Juno Recommends Techno: Best of 2023

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: This reissue of Underground Resistance's seminal Nation 2 Nation LP is a significant moment; the group's messages of liberation and resistance feel as relevant as ever, not least given the reivisionist concept behind this EP. Perhaps, though, we should resist chinstroking too much; for the original liner notes of this seminal release criticize the over-intellectualization of characteristically African American art forms such as house, hip-hop, jungle and jazz. Even so, this 1991 classic stands as tall as ever, with sax contributions from Lenny Price helping to explore exactly what jazz would sound like if it had originated with the analogue gear that was available to UR's members, decades later.

Review: When Broom met Hood! To celebrate M Plant's 20th anniversary, Robert Hood is planning a whole host of events and releases including a sequence of 12"s that see classics and rarities remixed and edited. Who better to inaugurate the series than Hood's UK contemporary Mark Broom? Here Broom digs deep into the M Plant archives, choosing to work with "Untitled 1" from Hood's Moveable Parts series and "One Touch" from the Minimal Nation album. Canvas Hood fans and the majority will probably nominate the first edition of the Moveable Parts series as one of their favourites, so it's little surprise that Broom elected to add his own signature dirty funk to the opening track for this 12". His edit of Minimal Nation opener "One Touch" proves to be just as effective, playing toyfully with the bassline whilst dicing the beats with undoubtedly dark results.

Review: Since opting to release more music under his given name, DeepChord man Rod Modell has largely stuck to dubbed-out ambience and heady drone soundscapes. His latest full-length is a little different, though, offering up club-focused cuts that mix his usual fuzzy aural textures and dub-fired motifs with up-tempo techno rhythms. By his standards, it's a very forthright set, with highlights including the noise-soaked stomp of "Reiki", the thrusting heaviness of "ITO", the hypnotic slam of "Jade" - where breezy, early morning electronics flutter away above tough drums and a mind-altering bassline - and the boisterous peak-time techno anthem "Scrawler".

Review: First available digitally earlier in the year and now finally out on wax, this tidy 12" showcases a quartet of killer cuts from the studios of In Dust We Trust co-founders, Chaos in the CBD (New Zealand-born siblings Ben and Louis Helliker-Hales) and Jon Sable. The trio offer up two collaborative cuts, both of which give different spins on the fusion of dub techno and hypnotic deep house. There's opener 'Mahia Madness', a thickset, late-night number that's as dubby and hazy as any Deepchord record, and the gently picturesque, Sprinkles-esque 'To Puke Thunder'. The EP also boasts a solo track apiece, with Chaos in the CBD opting for non-stop, energy-packed deep techno hypnotism ('Coral Castle'), and Sable reaching for dreamy deep house chords and rubbery broken beats ('Ascension Island').

Review: The latest from Steve O'Sullivan and Mosaic's archive-raiding series sees the first ever airing of an unreleased extended mix of the soft and soul-drenched 'Composure', plus two choice selections on the flip - the sleek sub-bass powered 'She Don't Do Chicks' and a dub mix of the equally streamlined 'Bumper Car'. If the A-side is a luxurious period piece of sorts - it could be related to Underground Resistance's 'Galaxy 2 Galaxy' for instance - then two on the other side could have been made yesterday they're so relevant and playable, coasting along with the kind of subtly jacking framework and dubby basslines that G Man made his own. All lovingly re-mastered at The Exchange too.

Review: After a five year album-hiatus, the iconic UK artist is back with his highly-anticipated release, Crash Recoil, which has found its home on the equally iconic Tresor. Drawn from the spontaneous experimentation of Surgeon's live sets, Crash Recoil spans eight MIDI-sequenced, hardware-reconfigured tracks, inflected with the artist's signature penchant for raw and rugged sound. The first track, 'Oak Bank', builds up to a throbbing core - a cacophony of driving percussion and side-stepping melodic layers that shift expertly in and out of focus. 'Second Magnitude Stars' moves with a tidal rhythm, like waves retreating backwards across shingle before crashing forwards once again with force. 'We Laugh & Clap At The Circus' is, texturally speaking, a touch lighter and more spacious, yet still replete with a sense of spiralling chaos. 'Leadership Contes' feels closer to ground-level - earthy yet eerie atmospheres meld with drums that seem located in the subterranean. A masterful album from the techno key-player - well worth the five year wait.

