Review: EPM20 Ep2 goes off on an electro tangent here. On this one, we have veteran producer Cisco Ferreira aka The Advent teaming up with his son Zein on the ferocious electro dystopia of "Strangeform" and as if that was not enough, another legend, the one and only Carl Finlow appears next with the abstract, cybernetic beats of "Optogenetic". Over on the flip, we have someone by the name of Detroit's Filthiest (quite an accolade!) who is in fact Motor City stalwart Julian Shamou (Motor City Electro Company) known for his work as 313 Bass Mechanics or Digitek, and longstanding hero of the Midwest Freddie Fresh should need no introduction; his contribution here under the Modulator alias is the deep mind IDM journey "Promars".
Review: BOOM! Our favourites, Cititrax, roll the third editions of Tracks out onto our shelves, and the results are unsurprisingly strong on this excellent various artists comp. It's a mixed bag of skills, as per usual, and the sounds are those of a new NYC, fuelled by a new sort of post-industrial sensibility. Amato Y Mariana open with the tight beats and groove of "Queires Bailar", followed closely by the ominous compositions of the EBM-flavoured "Montgat" from The Sixteen Steps. On the flip, His Dirty Secrets bleeps out some morphed acid on "Structures", and "Another Stranger" from Further Reductions churns out a slow, mild-mannered house experiment with its roots clearly planted in the coldest of waves. Sick.
Review: OHM is quickly becoming a quality imprint you can count on for techno and dub techno. The ninth addition in the series, it calls for an excellent blend of composers to balance this EP out. Veteran Jamie Anderson collabs with the brilliant Owain K on opener. The 'Aqua Dub' builds a euphoria for late night smiles. Smooth is an understatement on this linear gem. One artist on here that's been making strong appearances on many dub techno labels is the ever-talented Francisco Aguado. 'Balance' is a great tribal transition track for any DJ who can it creatively to build the means to an end. On the second side, Star Dub offers the very addictive and techy 'Forst'. Ending on a high note, the brisk and flighty 'Ever Growing' by Volpe completes the ninth edition in a rapturous mood. If you like deep techno, the OHM series is a must to collect.
Review: Emerald's 25th outing takes the form of another superb compilation with four artists who have already released on the label and plenty of new names making an equally good impression. ANNE kicks off with the deep, thudding kicks of 'Coral Reefs' complete with lush hits to smooth the groove. There is more weight and intensity to the oversized hi-hats ringlets on Mike Konstantinidis's 'Apocalypse', DJ Plant Texture layers in plenty of gritty and grime to his gritty 'Swingers' and Jarrod Yeates goes for a twisted after-party vibe on his intense and unrelenting 'Sesh Gremlin', with many more highlights besides.
Review: No whimpers, all bangs... Monika Kruse's Terminal M brings another four Richmonds our way, as the label celebrates its silver anniversary (25 years) of releasing. Ignacio Arfeli and Kaspar bring Portuguese fire and German glaciations to a unipolar techno A-side each, with 'Never Look Back' shooting a hideous glower at Orpheus especially with a "don't you ever look back" jet-breakage of the sound barrier, precipitating a massive techno drop, of course. A felt sense of continuation is heard on the strobing 'Masterpeace' by Chris Bekker, before 'Alhalma', where Drumcomplex and Frank Sonic lead us to a cruddy close.
First Order Approximation - "Obsessive Behaviour" (5:45)
First Order Approximation - "Unresponsive" (5:14)
Review: Respected Italian artist Alan Backdrop joins forces with First Order Approximation for the second release from the Sense Code label. This tasteful techno split delves into the darkest realms of deep techno right from the off with 'Converging To Center' drilling down into a desolate wasteland. 'Gravity Self' is another suspensory linear groove with no signs of human life and 'Obsessive Behaviour' is a heady one with static electricity fizzing about the rubbery drums. This collection of hypnotic and ever-evolving tracks is designed for smoky basements and late-night sessions for real heads.
Young Pulse & Fleur De Mur - "Smooth Sweet Talker" (6:53)
Review: Get yourself geared up for festival season with some fierce party starters certified with the Glitterbox stamp. Melvo Baptiste leads the charge with 'Sweat', a sizzling disco house stomper with Dames Brown giving the biggest diva energy on her show-stopping vocal. Lovebirds bring unbridled joy on the Philly string swoon and slinky b-line funk of 'Burn It Down', while Art Of Tones & Inaya Day keep it peak time on the sassy strutter 'Give My Love'. Young Pulse & Fleur De Mur complete the set with 'Smooth Sweet Talker', another bright and bold vocal cut par excellence.
