DJS: MOST CHARTED - TECHNO - MOST CHARTED IN AUGUST 2014

Review: ** REPRESS ** It seems like the last few months of 2014 are going to be quite big for a newly bearded up Surgeon with a series of enticing looking reissues of 90s material under the SRX banner due to commence soon, as well as an incoming British Murder Boys retrospective on DNS. First up, the UK techno legend makes his debut proper on Token with Fixed Action Pattern, a two-track 12? of distorted, broken beat techno tailor-made for the Belgian label. Essentially two variants of the same track, the A Side original is exactly the sort of searing, peak time wall shaker you'd expect when Surgeon meets Token, and it's complemented nicely by a B Side dub version that the label quite aptly compare to Lee Scratch Perry dabbling in industrial electronics.

Review: Melbourne party enthusiasts Animals Dancing launch their self titled label with the sophomore release from Krautback duo Coober Pedy University Band (Tornado Wallace & William Paxton AKA Tom Moore of Otologic). Kookaburra, once described as "a bit too mental for me", continues in the vein of their Moon Plain release, but this time takes it a step further. Perhaps too far.

Review: With their combined output and that of the artists they put out on Ilian Tape, Dario and Marco Zenker are certainly a formidable force in the German techno scene and here they're back on their own turf with four imaginative cuts that keep dancefloor focus in mind without giving way to tracky functionality. "Heeman" punches with the most forthright thrust of all the jams, riding some skippy hats over a rumbling tom-like bassline and tense synths, while "Mount Eleven" swerves out into broken beat territory with whirling wraiths of melody sealing the deal on a psychedelic and engrossing atmosphere. "Kentay" too comes packaged in a fragmented framework although the bottom end hits with a greater heft than its predecessor, and then "Watz" finishes proceedings off with a short sojourn into heavy-laden ambient material.

Review: After a nine-year hiatus, Sheree Rashit and Steve Bicknell relaunch Cosmic Records with the Transcendence EP within their Lost Recordings division. Founded in 1993, the label ran in conjunction with the pair's infamous Lost events, which introduced acts such as Jeff Mills, Robert Hood and Basic Channel to the UK dancefloor. Past Cosmic releases include productions and remixes from US artists such as Juan Atkins, Tyree Cooper, DJs Funk and Rush alongside prominent UK names working under pseudonyms devised for Cosmic. Having previously released via Perfecto and Mute, Cosmic has provided a home for Steve Bicknell's releases since its' inception. His next phase continues the Lost Recordings series that began in 1996 with the 8th segment, Transcendence. Comprised of four untitled tracks in Steve Bicknell's inimitable style - a depiction of the Lost dancefloor - Transcendence, LR 8 is hypnotic with depth and soul, transcending boundaries, and is initially available on vinyl only. Played by: Jeff Mills, Laurent Garnier, Oliver Ho, Francois K, Ben Klock, Surgeon.

Review: It would be fair to say that this latest EP from Minneapolis-raised Zak Khutoretsky features a trio of "tried and tested" cuts. Label boss Ben Klock has taken to closing his sets with lead track "Black Russian", a surprisingly light and airy chunk of loop-techno blessed with deliciously warm and evocative pianos. The other two tracks aren't quite as anthemic, but they're certainly floor-friendly; you'll struggle to find a more brutal and intense chunk of claustrophobic late night techno than "Spying" - all minor keys, restless shakers and booming sub - while "Creeping" is similarly dark and jackin', with distinct hints of early Belgian techno.

Review: Chaotic Nation is arguably one of Chicago legend Steve Poindexter's most sought-after EPs. Originally released in 1991 on the short-lived Chicago Underground label, original copies fetch upwards of L35 online. This reissue, then, is long overdue. It's notable how well the material has aged. Tracks such as "Mental Problems (Bonustrack)" and "Destiny" neatly combine Poindexter's usual jacking, robotic machine drums with bustling basslines and jaunty melodies, whilst retaining the space and dancefloor hustle that always marked out the Chicagoan's productions. For anyone interested in original Chicago house, Chaotic Nation should be an essential purchase.

Review: Huerco S returns to the 12" format with this long delayed offering for the quietly impressive Proibito label under the shortened HS mantle. Keen followers of Huerco S will of course know the Brooklyn transplant inaugurated Anthony Naples' label last year with the rarely used Royal Crown Of Sweden alias and the four tracks on this A Verdigras Reader EP prove to be just as intoxicating. It's also arguably Proibito's most experimental release so far, compare the ambient amble of "A1" with Hank Jackson's offering for the label or the Levon-esque "POT" from Naples himself. Our tip of the four is "B1" which is little more than a dull siren constantly trying to reach its peak tone over crunched up percussion but the results have you pulling the needle back again and again.