Review: M Plant's 20 Year anniversary celebrations are set to end on a high with a triple CD compilation featuring a wealth of new, remastered and unreleased material alongside some classics from the Robert Hood canon. Before then, the latest in an ongoing series of celebratory 12" releases sees Hood look to the classic Protein Valve, which was the first 12" issued on M Plant back in 1994. The title track has already been subject to some edits as part of this M Plant 20 series, but it's nice to see three tracks from that original 12" reissued here as a reminder how Hood's pioneering minimal approach first took shape. Look out for new Hood production "Analog Track (Ghost)" wedged in amongst the protein too!

Review: A truly landmark album in the history of techno, Richie Hawtin set the bar very high for himself and his Plastikman alias with this record. Sheet One is fabled in many ways, from the notorious blotter-sheet sleeve to the inscription about drug consumption on the run-out groove, but its the music itself which has stood the test of time. Wringing layers of emotion from a 303 beyond what most thought was possible, Hawtin created an exciting new extrapolation of the Detroit techno he took his lead from, foreshadowing the increased minimalism which was yet to come. Some 30 years old and still a dazzling masterpiece of modern electronic music, it's sounding better than ever on this special edition reissue via Novamute.

Review: Tresor's extended focus on reissuing old Drexciya and Drexciya-related projects continues here with this version of Shifted Phases' 'The Cosmic Memoirs Of The Late Great Rupert J Rosinthrope'. A short-lived alias of Drexciya's beloved James Stinson, Shifted Phases' only LP here is one of few affiliated projects that has remained out of print ever since its rather low-key release in 2002. Wildly popular despite it, the music heard on the album is undeniable early electro, locking in a characteristically frank, almost meek, yet astro-nautical electro sound. Scratchy crud and sonar feedback beeps extend to the deepest sonic reaches on this one; you better salvage it from the abyssal waters of history (by copping it), and quick.

Review: Take a trip back into a classic from the Echospace archives as we get treated to a remastered edition of CV313's 'Sailingstars'. The original mix of the track is a perfect dub techno workout from Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell, roundly defined by the shimmer and shift of the chords, crackling with electricity and strapped to a meditative pulse. The Intrusion versions take things much further out, with the 'Twilight Dub' of 'Subtraktive' heading right to the fringes as the slither of a beat buffets along the faintest wisps of texture and tone. The 'Reform' of 'Sailingstars' is a little more forthright, subtly dubbing out the original structure with all the refinement you expect from these dub techno totems.

Review: Big up to the Outlaw label for hitting double digits here, and in some style too. It is the to-the-point techno of Modernism that makes the occasion with four distinctive cuts. The open is a dubbed-out jam with Detroit-style pads and raw future soul. 'Formless 0.1' (Havantepe version) has a bit more swing and bigger wooden hits to really lock you in. 'Formless 0.2' carries on in the same lovely analogue vibe with well crafted drums and majestic pads bringing the beauty. Last of all, the frosty dub chords of 'Formless 0.3' ripple out in all directions to melt mind, body and soul.

Review: The small but already well-formed Innate label offers up a superb split EP for its sixth outing. Gilbert opens up with 'Low Flying Objects', a widescreen and serene bit of synth-laden tendon with more than a hint of Motor City soul over the dusty drums. 'Unknown Entities' is a brain-cleansing and celestial electro-styled cut with dreamy pads and cinematic deepness. Bristol-born, Welsh-rooted Owain K then steps up to the flip with equally painterly sounds. 'Corona Borealis' pairs deep and rubbery bass with crisp electro drum patterns and far-sighted chords. 'New Horizon' then closes out with some delightfully dozy deep house that's laden with wispy chords and undulating bass.

Review: Minimal Man is the legendary studio partnership between Eon (aka Ian Loveday) and Baby Ford. They cooked up some of minimal's most essential tunes some 20-odd years ago and they have become expensive and highly sought after since. This EP is one of them and it features three killer cuts that will move a dancefloor as much today as ever. 'Make A Move' has a pent-up energy and forward drive that sweeps you up and keeps you locked amongst soft hi-hats and vamping chords. Part 2 is a little darker and more mysterious, with the drum loops a little edgier and the mood that bit more mischievous. 'Stay On' closes down with bubbling drum funk and swirling abstract synth world from deep inside some distant nebula in the sky.

Review: In keeping with other reissues from the Echospace archives, CV313 have revisited and remastered their 2010 classic 'Infinit-1'. The single leads with some quintessential immersion from Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell, all metallic chord pulses billowing through steely ambience guided by deep-ploughing rhythms. The 'Remodel' takes a more subliminal approach as the chord becomes a low frequency sonic just below the surface. The B-side is given over to STL, whose singular approach to stripped and sublime dub techno is never better than on this beautifully hazy early morning twist on 'Infinit-1'.