Review: Coeur De Glace on DKO Records (DKO 34) delivers four fantastic electro tracks, each with unique influences and directions. Side-1 kicks off with Binary Digit's 'U Want Dis,' an exuberant, high-energy track that pays homage to old-school rave with its lively vocal samples. Fasme's 'Morning' follows, blending smooth electro with soft keys and a whimsical AFX melody for a perfect combination. Side-2 features GGGG's 'La Cueillette,' a feel-good, fun and melodic electro tune. The EP concludes with Mud Deep & Sans-Qui's 'Mesonyx,' offering IDM goodness reminiscent of Rephlex, Squarepusher, and AFX. Coeur De Glaceis a vibrant and diverse collection, sure to delight fans of electro and techno.
Review: The second various artists EP from the Merkwurdig label is another tasteful collection of up front sounds from a clutch of inquisitive underground names. Body opens up with some nice cosmic tech powered by rasping bass and reverberating synths. Nate SU's 'Neutrino' is a busy jam with hooky synths and splashy cymbals that takes on a twisted sense of cyborg funk. OBG very much smooths things out with the heady house roller that is 'With The Wave' and Fabiano Jose shuts down with the rock solid kick patterns and subtly rising joy of his diffuse piano chords on 'Discotale.'
Review: ***B-STOCK: Warped, otherwise plays fine***
The second various artists EP from the Merkwurdig label is another tasteful collection of up front sounds from a clutch of inquisitive underground names. Body opens up with some nice cosmic tech powered by rasping bass and reverberating synths. Nate SU's 'Neutrino' is a busy jam with hooky synths and splashy cymbals that takes on a twisted sense of cyborg funk. OBG very much smooths things out with the heady house roller that is 'With The Wave' and Fabiano Jose shuts down with the rock solid kick patterns and subtly rising joy of his diffuse piano chords on 'Discotale.'
Review: Red Laser Records continue their stellar form with another knockout release, blending Manctalo fire from old hands and fresh faces alike. Frank Butters opens the EP with The Call Of The Wild, a dazzling blast of crystalline synths, thunderous bass, and cosmic effects that showcase his forward-thinking production skills. Bob Swans delivers 'Bodyform4U', a dreamy arpeggiated groove that builds an uplifting, futuristic atmosphere, perfect for igniting the dancefloor. Lone Saxon switches things up with 'Hypersleep' a breakbeat-infused piano gem that oozes nostalgic charm, before Franz Scala and Il Bosco finish strong with Webo, a late-night, tension-filled Manctalo banger.
Review: This is a four-track sampler taken from parts one and two of the One Hundred and Fifty Steps VEP series which is all about exploring the rise of 150 bpm dubstep, a sound that characterised by fast basslines, broken rhythms and heavy halftime pulses. From VEP pt. 1, L.A.'s Carre delivers pacey wobblers and then Berlin's Formella debuts with playful breaks and more wobbly bass on 'Dripstep'. VEP pt. 2 features Leipzig's Old Man Crane with their intricate, syncopated style shinning through on 'Grey' and Valencia's Andrae Durden then shows class with a Kryptic Minds-inspired low-end powerhouse.
Review: Lunfardo's 'El misterio de Tambores' EP is a conceptual 12" deeply rooted in Uruguayan culture from a quartet of contemporary artists in Charlou (France), Fakk (Argentina), and Uruguayans Cabanelas - Marivo and Arturo. The release explores the hidden history of Carlos Gardel, "El Mago," a pivotal figure in Tango, who pioneered video clips, radio broadcasting in Uruguay, and the first sound films from "el Rio de la Plata." Gardel, known for using 'Lunfardo' in his lyrics, has had his nationality debated for years, but this album clarifies his story while also laying down some fresh deep techno grooves steeped in mysticism.