Review: Amid a whole stack of MDR represses of late the label throws in three new cuts of older Dettmann material remixed by arguably the top boy of UK techno. Luke Slater under his all devouring Planetary Assault Systems alias provides two remixes of "Apron" from 2009's MDR06 and another for the track "Rush". The 'PAS Tubed mix 2' of "Apron" is a jittery piece of Luke Slater brilliance that harks back to his earlier, minimal productions as Planetary Assault Systems on Peacefrog, while the 'PAS The Rhythm remix' stays true to the dusty sound Dettmann surfaced with toward the end of last decade. Meanwhile on the flip in the 'Deep Release remix' of "Rush" sees Planetary Assault Systems provides more bona fide booming techno for Berghain that re-popularised the genre several years ago.

Review: A second 12" sampler for Ryan Elliott's soon to drop Panorama Bar 06 mix opens with "Take It Slow", a rugged house jam of the finest order from The Oliverwho Factory and proceeds to take in cuts from former label manager Nick Hoppner, Deadbeat, Dettmann and Sushitech mainstay Makam. Individually the standard of these exclusives is remarkably high and it will be interesting to see how Elliott has slotted them all together for the free to download mix. If we had to guess, Deadbeat's superb glistening house burner "Woah" would make an appearance towards the end thanks to his high tempo, whilst Dettmann's swirling layers of ambience on "Light" feel very much like a set opener.

Review: Never a label to countenance doing the expected, the 50th release on LIES sees them turn to a British artist for the first time in Randomer. With past form on Numbers, Hessle Audio and Hemlock, Rohan Walder's raucous output as Randomer has been most associated with the UK-centric crossover between bass music and techno, but the Residents 12? sees him embrace techno more outrightly. This is most evident on the opening title track (which contains some of Walder's crispest drum sounds to date) and the deranged fury that is "Jakobs Dream". Don't sleep on B Side track "Huh" however as it sees the Random one adopt a more electro focused flex with superb results - this one is for blasting in the club hard!

Review: In his three releases so far, Mark Forshaw has debuted on three different labels. For his third release - following 12"s on Tabernacle and Mathematics - his showing on III Rivers inaugurates the label ahead of a second release by Hakim Murphy. Lead cut "Change Request" is a busy production of pumping Italo synths, sweeping pads and frenetic drums fans of John Heckle will love, while "Fantastic Flake" is bassline driven house music gem good enough to soundtrack of a Chicago express circa 1989. "Where Did You Go" introduces some acid and it's the most techno-sounding production on the record, blending 303s and 909s with sprays of reverb and washes of dub.

Review: Having struggled to find his niche during the early part of his career, things started looking up for Randomer when he popped up on Numbers back in 2011 with the bombastic blends of acid house and techno that made up his impressive Real Talk EP. Since then, he's impressively flitted between techno and bass music, and here delivers an all-out techno assault for Clone's occasional Basement Series. There's a real no-nonsese feel to the relentless kick-drums and cut-up vocal samples of "Stupid Things I Do", which comes in "New School" and "Old School" mix formats (the latter including some looser techno breakbeats, and thus being our pick). The 12" also includes two formidable percussion workouts, which deliver driving drums and booming basslines.

Review: Launched last year as an extension of the successful Montreal radio show and loft party of the same name, Jurg Haller's Forbidden Planet has eased itself into the affections of record buyers everywhere. Inaugurated by D'Marc Cantu's Some Fantasies Are Good, Forbidden Planet has since introduced unheralded names like Breaker 1 2 and Boreal & Lnrdcroy, artists you can spend hours wandering down blind alleys on the internet trying to identify. The label's fourth release sees Forbidden Planet call on a more established name again in the shape of Mono Junk, aka Finnish producer Kimmo Rapatti. Much like the Finn's recent turn out for Skudge White, this untitled four track 12" really slams home how criminally underrated Rapatti is as a producer. There's hints of Psyche era Carl Craig to opening track "Shotokai" and from here Mono Junk showcases his production versatility taking in woozy mind benders ("Bleep Number 9"), nimble melodic electro ("With You") and subaqueous techno filled with deft rhythmic touches ("Kime").

