Techno Recommendations February 2013

Review: The 13th release for France's Syncrophone Records sees Strength Music boss producer DJ Qu step up for three tracks of seductively deep techno. The A-side sees "Undescribed 1 (Multi)", consisting of little more than a brushed kick and hi-hat combo which slowly moves into a breathy combination of abstract vocal and swirling dub chords. On the flip, "Undescribed 2 (Blank)" provides a more driving number, combining a hypnotic bass pulse with rustling percussion and subtle piano flourishes buried within, while "Undescribed 3 (Execute)" provides the record's finest production, a tracky combination of cut-up stabs and subtle marimba tones guaranteed to set any floor alight

Review: Inigo Kennedy's last record for Token was a definite record of two halves, with one track providing severe, Berghain ready techno, and the other providing ghostly melodies with echoes of Aphex Twin. It's a similarly engaging story on Cathedral, with the title track providing a fierce breakbeat together with a cavernous harpsichord melody, and though it may not seem like the most obvious of combinations, its pulsing bass undercurrent ensures Kennedy's usual power is not diminished. "Chamber" plays things slightly straighter, providing a more forceful dancefloor cut imbued with gentle hints of dub techno that bristle with the producer's usual freshness, while "Accordion" completes things with another subtly melodic cut filled with unpredictability, as stuttering drums are surrounded by synths that seem to fade in and out of view. Kennedy has gone from strength to strength with each release and this record is no different.

Review: Across their releases for esteemed labels like Semantica, Modularz and their own eponymous imprint, NX1 have shown themselves to masters of the kind of throbbing techno so beloved of producers like Function and Developer, and their latest release sees them arrive on M_Rec with four of their most devastating productions to date. Keeping their track titles typically brief, they opt to use the "MR" prefix this time round; "MR1" rolls forward with the inevitability of an out of control juggernaut, as pulsing bass slips between clattering percussion, while "MR2" offers abstract modular noise in conjunction with Fachwerk-style house touches. On the flip, "MR3" offers a rasping bass and tumbling rhythm akin to Shifted's recent OCS banger "Chapter", while "MR4" combines subtly swung yet whiplash-inducing percussion with an ominous sequence of swelling chords and abstract drones.

Review: Linux, Dettmann's second EP for 50Weapons, tones down the techno abrasion of his previous missive for the label, with the results considerably easier on the ears. The Berghain resident opts for kooky and linear housey-techno instead, a sound frequenting many of his DJ sets of late. A constant kick drum and croaky bassline lasts the entirety of "Linux" and acts like a revolving door - greeting and chussing various hi-hats, claps, rides and rimshots. On the flip, Dettmann's love for Depeche Mode and Human League synths is clearly evident, as a basic, but slightly varying synths roll through a similar drum machine sequenced arrangement.

Review: For their sixth release, deep house doyens Bliq present something a little different in the form of Space Culture Volume 1, the label's first compilation 12". The A-side is given over to the dub techno of Audio Atlas, whose track "Finland" is a suitably chilly excursion into mid-tempo 4/4, its steady pulse and icy chords seemingly inspired by a wintry Scandinavian forest at dusk. On the flip, Pietro Tangianu's "Frabaer" is a similarly laid back production, but one that thaws things slightly with its warmer, housier chords, and swung rhythm though its subs are as deep as the A-side. Finally, Matti Turunen's "Nocturne" offers something entirely different, a sparse electro track whose minimal 808 rhythms and thick bass are contrasted with melodic pads and brittle diamond-like textures.

Review: Like the best labels, the 3024 operation overseen by Martyn seems locked onto it's own trajectory, slipping out records as and when they feel appropriate instead of regularly churning out material just so you know they are there. The label's first release of 2013 is a sampler that shines the light on the talent bubbling in Canada right now, securing original productions from recognised names like Kevin McPhee, Nautiluss and Gingy (no Bordello) The skewed take on techno that's so popular right now is evident across all three tracks with McPhee's "Version 5" a searing delight.

Review: In the lead up to Dadub's debut album You Are Eternity, Stroboscopic Artefacts have commissioned remixes from Lakker and Rrose - their first contributions to the label - as well as Kanding Ray and label boss Lucy. All were given the chance to remix their favourite track from the forthcoming album and Lucy chose "Death", a pleasant surprise in its functionality - not commonly associated with the Italian. Lakker's remix to "Path" delivers some spaciousness and industrialism to Dadub's often busy and syncopated arrangements, while Rrose's remix of "Life" could well be touted as one of the years best reworks with a long and drawn out build and big room drop. Kanding Ray counterbalances Rrose's mix with subtle melodies and water drop percussion in his remix to "Existence".