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Review: UK artist David Duncan recorded only one EP as Ability II but it is one of those which has become an utter cult classic and much sought-after 12". The story goes that the bassline on this one was so deep the mastering engineer had a problem cutting it. There is no evidence of it on this reissue though - that bassline powers the tune perfectly as the plunging kick drums and dancing synths get you moving your body. Perfectly deployed vocals bring heart-aching soul as this most warm and dubby cut drowns you in timeless deep techno. Next to the gorgeous original mix is an extended dub for even more drawn-out late-night dance floor pleasures.

Review: Orbital are national treasures when it comes to electronic acts. The duo hasn't dropped a properly new album since 2018 but have of course been at the forefront of electronic music for decades. Optical Delusion is their tenth long player and it finds them collaborating with Midlands pair Sleaford Mods on the single 'Dirty Rat' which has already done plenty of damage. The rest of the record has something of a retro Cabaret Voltaire vibe with elements of punk rock, loud beats and edgy synths. Other collaborators throughout the record include Penelope Isles, Anna B Savage and The Mediaeval Baebes and the whole hating was recorded in the pair's Brighton studio.

Review: Long before Karen was a universally accepted epithet for entitled middle-class white woman, there was Karenn, an uncompromising techno duo who do artful things with menacing noise. Pariah and Blawan have been on and off making music together since first launching this project in 2011 but whenever they do, it's worth hearing. This one on Voam is another case in point: 'Feeling Horizontal' is a monstrous and ghoulish stomper with twisted vocal darkness, while 'Happy Birthday' is a more lithe and bouncy cut with rubbing low ends and zippy synth texture. 'From Hunk To Husk' carries on the brutalist approach with more intense voices, bass and drums, and 'When Lutes Were A Thing' is a brain-bogging mix of sludgy sounds, spangled percussion and metallic surfaces.

Review: Warp continues to comb back through the landmark Artificial Intelligence series with this landmark record from Jochem Paap, aka Speedy J. Alongside a tandem reissue of Richie Hawtin's F.U.S.E. album Dimension Intrusion, this remastered edition of Ginger takes us back into the heart of early 90s techno innovation, when new ideas were developing globally at a rate of knots. Paap had already established himself in the harder end of the techno pool, but Ginger flipped the script with an immersive, meditative exploration of minimalism and melodic structure. Amongst the eternal classics are some dazzling miniatures deemed 'Fills' which make for some of the most compelling listening on this seminal slice of early 90s techno.

Review: R&S is a cult label that has been at the sharp end now for 40 years. While Joey Beltran is an American producer, his work was often released in Europe via this label and so it makes sense that he remains a core part of what it does today. His Beltram Vol. 1 EP first came all the way back in 1990 here and includes his most iconic tune 'EnergY Flash', which still tears up any dancefloor on which it is dropped. Next to that rave classic come 'Jazz 3033' which makes an acid line do a busy dance over splashy breakbeats. On the flip are the uplifting chords of 'Subsonic Trance' with its prying bass and still future-sounding rhythms. 'Psycho Bass' slows things down to a dark, dread-fuelled swagger. This is the definition of a timeless EP.

Review: Some 14 years after he unleashed the original version of 'The Medium Is The Message' - an attractively deep and melancholic chunk of hypnotic, dub-tinged early morning techno hypnotism - Levon Vincent has decided to revisit and re-make the track on a surprise sequel. On the A-side 'Long Mix', his full vision for the track is materialised, with the original's familiar riffs re-played in hazier, harder form atop a raw, stabbing bassline, more subtly forthright beats and effects-laden percussive fills. It's a brilliant revision all told, which maintains some of the original's sonic poignancy whilst adding a little extra weight and energy. The flip side 'Short Mix' naturally compresses the action, emphasising his breathless percussion builds and the mind-mangling sonic stabs.

Review: Ohm and Octal Industries debuted on this label to great acclaim back in 2022 and now they're back on Lempuyang with Northwest Passage, a first album-length collaboration. This double 12" continues with their themes of failed arctic explorations and mythological creatures and, after 12 previous outings together, might be their best work yet: the sounds are mature and powerful, bleak yet deep. Dubbed-out chords roll to infinite horizons, frozen tundras are detailed with wispy melodies and pulsing, supple techno both soothes the soul and gets the head nodding. This is more stylish, subversive and superbly executed electronic music.