Happy707 - "Where Does That Noise Come From" (4:28)
Review: Menacing EBM and dark synth billows from a Netherlands hinterland; our heralds speak of an esoteric encampment by the name of Espectro Oculto, said to be the remote incantators of an unstoppable curse in sound. Six shadowy emissaries have been sent to spread the pestilence; Trenton Chase, Martial Canterel, DJ Nephil, Exhausted Modern, Fragedis and Happy707. Clearly, the faction have recruited only the best, trusted and yet most nefarious of spies from as far-flung regions as Czechia and Argentina in the administering of such a sordid sonic plague. We're left most quivery at the centrifugal doom drones of Exhausted Modern's 'Fear Of Focus', across whose breakdown banshees are heard wailing and snarling, and Fragedis' 'Landing In Reality', a lo-fi techno freakout and sonochemical anomaly, channeling militant two-way radio samples and hellish FM synthesis.
Review: Sweat It Out Records kicks off their tasty Sweat Sampler series with their first volume, cutting niftily across four exceptionally sweaty bops, spanning tongue-in-cheek deep tech reworks and downtempo disco delights. First off is the dream team of Cid and Havoc & Lawn, whom together deliver a hilariously effective house version of America's 'A Horse With No Name'; this is shortly followed by Saturday Love, Kon and Furious's 'Come Out', a rejigged nu-disco samosa packed with some rare vocal spices; then there's 'Give It To Me' by Marco Lys and Ben Miller, a bass-driven bouncer unafraid of lasershot winddowns, injunctive vocals and risers; and finally, there's Set Mo's 'Could I Be', the anthem of the bunch, whose buildup and drop is alarming, affecting, cumulatively awe-striking.
Review: There is plenty of experimental work at play int his new various artists' collection on Flash. Cloned Existence sets that tone with the brief synth exploration that is 'Wave 1' when Gael & Jolly take off with the much more punchy and thudding techno of 'Paradigm Shock' which is weird up with all sorts of synth designs, effects and layers of reverb. Under Black Helmet ups the ante further with one of those bulky techno grooves that locks you in the moment and Stigmata then brings big room 90s vibes with layers of tangled synth melting the mind. Florian Meindl brings things to a close with gritty, scraping bass, reverb-heavy kicks and pure warehouse techno heaviness.
Coflo, Steve Howerton & Niya Wells - "Ecru" (9:51)
Review: A San Francisco house producer who is taking jazz influenced house music to another level is Coflo aka Cody Ferreira 'Syncopatience' is a stunning deep house release that highlights his signature blend of soulful rhythms, intricate grooves, and rich musicality. Each track brims with personality, that blend clever and creative vocals and lyrics to a deeper level than just for the dancefloor. Side-1 starts off with 'Get Down, Show Love', a collaboration with Fenyan that exudes a hip, jazzy charm. Playful yet refined, it features catchy vocal work and a high-level jazz flair, effortlessly blending house with improvisational energy. Next, Coflo's remix of 'Cee.Side's Elektrify' brings atmospheric depth, wrapping Latin influences around a funky, sultry groove that's as hypnotic as it is danceable. Side-2 delivers Ecru, where Coflo, Steve Howerton, and Niya Wells craft a deeper, tech-tinged house cut with sharp, clever lyricism. Its polished production and layered instrumentation elevate it to a higher plane of jazzy house, demonstrating Coflo's versatility and artistry. 'Syncopatience' has the solution on how merge soulful textures with dancefloor energy in a unique way.
Review: Sure Thing presents Well of Sand, its second compilation. Six tracks from the label's friends and favourites, each new to the roster, offer bold, untempered explorations of tempo and weight, a concise yet expansive collection recalling the deliberate cadence of rippling sand and the sheen of shimmering oases. From Command D's subtly groundswelling, but snappy 'Half Blue (Violet Mix)', to Foreign Material's alarmingly alien 'The Living Planet' and Third Space's supremely stereoized, lowercase opus 'Push (Part 2)', this is a release for that large intersection of audiophiles and techno-philes.
Review: Echospace Detroit's cv313 (Stephen Hitchell) teams up with Federsen for the second release on Federsen's new Alt Dub label, presenting the 'Skyspace' EP. Known for his analogue-driven dub techno, Federsen has carved a niche through labels like Mixcult, Greyscale, and Lempuyang. The EP features original tracks from both artists and remixes of each other's work. Highlights include cv313's deep and atmospheric 'Skycrossing' and Federsen's refined 'Dub' remix, creating a hypnotic blend of pulsating bass, crisp percussion and rich, evolving soundscapes across both sides of the 12".