Review: The flurry of activity surrounding M Plant's 20th anniversary celebrations shows no sign of abating as we reach the midway point of the year, with the latest offering from Robert Hood a rare revisitation of his Monobox alias. You have to peel through eleven years worth of Hood releases to get to the last time the Detroit icon used the Monobox alias (the Molecule EP on French label Logistics for the fact checkers out there) but this pair of new productions under the guise demonstrate he's lost none of his intentions to approach "minimalism from an alien, futuristic perspective". The deep and melodious "Film" appears here ahead of it's high profile presence in Marcel Dettmann's upcoming Fabric mix and it's a nice complement to the tougher machine funk of "Rectangle".

Review: The serious and subterranean techno adventures of NX1 continue unabated with the sixth installment on the German duo's self-titled imprint, adding more fuel to the cerebral, hypnotic fire being vigorously fanned by Donato Dozzy et al. The A side is particularly dreamy, as a tidal pad echoes out into the abyss and the percussion falls as light as a feather without losing that prerequisite dose of danceable energy. "NX 06 017" has a bit more bite as punchy synth sounds cut through the fog and the drum machines awaken, but it all leads up to the paranoid siren cycle of "NX1 06 018", which represents the livelier end of the NX1 repertoire.

Review: Whilst the most recent Modeselektion compilation saw Berlin pair Modeselektor pick from a largely established (if very varied) pool of artists, the latest release on their 50 Weapons labels shows Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary have not lost any of their canny A&R skills for uncovering new talent. The uniquely named Fjaak are a Berlin trio with "futuristic minds but already nostalgic feelings" and as far as we can tell this two track 12" is their debut release. Familiarise yourself with both cuts and you'll understand why Bronsert and Szary scooped Fjaak up, with a their rave ready productions executed on a mixture of hardware and software the sort of club focused music 50 Weapons has made it's name on. As immediate as the title track is, our pick is the tougher techno fix of B Side "Plan A".

Review: If you wanted to convey how much of a taste making label Opal Tapes has become, then the example of Patricia would be a good place to start. Since gracing Bish's label with the Body Issues tape last summer, the Chicago-born and Brooklyn-based producer has appeared on LIES as Inhalants alongside the excellent Jahiliyya Fields as well as team up with Terekke for the Patreke project. Ahead of a planned Spectral Sound debut for Patricia, Juno have finally managed to secure copies of the Body Issues edition on the vinyl dedicated Black Opal series and it's six tracks of brittle techno and crusty acid sound perfectly suited to the format.

Review: Ilian Tapes meets The Trilogy Tapes! Munich-based DJ and producer Dario Zenker aligns with Will Bankhead's unassailable label for a quartet of aces housed in the most distinctive of record sleeves. Alongside his brother Marco, Dario Zenker has stealthily built Ilian Tape into one of our favourite techno outlets thanks to their focus on artists and productions that never slump into tracky functionality. This sense of personality is very much evident across the four tracks on Morsin; take for example the A Side where the murky rolling techno of the title track is complemented by the exercise in building breakbeat pressure that is "W3". There's a wonderful freneticism to "WM2" where a strident bass drum thud is attacked by a dizzying array of zigzagging rhythms, whilst "Banded" ends proceedings in resolutely abstract territory.

Review: Given how prolific he's been across multiple aliases these past few years, you can forgive Boris Bunnik for the lack of output that's characterised his year so far, with just the sole Versalife 12" for Clone's Store Only Series issued. A return to his main creative concern Conforce is most welcome then and the Depth Over Distance EP suggests the Dutchman's production powers are fully recharged. Opening with the title track, Conforce's talent for captivating spacious lines and crisp refreshing drum programming is on full display whilst "Plateau" veers off into abstract territory. Powered by supple arpeggios and powerful kicks, "Rendez-vous" feels like Conforce at his most floor focused whilst "Closer" ends proceedings on a haunting, ambient note.

Review: It's the onset of a brave new era for Ostgut Ton as Panorama Bar 06 signals the label's decision to halt the manufacturing of CDs for their much loved series of mixes. Due for free download via the Ostgut site on August 11, the Berlin operation have not forgone the vinyl format with all the exclusives gathered by mix curator Ryan Elliott pressed up across a pair of 12" samplers. And boy did Elliott call in the favours with this first sampler featuring new and unreleased music from Neworldaquarium, Roman Flugel, Terrence Dixon, Tuff City Kids and Borrowed Identity. It is an overall exquisite selection, running from the ambience of NWAQ's contribution to Flugel's big room stomper and the sweeter, more playful sounds of Tuff City Kids and Borrowed Identity.

