DJS: MOST CHARTED - TECHNO - MOST CHARTED IN FEBRUARY 2015

Review: There's a fair chance that you'll have missed Paranoid London's four singles to date; they were pressed in limited quantities, appeared in stores with no promotion, and quickly became must-have items for those obsessed with stripped back machine music and ragged acid house. Mercifully, the mysterious, no-holds-barred combo has decided to put out a double album containing much of this material, alongside a smattering of previously unheard cuts (including, most excitingly, a collaboration with Detroit legend DJ Genesis). The hard-to-find classics still sparkle - check the brilliantly sparse-but-heavy "Paris Dub 1" (with regular vocalist Paris Brightledge) and ragged "Transmission 5" (featuring a killer spoken vocal from Mutado Pintado) - while the new cuts are thankfully up to similarly high standard. Recommended.

Review: Mystery production unit DJ Bmx continue their thrilling, no-nonsense adventures in the underground with the Conquest of Gravity EP for MIL. Techno-fused roller "Warrior Within" gets matters underway as thumping bass and ticking hi hats form the fore of the track, marching along over off-kilter bleeps and succinct glitches. The rough n ready aesthetic of the track sets the tone excellently for the EP, leading coherently into "Wonders of Time" where slight changes and improvisations keep your attention, with dubbed out key jabs that are matched melodically against atmospheric synth pads whirling in and out over crisp percussion clicks. "Spinning Across the Sky" maintains the inspiration for myriad sources; cosmic, dreamy chimes are sprinkled over a tentatively used piano sequence, distorted key kicks and muddied percussion. Its the only moment on the EP to include a vocal, and its used beautifully as it floats around the tracks central structure, lending it a spacious and depth-charged feel. "Radim World" finishes everything off with a touch of Pepe Bradock style elegance - the multi-layered arrangements are fluid and dynamic, resulting in well-executed deep house.

Review: "HFP #001 - #009 WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY J. HECKLE" Those are the words printed on the back sleeve of this ninth and final Head Front Panel 12", effectively putting to bed some rampant speculation regarding who was behind the series from Tabernacle Records. More importantly, Head Front Panel has demonstrated the sheer diversity one can achieve within techno if you are as talented as Merseysider John Heckle. There's been plenty of highlights across the eight previous 12"s and fans of the series will need no real wooing to get involved here - inquisitive newcomers will however be rewarded with some vibrant, loose limbed jack material on the opening cut replete with killer laser synths. "A2" is a much more heads down affair, dominated by some wonderfully oppressive kick drums whilst the B Side is home to a production that's perfectly balanced between lightness and darkness.

Review: John Shima is a prolific electronic music producer. He has a sound maybe best described as futuristic & intelligent, with a hint of quarkiness at times. He brings true depth and emotion into his productions, usually illustrated by using spacey pads, electrofunk basslines and intelligent drum programming. This EP contains two tracks, carefully selected from his archive to compliment one another and to bring you his productions of highest quality.

Review: The rise of Ilian Tape has been piloted by Dario and Marco Zenker with a steady assurance, so it makes perfect sense for the brothers to helm the first long player project from the Munich label. Immersion is a vibrant, atmospheric stroll through their various influences and inspirations with plenty to admire amongst the ten tracks. There is the bustling, leftfield breakbeat techno of "TSV WB" and pounding "High Club" (a no-nonsense dancefloor assault blessed with occasional eyes-closed chords), as well as sublime tech-jazz of "Cornel 21" and pitched-down junglisms of "Innef Runs". Interestingly, there are also a number of crusty, distorted ambient interludes, with "Erbquake" sounding particularly potent.

Review: San Francisco label Dark Entries keep up the tireless pace of releases, focusing here on the acid house phase of Psychic TV, the long running and hugely prolific music project of Genesis P-Orridge and a cast of contributing musicians. Characterised by some spectral didgeridoo playing, "Alien Be-In" first appeared in original format on Psychic TV's 1990 LP Towards Thee Infinite Beat and it's license for reissue by Dark Entries is complemented by some fine remixes. The band's own Fred Giannelli turns in a mono mix "sourced from the Emax floppy discs" but the real coup comes from the pair of B-side remixes involving the ever-excellent Silent Servant. One, in collaboration with John Tejada, is gripping techno whilst the other solo effort is redolent of Juan Mendez's recent Cititrax outings. Another must have from the DE crew!

Review: Mental Disorder owner Reeko arrives on the Modularz label with a truly distinguished discography to his name, featuring several albums and notable contributions to Pole Recordings. Constellation Andromeda seems like a fine addition to this body of work, brandishing a quartet of productions that really show Jose Rico's range when it comes to sculpting techno from deep and hypnotic textures. You could easily mistake the gnawing opener "To The Sun" for a production from the Geophone camp, whilst "Moon Direction" nails that tunnelling techno sensation perfectly, contrasting nicely with the incandescent synthetics that glower throughout "Star Phases". To close, "Saturn Sequences" finds Rico tuning in a deeper, more introspective track that might just be our favourite here.

