DJs: Most Charted - Techno - September 2011

Review: ** Repress For The Hood Fans ** This much anticipated EP on his own M Plant label sees Detroit legend Robert Hood continue to develop to his Floorplan alias after the recent Living It Up single. The A-Side explores euphoric 90s house tropes in "We Magnify His Name", a peak time piano driven anthem which is as religious an experience to listen to as its name suggests, complete with uplifting gospel vocals. On the flip, Hood explores his darker techno tendencies over two tracks. "Baby Baby" relies more on a cut up vocal sample and a slightly wobbling Motor City leaning bassline and a Model 500 style funk swing to it, provided in no small part by a particularly great guitar lick, while tension and release is offered in spades by a well placed horn sample. "Basic Priciple" meanwhile is a druggier affair propelled by its murky sub bass and techno stabs, the only melody coming from a particularly sinister two note organ line.

Review: Berlin based Tommy Four Seven and Chris Liebling's CLR label have become inseparable buddies over the last couple of years, their partnership now clocking up one album and four single releases since 2010. Celebrating the label's 50th release, an impressive package for Tommy Four Seven's "Verge" featuring Robert Hood and Sigha on remix duty is now out. The original is a tech heavy and driving piece, fuelled by its rapid kick, mirrored bass and swelling synth bed. UK Sigha takes "Verge" to even beefier levels on his mix, bringing forward the drum to dominate the stomp. "Track 5", taken from Tommy Four Seven's release earlier this year, gets treated by certified ledge Robert Hood with a simple, cosmic and clearly Detroit techno sounding cut.

Review: Frenchman Terence Fixmer continues his prolific ways with Le Terrible, released on his own Electric Deluxe imprint. Tense, ticking percussion and rattling drums are splayed across the A-Side, with a cavernous low end throb marking this out as a prime slab of intricately produced machine funk. Flip over, wind it back to 33rpm and let the Millsian paranoia of "Concept C" invade your senses with its addictive blend of creaking metallics and a killer drum loops. Finally, Berghain resident Marcel Dettmann is called in to remix "Dance Like Paranoid", the results being every bit as good as you'd imagine, the dense throb of the bass drum serving as a hypnotic back drop to swirling bleep-ridden atmospherics and crackly late night vocals. Highly recommended.

Review: Mathematics don John Heckle drops a long player that was given the prefix 'keenly awaited' by everyone here at Juno a long time ago. Following two excellent EPs for Jamal Moss's imprint, the North West based producer drops this 10 track set showcasing his gritty, raw slant on techno. From the murky sci-fi of opener "If One Second Were A Million Years", we're treated to the curious jangling melodies of "Counting Down To Infinity" and 80s electro flex of "Voyager (Voyeur)" on the first side of this double 12". The LP continues to traverse eclectic terrain, from beatless ambient interludes to raw analogue jams and heaving acid. 2011 has been a fine year for techno albums - overlooking this one would be a crime.

Review: Birmingham based producer DJ Skirt returns with her nightmarish form of icy, brooding techno for a second 12" on Frozen Border sub-label Horizontal Ground. Spread across the A-Side is a remix of "In The Meadow Under The Stars" - which was released on Skirt's HG debut in its original form - from beat scientist T++, aka Torsten Profrock. The sparse 4/4 original is dipped in a paste of swampy, almost impenetrable atmospherics and jangling broken beats by the German producer, the result being one of the most riveting pieces of electronic music we've heard in 2011. Flip over for two eagerly anticipated Skirt originals, with the ghoulish synth sweeps of "Racing The Sea" a particularly scary highlight!