Review: After the first in this new Mellow Bangers series got us nice and twisted we're delighted to have the follow-up from Italo Moderni. Cryk kicks off with an eerie blend of Italo arps and dark wave drums with electro overtones on 'Double Crash' then the moodiness continues with the depraved bass warbles and crashing hits of Fragedis and his 'Disco Nicotina.' Antoni Maiovvi brings a lightness of touch to his delicate arps and celestial harmonies on 'Stopping Power' and Adrian Marth layers plenty of sugar and pixelated synths into his loopy 'Modernism.'
Manuel De Lorenzi & Freddie Wall - "Sun-Rise" (6:15)
Fichs - "Find Yourself" (6:35)
Manuel De Lorenzi - "You Already Know It" (7:08)
Manuel De Lorenzi & Giacomo Silvestri - "The Big Apple Community" (7:09)
Review: Monday Morning is back to roll out some more lush house depths with a second EP, this one featuring founder Manuel De Lorenzi in the company of his pals Giacomo Silvestri, Freddie Wall and Fichs. 'Sun-Rise' is a nice gritty but vibey opener with percussive skip and dry hits. Fichs's solo cut is a loopy workout with nice bulbous synths and a pared-back rhythm that gets ever more inescapable while De Lorenzi then offers up the radiant synth warmth and dubby undercurrents of minimal house shuffler 'You Already Know It.' With Giacomo Silvestri he then closes on the more percussive loops of soft house soother 'The Big Apple Community.'
Review: Stefano De Santis kicks off Ten Lovers' new 'Best Of Various' release with 'Murk'; as the name suggests, this is indeed a dark workout from Rome's finest. The tone is set thereout for a thoroughly varied V/A, blending every curious hallmark from jazzdance, G-funk, Chicago house and progressive. The opener is a muted but no less expansive start, establishing the broken, one-beat-eliding, live-drummy mood that is then heard throughout. Batavia Collective's 'Rearview' thematically harks after an unconscious joy, considering what can only be implied, not stated, by way of a gorgeous, what sounds to be largely live, modal synth squeezer on which the slowdown is the real highlight. Future Jazz Ensemble's 'Over The Rainbow' is by far the most challenging, blurring any woulda-been established lines popularly splitting 'live' and 'electronic' with a reverb-drenched generative fill workout, while closer 'Outer Heaven' from Takahiro Fuchigami, hailing from Fukuoka, rounds things off on a note of Hancockian jive.
Review: After debuting with an on-point reissue EP, this new label out of South Africa is back with a set of superb remixes. On the A-side, Border One and Quelza bring their individual styles to some sleek techno sounds, while the B-side features contributions from CONCEPTUAL and D-Leria, each adding their own distinct touch. The remixes take listeners on a journey from driving, energetic beats to warm, hypnotic soundscapes while each new rework manages to be fresh but also sympathetic to the vibe of the original.
Review: After years spent serving up tasty, digital-only singles, Polish imprint That's Right Dawg Music finally makes its vinyl bow via a six-track mini-album featuring some of their most-checked catalogue cuts. Demarkus Lewis kicks things off via the carefully crafted disco-house release of 'TGIF', before Federfunk slams down the jazz-sampling peak-time punchiness of 'We Keep It Groovin' and Jazzmik offers up the funky deep house bounce of 'Get Him Outta Here'. Over on the reverse, Oggie B cannily combines mind-mangling electronic stabs, pumping beats and orgasmic vocal samples ('Steady Old Foot'), Makson makes great use of vintage rap and disco guitar samples on the energy-packed house thump of 'Last Man Standing', and Casserta and Jonny C join forces on the bass-heavy garage-house bump of 'Party #1'.
Review: Four fresh new ones from the Molekul crew in Paris. The title 'Heavy Rotations' plays on the affective "heaviness" of toting records around the world and DJing them at raves; it's no wonder they say that where there is repetition, as in techno, there is unfinished business (in this context, the word 'rave' is no coincidence either). Needless psychoanalytic accounts of repetitive beats aside, the tools on this heavy-set, heavyweight, heavy-hitting 12" record - which merge the heavy-metallic industrial works of Beau Didier, Isaiah, and Flits - are hard, yet gut-wrenching enough to loosen even the tightest of screws. The tracks therein are speedier even than a mighty Mitre saw, by which the hardest of woods are split into two; and you can be sure that, like a saw, you'll soon see and hear these cuts on heavier rotation too.