Review: Eight slabs of chunky German dub techno coming up. After debuting on Delsin last year with the three-track Vortekz 12", Vril's second record away from the Giegling camp, the Dutch label have secured a prize release from the reserved German artist in his second album. It's a more club orientated listen compared to last year's Torus LP which suits the Delsin aesthetic just fine, and for techno bombs DJs will launch into clubs this year check out "Portal 6" and "Portal 7". For a cut in line with the vibes heard on his work for Staub see "Portal 1", while for something deeper and a little housier go to "Portal 3".

Review: Modeselektor's label provides a neat soundtrack for two sides of clubbing on its latest release. "Oben" (German for upper floor) is built for the kind of peak-time action its title suggests and sees Fjaak let loose with a slamming, relentless rhythm, heavy drums and a cut-up of the "Amen" break, while a detached vocal witters away in the background. By contrast, "Unten", which is German for 'bottom' - or, in this context, 'the basement' - is more considered. Cavernous, spacious kicks and heavy claps provide the basis for a chord sequence that flits and floats through the arrangement as randomly as conversations at an after party.

Review: Some two years on from the release of rave pin-up Daniel Avery's debut album, Drone Logic, tracks from that set get the remix treatment from an all-star cast of dancefloor deviants. Token regular O (Phase) kicks things off, delivering a delightfully off-kilter broken techno rework of "Naive Response" full of dub textures and post-dubstep rhythms. Conforce's distorted, darkroom techno-meets-Phuture remake of "Simulrec" is equally as impressive, though it's Powell's rub of "Water Jump" that stands out. Fuzzy, lo-fi and full of warped machine funk, it sounds like a future experimental house classic. That's assuming you can call it house; we're still not sure quite how to describe it.

Review: Bleaching Agent lowers the tone of recent productions for his second 12" on Komisch, this time opting for a sound similar to early, rugged works of Rivet on Naked Index. Drums and grubby bass-spheres give both original tracks a smudgy industrial vibe, with the pace of "Colo" aligning with the frenetic nature of a Dance Mania cut with its blurry lead synth adding steely resonance. Shawn O'Sullivan extracts these textures in full for his tribally mechanical remix, while "Elastique" drifts back to a dubby Ostgut Ton sound the label was releasing at the turn of the century.

Review: You could hardly say that Joey Anderson's 2014 debut album, After Forever, was overlooked, but it certainly didn't get the coverage it deserved. The New Jersey native is a distinctive talent, and After Forever was full of tracks that took deep house and techno in unique directions. This speedy follow-up 12", also for Dekmantel, is similarly impressive. Opener "1974" is intensely bright, with restless synthesizer arpeggios and dreamy chords riding a heavy-but-subtle, off-kilter groove. "Under Water" is woozier and a little darker, with curious samples twisted into melodious metallic shapes, while "Back Draft" sees Anderson dropping sci-fi sounds over a throbbing, jacking rhythm.

Review: Adrian Sandoval aka Developer returns with his debut for the fledgling Weekend Circuit label! It's safe to say that Sandoval has steadily become one of modern techno's luminaries and with releases on labels such as Mote-Evolver, Semantica and his very own Modularz imprint, he has truly developed (sorry) his own sound into the history of contemporary techno. This time, you got four tracks, "Signals" 1-4 and each one is a certified murderer on the ol' Funktion One. Industrial, grey-scaled melodies and fervently stripped-back grooves create a true sense of apocalyptic madness. The man's picked up where Sandwell District picked off and we love him for it. Essential techno bangers.

Review: After a strong first release, Berlin-based minimal wave and general leftfield electronics label In The Dark Again delivers a very sizable salvo for a second release, not least down to the power of the two In Aeternam Vale tracks contained within. "Valium Water" finds the resurgent '80s outfit in a most captivating techno mode, keeping the fuzzy sonic qualities and ranging harmonious tones intact while maintaining a propulsive energy that would slot right in to a contemporary dancefloor setting. "I Can't Stand It Anymore" meanwhile harks back to a more song-writing mentality, complete with icy vocals and wondrously distorted guitar-esque synth. As if that wasn't enough, Ekoplekz also delivers another example of his more refined musicianship on "Jazz The 403", working his rough n' ready set up to a skipping and shuffling arrangement populated by expressive doodles of synth.

Review: Is this the end? It seems like this seventh edition of Demdike Stare's dancefloor brutalising Testpressing series is the final installment "for the time being", bringing to a close a rather vicious succession of rugged club killers and noisy experimental tracks dating back to 2013. If this is indeed the final one, Sean Canty and Miles Whittaker end Testpressing proceedings on a high note with a two track 12" that's up there with the best in the series. Up top "Rathe" begins in heavenly fashion before a sea of white noise brings about a left turn into AFX style distorted half step jungle - wait for the break at the 3 minute mark! It's matched by "Patchwork" which sees a deftly sliced vocal sample from a Wookie classic bounced around the channels as Canty and Whittaker draw vicious lines in the ground with a razor sharp 2 step pattern.