Review: Following on from some impressive moves into the fray of frontline techno, France's Dement3d Records look back to their first release and submit DSCRD's original tracks to the remix operating table. Lucy is up first, bringing that quintessential Stroboscopic sound to the fore with a broken techno rhythm caked in digital muck that slithers infinitesimally around the insistent beat. Polar Inertia meanwhile takes a slower tact, keeping a droning bass in the foreground and the beat on a subtle locomotion rather than anything too frenetic. It's a fine example of the more creative space to be found within monochrome techno, not to mention a quality update on the already strong original material.

Review: Having found his way into the bags of Ben Sims, Norman Nodge and Rolando among others with his first release, Tripeo returns with a second 12" of heavily textured, hypnotic and puristic techno. An alter ego of Holland-based producer Darko Esser, Tripeo eschews the eclecticism of his other project Onionboy for "niches and purism". This is clearly evident on the A-side, where a functional kick drum combines with diamond-like hi-hats and a lone glassy synth to create a purist techno experience that borders on the psychedelic. The B-side is even more sparing but no less striking, with a broken techno rhythm that is interrupted by a trippy mosaic of morphing synths on a 90s tip.

Review: Having taken some 12 years to reach its 20th release in fine style with that Neil Landstrumm/Matt Whitehead double header, the Don't imprint overseen by Jerome Hill swiftly (for them) usher in their next release which features two sublime 1988 New Beat classics from Zsa Zsa Laboum and HN03. Laboum's "Something Scary" is perhaps the archetypal New Beat track, commencing with a sample lifted from the dodgy 80s B Movie "The Entity" and displaying some excellent percussion and a powerful and obscure acid line - it still sounds excellent some twenty four years later. On the flip is the R&S classic "Doughnut Dollies" from New Beat icon Eric Beysens under his HN03 moniker features. It's grubby industrial arpeggio sounding equally vibrant today - especially pitched way down to -8 like the New Beat guys used to do!

Review: Returning to Something for another collection of idiosyncratic house moves, STL collects another six productions from his seemingly bottomless trove. "King Slide Shuffle" coats a mid-tempo groove, growling bassline and eerie strings in an ample coating of dust, while "Please Wait" combines a jazzy double bass riff with snappy clockwork percussion. "Loon Side Drift" meanwhile is characterised by its tribal house undertones, and unusual synthetic pan-pipe tones (somehow they do work, honest), but it's "Stay For Me" that particularly impresses; taking pitched chords and cluttered drums, the producer crafts one of his most satisfyingly deep productions to date. Being an STL 12" it wouldn't be complete without some cheeky locked groves, which are as left of centre as you could expect.

Review: Think you heard all there is when it comes to techno made from Roland analogue gear? Well Andreas Tilliander has other ideas! Well regarded for his musical endeavours as Mokira with numerous albums on labels such as Kontra, Raster Noton, Type and Mille Plateux, Tilliander is a fan of aliases and unveils a new one in TM404 with illuminating results on this eponymous album. Tilliander presents eight polyrhythmic productions apparently recorded live in one take without any post arrangement using a combination of Roland gear, including the TB-303, TR-606, TR-7-07, TR-808 and MC-202 drum machine. Track titles are amusing literal, displaying what combination of each model Tilliander used and the name itself is an in joke for Roland nerds. Strangely meditative and possibly one of the most unique albums released so far this year.

Review: Since launching his own Exploration imprint, Johannes Volk's output has hit a confident stride which allows him to continue extolling the virtues of creative, imaginative techno in the classic sense of the word. With the colourful flair of earliest Detroit, "Submarine Funk" makes this point the clearest, but certainly there are rich melodies and weighty rhythms to be enjoyed across all three tracks. "Aquanautic Tales" is a more stripped and brooding slow burner, while "Newborn" glides on a thick bed of synth, but it's the last track that brings all the elements together for a sci-fi jam that Juan Atkins would be proud of.

Review: With a strong legacy in tough techno excursions behind them, Dutch duo Radial deliver their first new material in two years with this no-nonsense four tracker, headed up by the brooding and seductive title track. Where the original tempers the drums and lets thick swathes of ring modulated melody take control, Swaf's remix jacks up that beat to a thudding industrial stomp of pure function. "Vandal" hides a whisper of electro in its more uptempo backbone, while scraping metal pulses organically around the water-tight drums. Bas Mooy completely revises that track into an electro-techno jam of sinister proportions, as defined by the gruesome bass synth that undulates at its core.