to a close with the smoky 'Down Below.'
Review: The Fourier Transform label outlay an arresting sonic journey on their debut release, bringing together breakbeat, ambient IDM, ambient techno, and prog house under a single banner. Opening with Inkipak's 'Betwixt', we're met with sonorous low-mid square waves and machine-gun-fire breaks, recalling the breathtaking, verging on apocalyptic expanse of a warehouse rave turned laser light show turned warzone. We break from this warring weir with 'Omnicron Acid' and 'City Of Tomorrow' by Gimmik and Brian Kage respectively, which lowers the intensity and sonic flow via spacious atmospheres and dudding percussive pops. Finally, the perfect fusion of the former two moods is achieved on 'Corrosive Tongue', the lead synth on which sounds like just that.
Review: Eindhoven underground acidcore distributor and label Flatlife generate yet another mind-melter for the nitty masses, supercolliding tracks by four of the foremost DJs come sound-summoners on the subterranean scene. Flatlife have dispatched rapid-response rave Apaches since 2009, and A-siders 'Septic' and 'Lord Of Darkness' bring a fittingly mid-noughts feel to things, during which time the roughage of hard dance fused with the encroaching gloss and finesse that came with digital sound tech that defined the decade. The mood is horrific, with 'Saure' climaxing to apocalyptic, territorial levels through waspish yamps and kick crushings, while the aggro is not lost on the ensuing 'Out Of Order', somehow the most relaxed of the four.
Zarenzeit - "Soo Smooth" (feat Roger Versey) (6:11)
Melchior Sultana - "Nothing Like It Seems" (5:56)
Jan Kincl - "Sugar" (7:06)
Barce - "Stigma" (6:19)
Review: The young but already well-formed Deep Inspiration Show label continues its dedication to quality deep house with a new EP that comes as part of their international artist series. Zarenzeit from Zurich and Roger Versey from Arkansas open with 'So Smooth', a blend of rich keys, soulful loops and dynamic vocals over a sensual bassline. Melchior Sultana hails from sunny Malta and follows with 'Nothing Like It Seems' which features silky chords and a shuffling rhythm ideal for late-night sets. On the B-side, Jan Kincl from Zagreb delivers 'Sugar,' a fusion of house and cinematic disco with organic drums while Spain's Barce closes with 'Stigma,' a melodic union of deep house and techno.
Review: When this superb double-pack was first released in 1996, Bandulu had already spent four years finely tuning their trademark sound - decidedly spacey and subtly percussive take on techno that offered nods aplenty to Motor City minimalism and the dub-fired end of the Berlin techno spectrum. As a result, the eight-track set became the North London trio's standout release - an album in all but name that remains the purest and most finely crafted expression of their distinctive take on techno. Now reissued on vinyl for the first time since (and in remastered form to boot), its many highlights including the pounding deep space techno of 'Serial Operations', the dub techno masterclass 'Episode 7', the Regis-esque hedonism of 'Paranormal Channels' and the restless, delay-laden riffs of 'Advirus'.
Review: Phenomena is a rather incredible 39th full-length album from the pioneering Lithuanian dub techno label Greyscale. Like all those that went before it, it is a captivating excursion into cavernous sounds. In particular, this one delves into the wonders of nature - meteor streams and starling murmurations - and flips them into immersive soundscapes. In mixing up vintage and contemporary styles, Basicnoise navigates deep emotional depths with technical finesse. 'Midnight Dub' has lush and organic chord progressions, 'Sakura Season' pays homage to Detroit techno's smooth, futuristic spirit and 'Reduxtion II' delivers crisp production and powerful frequencies. These are just some standouts along the way of this profound musical odyssey.
Review: Science, Art And Ritual chronicles the musical journey of Kingsuk Biswas, known as Bedouin Ascent. Growing up in Harrow during the 70s and 80s, Biswas was influenced by David Rodigan's dub shows and the post-punk experimentation of the era. His eclectic tastes spanned punk, free jazz, noise, and Indian Classical music, which he fused with his ever expanding record collection. By 1987, his music prefigured what would become techno and gave rise to this album which was released in 1994 by Rising High Records. Science, Art And Ritual now celebrates its 30th anniversary with a deluxe 3LP reissue featuring restored tracks and some bonus new material.
Review: Veteran techno producer Steve Bicknell brings fresh life to his classic work with this remastered double pack, Lost Recordings #1: Why? & For Whom? This release takes listeners deep into the world of hypnotic rhythmic techno, offering a range of minimal styles that keep the energy flowing. Some of the highlights include: 'Magnitude Of Such' which kicks things off with a gradual build, creating a sense of anticipation that pulls you in. 'Construction Of Thousands' introduces a Detroit-inspired, otherworldly melody that stands out with its rich textures. 'Mobile Terminals' shifts the experience into a spacey, futuristic trek, making it feel like an exploration of uncharted territory. Finally, 'Accelerating Others' delivers a disorienting soundscape, reminiscent of a lunar landing, closing the journey with a sense of mystery. Bicknell's mastery in minimal techno shines through in this release, making it an essential addition for anyone looking to dive deeper into the genre's more hypnotic side. Not too many people are doing techno like this on such a high level like Bicknell is.
Review: Experimental electronic triad The Black Dog see their 2009 CD album remastered and reissued, a missive from a time when the band were particularly concerned with the encroachment of surveillance capital and Orwellian practices carried out by institutions, governments and corporations. Tackling the cynical ironies of weaponised phraseologies such as "for your own safety", and their use by firms whom almost certainly do not have our best interests at heart, the mood of this techno tucker is indeed certainly, if not paranoid, vexed. Emblematic of this are humanity reductions such as 'You're Only SQL', on which gurgly basses churn, and 'CCTV Nation', which bridges Dispatches-style documentary melodies and jittery acid house.
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