Review: Soma sub-label Avoidant Records recently put out a fantastic collection fo electro cuts but it was a digital only release. Now some of the standouts from it get pulled together on this fresh new 12"that joins the dots between Europe and Detroit. DJ Godfather kicks off with some rapid fire 313 electro, squirrelling bass and slick claps then 'One Direct Line' from The Exaltics is more cosmic and blissed out with lush ambient synths. On the flip, Flug goes hard with mad digital patterns and Blaktony layers up jacking drums, corrugated bass and dark hits. Great stuff.
Review: High-octane experimental trance via freetek via hardcore from Hamburg collective Phantasia, with an absolutely flooring, walloping debut release. The fact that four different artists might each bring their own mood to the table and yet hear their respective sounds unified bespeaks the brilliant mastering job held down here: Dolomea's 'Augural' and Rupert Marnie's 'Elastic Thoughts' commit to a mutual sonic trustfall, one seeming to writhe about in rhythmically unpredictable fashion through pressure-cooked, rubber-ballistic acids, and the other rootling its 4x4 kick snout into floors down under. The B-side goes electro, culminating on the brilliant brainwash by Finona Rider, 'The Impact', a track haunted by the voice in its own head.
Doni & Leo Young - "Rebelion In The City Of Gangia" (6:03)
Pastaboys - "On & On" (Panna mix) (6:32)
Hiver - "Magic Crusade" (5:51)
GPM, Steve Mantovani, Dan-E-MC, Daniele Mad - "House In Full Effect" (9:21)
Feel Fly - "Armaduk" (6:08)
Review: Rebirth is thrilled to announce the release of three bonus parts of the 'Ciao Italia. Generazioni Underground' album in 2023, available on limited edition vinyl. 'Ciao Italia' Bonus Quattro, Cinque and Sei continue to connect two generations - the trailblazers of the early 90s and those continuing the legacy today, with a futuristic perspective and renewed energy. Bonus Sei includes classic tracks from legends like Doni & Leo Young, Pastaboys, G.P.M., Steve Mantovani, Dan-E-Mc, Daniele Mad, along with unreleased material from newer Italian artists such as Hiver and Feel Fly.
Review: Detroit mainstays Drivetrain and Blaktony are next up on Soiree with some high-octane but soul-infused machine music, while Funtom and Hughes Giboulay appear on the flip side. Drivetrain gets to work with the jerking loops and turbocharged chords of 'Hyperlock' while Blaktony's 'Butt Naked' sinks into a deeper late-night and more dubbed-out house vibe. Funtom's 'Wisdom' brings a great lightness of touch in the wispy pads and scuffed-up drum patterns, then 'Kickin That Feelin' has a more exuberant but still deep feel with subtle chord joy and deft acid.
Review: FOXBAM INC is back to build on the momentum of their first EP with a second one that packs a mighty punch. This one kicks off with EBY, who this year has been cooking up acid for 40 years and here offers the warped low ends and garage-techno power of 'Goldtooth'. Foxtrot vs Ma Bla then mashes up old school samples with earth-shattering bass on 'Deep Down Inside' and bRz vs Stije is a double-time hard techno stomper with warped synths and twisted bass that is inspired by and named after ISCO, a concept from Einstein's general theory of relativity that makes predictions about the dynamics of black holes.
Review: The Cimedirapax crew are back with another superb various artists collection that nudges at the borders of tech house and minimal. Eliaz's 'Enbaspremal' is an alien sound with abstract designs and trippy pads and Lapucci then gets deeper and darker on the menacing 'To Be On Top.' F_Phono brings some nu-disco energy and bright 80s arps to 'Sollievo' then Marco Biagioli heads into more occult worlds with the eerie and haunting 'Strange Mirror' before Equinox's 'Intergalactic Space' offers a caustic electro workout.
Review: Fabio Caria launches his new label, Hoops, as a means to explore the intersection of house and techno through a minimalist lens. The debut release is a collaboration with Hubble under the moniker Fabble and it's a fine one with three meticulously crafted tracks that manage to perfectly balance compelling rhythms with plenty of synth-based introspection. 'Catharsis' introduces a three-note Rhodes piano sequence with flowing pads and psychedelic synths and 'Donald' offers a steady 4/4 beat with sombre pads and powerful sub-bass. 'Persignis' with Italian legend Claudio PRC is the most dancefloor-driven with processed pianos creating an emotional mood and in all, this EP sets a nice high watermark for the Hoops label.
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