Techno Recommendations February 2011

Review: Ah yes, whilst Angello, Axwell and Ingrosso amuse all with their 21st century update on Spinal Tap, Rush Hour drop a timely reminder about the real Swedish House Mafia, enlisting Skudge and MRSK to take apart some Frictionalism classics and piece them back together in their own distinct fashion. The ever mysterious Skudge are up first stripping Shakir's classic "Floorfiller" of it's emotive keys and twisting the remains into the sort of highly pressurised, relentless, twisting reverberant industrial thumper you'd expect from the elusive Scandinavian collective. Impressive as the A Side is, MRSK provides an even better take on "Travelers" transforming the future abstractions of Shakir's original track into something dark, sensual and pulsing with an intensity that's comparable to Robert Hood at his finest.

Review: O/V/R's "Post Traumatic Son" was one of the tracks of last year if you like your techno dusty and rusty, and Ruskin and Regis flexed their big name credentials here by enlisting Ben Klock to add his own perspective to the track. Just for the 'kraic', the vested one has decided to produce three remixes, all of which are naturally covered in essentialness! Klock's Techno mix stretches across the A Side, a merciless locked groove of stomping, menacing syncopated textures with no concessions for anything as throwaway as a breakdown. This is rattling, heads down industrial darkness at its finest. The flipside offers Klock the opportunity to experiment, with the Wave Mix, stripping back the track to a skeletal electro twitch, gradually accruing a haunting gloss via the ascending, foreboding synths. In contrast to this, the final Vibe mix drenches "Post Traumatic Son" in an all consuming psychedelic lustre, with the originals synths laid atop gently jacking beats and a delightful array of bleeps and beeps with the resultant effect truly hypnotic.

Review: Panoramabar resident Steffi's Dolly imprint was arguably one of the most consistent new labels of 2010. Its first four releases from Jacob Korn (twice), Tyrez and Dexter respectively, were all of the highest quality. This fifth release from little-known US producer Brooks Mosher is equally as desirable. Inhabiting a space somewhere between Detroit techno and classic Chicagoan jack, Mass Transit is a glorious dancefloor hybrid. Each of the four tracks boasts the rawness of the latter (particularly with regards to beats and basslines) and the crystal clear melodies of the former - not to mention a telescopic obsession with outer space. It's a great combination.

Review: Norman Nodge, beholder of one of Techno's finest names, steps up again for release duties on Berghain buddy Dettman's self titled imprint. As you expect from the previous six editions of the MDR series, the lack of fuss and pretence dedicated to a hand stamped twelve inch in non descript house bag is replicated on the head down techno tackle held within. After the stuttering machine funk of "DNA" that's punctuated by reverberant glistening fx weirdly reminiscent of a starling getting stuck in a sampler, Nodge enters more familiar Berghain territory in the scratched throbbing locked groove dynamics of "Convergence" which is driven by a thudding bassline that pulses with electronic interference. On the flip Nodge indulges his menacing side with "Homology" twisting intricate beams of laser synths across a spinal bass drum bump whilst "Adaptation" strips back proceedings to an atmospheric hum of fluctuating acid gurgles and throbbing bass with drums barely audible.

Review: REPRESS: This is the sort of record that could only have been made by someone with a vast amount of experience. Producer Nick Dunton has a decade's worth of releases behind him, and it shows. Sketches Of My Life veritably skips between electronic sounds and styles. It's deeply rooted in techno and electronica - and specifically the clean futurisms of Detroit's Belleville three - but steadfastly refuses to stick to one particular groove. "Once" offers heady dub techno enriched by cascading piano figures, "Lost Love" bittersweet electro. "Fallen" and "Abandoned Virtues", meanwhile, evoke memories of teenage nights lost in the otherworldly sounds of Warp's pioneering Artificial Intelligence compilations.

Review: Look out - Hardwax heat alert! Our friends in Berlin come through with the goods yet again. Shed's brilliantly visceral Wax series gets two heads down, bass up remixes from Pinch and Elemental. Tectonic Recordings boss Pinch turns in a typically moody revision of the original which chops up the rolling 4/4 of the original and utilises hollow percussion and occasional horror piano stabs, while North London based producer Elemental incorporates some brilliant synth work over on the flip.

Review: Luke Slater’s Mote-Evolver label rounds off an impressive 2010 and starts 2011 by passing into record label maturity with a 21st release. As is fitting for such a landmark release, the forever-progressive Slater has plucked a special release from the ether that will impress and intrigue followers of Mote?s approach to undergroundtechno.

Shrouded in anonymity, Shifted’s release is fuelled by a personal passion for techno, this 3-track EP for Mote-Evolver represents an earnest expression of creativity from an enigmatic artist; freed from the restrictions of expectation and reputation.

Opening up with the kind of sparsely constructed but highly incendiary deepspace-techno that has characterized much of Mote’s recent output, Drained is a thumping bass-driven ride through sinister moods and scratchy sounding effects.

Polaron brings an abrasive feel to the release, contrasting with the deeper moods found elsewhere on the EP, as heavy beats and mechanical percussion provide momentum while resounding chimes and shrill stabs add frenetic drama.

Futuristic and hypnotic, Bound combines the pacey dynamism of snappy rhythms with mesmerizing atmospheric loops which weave together to create a shifting melody; oscillating subtly against a backdrop of relentless percussion.

Review: It's a swift return to Drumcode for Jerome Sydenham, with the prolific producer delivering a sequel to last December's Trombipolution twelve inch release. "In The Zone" does what it says on the tin, swiftly locking into a brooding heads down techno groove, driven by intricate textured drums, scratched vocal effects and a singular synth throb that gradually increases with hypnotic intent as the track progresses. The flipside excursion "Amp" proves to be just as menacing a peak time proposition with a guttural bassline that twinges with evil intent sitting deep below crisp minimal drums and an undulating rhythmic buzz.

Review: Scotland bred, Amsterdam based producer Vince Watson has already graced the Mule, Delsin and Planet E imprints, so it's a natural move to grace the revamped Tresor imprint. The Berlin institution has released seminal techno from the likes of Jeff Mills, Drexciya, Surgeon and Blake Baxter, and Watson stays true to the club-cum-label's musical aesthetic, with "Atom" carrying an old school rave swagger, with 90s keys bouncing around before the warm synths engulf you: this is seriously one to lose yourself in. Flip over for "Flux" which hums along with a quirky analogue warmth that wears its Detroit techno influences very much on its sleeve. Killer 12" .