Review: The techno-not-techno music of Samuel Kerridge has made its way to one of techno's most techno labels in Blueprint. Since it reintroduced itself in 2009, James Ruskin's operation has embraced the more experimental side of the genre in similar ways to Stroboscopic Artefacts without venturing as far away from the dancefloor. This release by Samuel Kerridge is the furthest Blueprint has travelled to date and over four tracks Kerridge rains down a thunderstorm of industrial and gothic mayhem that sounds like a power station being ravaged by lightening from the top and ripped apart by the underworld from the bottom.

Review: Freerotation festival director Steevio debuts on UntilMyHeartStops with Cynfnos, which translates from Welsh to English as Twilight and that's a great time of night to spin the music held within. Run by Leif and Joe Ellis, UntilMyHeartStops has swiftly built up a reputation for releasing deep and slightly leftfield house music from the likes of Joey Anderson, Area, Arnaldo and October. Given how embedded into the Freero community Leif and Ellis are, it makes for little surprise to see Steevio lining their latest release with the hypnotic modular house that is the title cut and a more introspective, ambient partner in "Taro". Added intrigue is provided on the B Side where Freero regulars DJ Spider and Joey Anderson both remix the title track in their distinct styles.

Review: Since first surfacing under The Exaltics guise back in 2007, Robert Witschakowski has graced a stellar cast of labels including Bunker, Creme Organization, Panzerkreuz, and Modal Analysis and this year has seen him arise on the Clone West Coast series for a tryptich of Some Other Place releases and remix Marcel 'two tone' Fengler for Ostgut Ton. The addition of Dutch label Shipwrec to his ever bustling discography with this Twelve EP makes perfect sense within the context of the music they've released thus far, and this is a fine addition to anyone that considers themselves to be an Exaltics completist. Lead cut "The New Beginning" sounds like Gesloten Cirkel remixing "Deep Burnt", whilst "Coroded" fully lives up its title, and look at what's hiding on the B Side. A remix of "Downwards" from Bunker royalty Unit Moebius Anonymous. Killer twelve!

Review: When it comes to stabbed-up, drum machine sequenced techno, Psyk is a go to producer. The producer's Maan alias is Manuel Anos' stripped-back take on his dub-tailored style of club music which is less brooding than the Spaniard's other productions. It's also Maan which defines the Non Series sound, which on this EP is best heard via the staccato-driven, cowbell filled "Burn". For a deep rhythm track there's "Jackin (Part 2)" - something you'd imagine Steffi playing to beef up the vibes in Pbar - while "Lost" loops a vocal like Robert Hood would as Floorplan.

Review: Fresh from welcoming Swedish pair Genius of Time into the Running Back fold, Gerd Janson's next order of business is to coax Todd Osborn into contributing his first material for the label in some seven years. Depending on your musical tastes, you might know the Detroit-based musician for his ragga-influenced junglist excursions as Soundmurderer (sometimes alongside SK-1 aka Tadd Mullinix), the cassette-only ragged hardware acid of his Superstructure project, or the more house-orientated output released as Osborne and his given name. It was under the latter that he debuted on Running Back with Giganta back in 2007, so the sight of this T-rhythm Trax Vol 1 is most welcome. As the title suggests, the five tracks here are neck snapping techno tools of the highest order.

Review: The latest transmission of M Plant's 20th Anniversary celebrations sees label boss Robert Hood come through with some self styled 'replants' of recent Floorplan material. "Never Grow Old" of course originates from Hood's triumphant 2013 Floorplan LP Paradise, arriving midway through and impressive enough to feature in Ben Klock's Fabric mix. Here the gospel vibes remain but they are complemented by a searing Motor City key line that is really quite hypnotic over it's seven minute duration. Complementing this is a replant of "Phobia", one of Hood's last releases of 2013 which evens out the hoover rave overtones of the original in favour of some trippy synth loops that prove just as effective.

Review: The Jealous God label returns and it's a Gallic affair as Lyon-based hardware mangler In Aeternam Vale offers up a trio of productions that demonstrate how under rated a producer Laurent Prot is. You will probably know In Aeternam Vale from the various archival releases issued by Minimal Wave over the past few years, but the music contained on this clear dark blue 12" is of a more recent vintage. It's also superb, with lead track "V8" one of Prot's trademark extended productions that expertly builds up a gripping sense of hissing, brooding atmosphere - the usage of delay as the final third approaches is just immense. On the flip, both "62,54hz" and "808TS" are worthy of Sandwell District in their pomp and be sure to check the accompanying mix CD. Put together by Redlight SF's Kerri Le Bon, it weaves expertly from Whitehouse to Cosey Fanni Tutti via everything from Pulp, The Cabs and Silent Servant.