Review: The unstoppable Steve O'Sullivan brings more of his irresistible dub techno goodness to this heavyweight 12" for Taste Not Waste. By now you will be familiar with the sort of sound Steve deals in but somehow it never seems to get old. This one kicks off with a tight and tech-infused roller with clipped kicks and playful chords that bring feel-good vibes. 'Awakening' then has pinging kicks and vamping chords to enliven any floor and last of all is 'The Feels'. It's another perfectly executed club cut with oodles of warm bass and super smooth grooves.

Review: For their second release, Sound Migration has taken a deep dive into the music that soundtracked the infamous Goa party scene - initially populated by exiled hippies, but later a holiday haven for British E casualties and young Israeli ravers - between 1987 and 94. The tracks were chosen by scene stalwart (and key DJ) Ray Castle, making the blend of post-industrial EBM, early trance, new beat, formative progressive house and acid techno accurate and authentic. It's a fantastic musical snapshot that surprisingly sounds fresh and contemporary, with our picks of a very strong bunch including the bustling brilliance of FUSE's 'FU (2) (Re-Edit)', the glassy-eyed Euro synth-pop chug of Psyche's 'The Saint Became A Lush', the dreamy-but-acidic colour of Man With No Name's 'From Within', and the foreboding new beat shuffle of Public Relation's 'Eighty Eight (Instrumental)'.

Review: Fresh, cruddy electro dreamatics from mysterious production outfit Lazer Worshippers here, joining the Atmosphere label to stake their claim to their very own 'theme'. A name like Lazer Worshippers gives off vibes of a apparent machine cult with a penchant for building sonic monuments to our AI-mech overlords. The music is similarly vaunting and numinous, with its synthetic choirs and trilling arps dancing between the left and rights like heavenly visions of a mechanized future. B-siders 'On A Rise' and 'Free Flight' are just as teary-eyed, yet bleepy, recalling the entrancing, oldskool breaksy trance work of Spooky or Digital Justice.

Review: Copenhagen-based Icelander Ohm and Berlin-based Philipp Priebe mine the warmest depths of dub techno here across three stumble originals. 'Flickering Lights' is silky and muted, with smooth drums and claps gliding over a cavernous groove that is subtly lit with sustained chords. The Anton Kubikov remix is more lithe and electronic, with reflective synths and nimble leads making for a minimalistic workout. There is then a shadowy but dynamic dub vibe to 'Sacred Night' before 'Roaming' rives this EP home with a mix of deft sound designs and pillow dub drums. It's brilliantly introspective.

Review: The reissue of Surgeon's classic 1999 album Force & Form brings back the unique sound of the Birmingham techno maestro. With every track from Electric Chicken, Movement, to Prowler hearing a thorough remastering job from the one and only Matt Colton, this album is renowned as one of the true inception points of the Birmingham sound: cold metallics, industrial noise, intense rhythms and unrelenting energy. Considered a turning point in the artist's wilfully scalpel-precise career, Force & Form established Surgeon as a true master of techno.

Review: One of techno's genuinely foundational records, Juan Atkins' 1985 debut single as Model 500, has been treated to the remastered reissue treatment. Effectively an extension of the sci-fi-seeped Afro-futurism he explored with Rik Davis as Cybotron, 'No UFO's' is a Detroit electro classic that sounds every bit as far-sighted now as it did in the mid 1980s. As well as the vocal and instrumental versions, we also get similar takes on original B-side 'Future', an even more spacey-sounding electro jam whose lyrics confidently predict that "techno's here to stay". As he often is, Atkins was of course correct.

Review: There's a beautifully symmetrical aesthetic to the latest Lempuyang release that totally mirrors the impeccably positioned and delicately balanced sounds going on in the grooves. Two of the most consistent producers of the last few years - Altone and Gradient - produce creatively related tracks, the former named 'Day Drama' and the latter taking on 'Night Drama'. Then they hand their respective tracks over to each other for remixing duties and bingo, a pretty vital 12" is created, a gorgeous set of shimmering dubs on the A-side, and some heavyweight business for dark rainy nights on the flip. Both producers employ a modern day dub flavour to their minimal, moody techno, with it probably being fair to say that the influence of Maurizio and the Basic Channel label is fairly significant in the worlds of both. Altone's sound is a little grittier and seemingly fizzing with radioactivity, decaying and disintegrating as each offering proceeds, where there's something a bit more spartan and linear about Gradient's grooves, that seem to undulate and reverberate almost invisibly, propelling these exceptionally mixable, enjoyable DJ tools along almost under their own momentum. Nice work all round.