Review: Lobster Theremin's Mork sublabel hits its second release following the first offering from Nthng, and it finds the equally fresh Raw MT on hand to follow up on their own debut EP on Wicked Bass. It's a thoroughly enjoyable ride through deep house with character, not least on "La Duna" with its gorgeous swirls of melody unfurling around a snappy, dynamic beat. "Track 2" meanwhile ups the freakiness with a tribal lilt to the drums and some sumptuous bass to sink your teeth into. "Strike" flips the script completely with a chunky techno workout that sits in stark contrast to the other three tracks, and sounds damn fine with it.

Review: Issued on Bas Mooy's Mord label, Mundi shows Radial has come into his own as a techno producer. "Storm Tide" kick starts the release with firing percussion, distorted, heavy drums and just the right amount of snarling attitude. "Boks" sees him make a diversion into a more swung sound. Like 2652 chewing on a mouthful of nails, the spiky broken betas and sparse, glitchy percussion show that the Dutch producer isn't afraid to think outside the box. This sense of experimentation is also audible on "Quarantine", where wave upon wave of drones are built over a spiky rhythm. He completes the package with the hypnotic pulses of "Fair Trade Slaves".

Review: Speaking to Resident Advisor recently to accompany his podcast, veteran Detroit artist DJ Bone looked to clarify the distinction behind his new DIFF-ERENT project, stating it is "darker, more aggressive and straight to the point but still manages to remain beautiful in a very twisted way." This statement is fully qualified on the two track for Don't Be Afraid that make up this excellent debut 12" from the DIFF-ERENT project. "Differ-Ent (Hrall)" is the more musical of the two, with Bone teasing minor keys and acid squiggles over a stripped back, yet still quite forceful rhythm. "Differ-Ent (Ity)" is where that dark aggression is let loose and is the sort of ominous techno you crave to hear deep into the night.

Review: This release comes from a misterious guy with two untitled tracks on the a-side that have the intention to open the project and marking guidelines and sounds that you will hear on the whole series. On the b-side you find the remix of the track "Untitled 02" by the swedish artist Rivet and the "Secret Rave Mix" of "Rhythm Sticks" by G-23, originally released on London based label No Logo, done by the same author of the two originals.
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The graphic of SECRET RAVE 01 is composed with a photo by Molly Macindoe. Heavily influenced by her father, a world traveller and architect, and her mother, a university lecturer and author, she developed a love for international travel and visited many faraway places - documenting the many diverse cultures she encountered. However, her attention was always drawn back to the free party community and, since 1997, she has participated in and documented the underground scene. Also she has already released a book called "Out Of Order" that is the culmination of ten years of work and a photographic celebration of the free party scene. Only 300 pressed....

Review: Inaugural release from Bokhari Records offshoot SORN, for explorations into techno, ambience & crunchy cosmic dirt. SORN takes its name from the alien race in the CS Lewis Space Trilogy. Black Merlin is no stranger to creating music for other worlds and offers two industrial monsters for proper systems and then finishes it off with the beautiful and aptly titled Orbit.

Review: Northern Electronics return here with their fourteenth release and it comes from an unexpected source in Dorisburg. Also known as one half of Genius Of Time, Alexander Berg's solo project is not a name one would immediately associate with the frosted sonic vistas of Northern Electronics on the basis of previous output for Aniara and Bossmusik. However the three tracks present on Splade certainly suggest Berg doesn't look out of place on the NE roster alongside Abdulla Rashim, Varg, Acronym and the others. "Splade" finds Berg expertly toying with delay and effects over a refined dub techno groove that bristles with detailed abstraction, whilst the excellent "Business Propaganda" brings a touch of the West Country steppers vibe to proceedings. B-side hugger "Uncertainly" is the kind of dubby terrain you want to lose yourself in.

Review: Swede Daniel Andreasson has been tickling our fancy with his particular brand of clandestine techno and world-weary electronica since 2009. In that time, he's released some inspired material on Tabernacle, Skudge and Zodiac 44. Here he makes an appearance on Frak's long-running Borft label. As you'd expect, Pressure ticks a number of boxes. While there's plenty of loopy, atmospheric techno - see the title track and the winding, woozy, slightly psychedelic "100 Hours" - the EP's strongest moments are arguably those where he takes a slightly stranger path. Opener "Inside" - a kind of dark ambient piece interspersed with a distant bassline and occasional heavily filtered rhythms - is particularly special, while closer "Nov 41" is a near perfect chunk of slowed-down Detroit futurism.