Back catalogue: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Steve Bug is going on 30+ years of writing electronic music and travelling the world as a top DJ with no signs of letting up. It Just Happened is his latest and finds its way to the legendary and iconic Nu Groove records. It must be daunting to release music on such an amazing label. 'It Just Happened' has all the makings of a classic worthy enough for the Nu Groove logo. Veteran Cle who has worked on many projects with Steve is featured here as well. For those that really know Steve Bug's background, they know he is equally involved in house music as he is with techno. Tracks like 'Crew Thing' show his ability to make a standout house track while 'House Music Transcends' closes things out with your hands in the air. We respect Steve Bug so much for his work over the years. When he is old skool mode like he is on this EP, you just have to say respect to the man. Respect!

Review: Groovin Italy landed a monumental reissue for the label with C'hantal's 'The Realm'. Originally released way back in 1990 on the dance and early Brooklyn based Powertraxx records. Staying true to the original release, it offers the 'Love In D Minor' mix but does one better in tucking in the Acapella version to the A-side so the B-side 2 versions have a little more room to breathe. The added bonus has to be putting on the more rare "Wild Club mix' to the party along with the original 'Rave Mix'. All and all, a very packed reissue of some of the best versions of the track, all on one record. This might just hold the number one spot for best techno reissue so far of 2024.

Review: Chicago's utmost finest Daniel Chavez brings his four latest house cuts to the East Coast via Brooklyn's Deep Club label. The 'Seasons' EP harks back to Chavez' formative days as a prime pusher in the former city's golden era of deep and dubby house, which initially began with him cycling around its South Side with a bag full of records and a small PA system strapped to his back. This bright spark of autonomy and intuition led to residencies at Smartbar and Gramaphone, which went hand-in-hand with a budding production career, which would soon blossom into a master-craftsmanship behind the controls. Now well into said career, these tracks were designed and refined over the course of a year to meet the strict specifications of his trusty Jewel soundsystem. All knocky smokers of top clarity, fidget and depth - a hard balance to strike.

Review: Pierre Codarin is back on the delicious sounding Spaghetti Club with a much anticipated new EP, High Times. Evolving his sound since his last outing, here the UK producer crafts a cosmic four-track record that explores diverse territories with refined house textures. The A-side kicks off with the punchy 'Herbies Chanz' featuring an elastic groove and squelchy acid beeps. On the flip side, 'Viennese Whirl' serves up funky vibes for the dancefloor and the title track, 'High Times,' radiates feel-good energy with shining chords and driving beats. Closing with 'Ruff Rumble,' this is the sort of EP that switches the dance floor up through the gears.

Review: Euphonics, an EP released via Restless Planet, is three artists coming together to create a strong look at minimal music today. Adam Collins' 'Drexel' sets the tone with its quirky, minimal grooves and a captivating blend of the strange and the familiar. Christine Benz's 'GB3' offers a melodic respite, showcasing her prowess in tech house. The final track, 'Effluxion' by Intensive Purposes, emerges as the standout piece for us, transporting listeners to an idyllic island paradise with its tribal house rhythms. Together, these three tracks showcase the diversity and innovation within the electronic music scene.

Review: Radial Records is the product of the friendship between the two artists Cosmjn and Lizz, coming together here to promote their sound, musical ideas and passion for electronic music. The two said that they want their record label to lead to cultural exchanges and a blending of musical influences, enriching the electronic music scene and promoting cross-cultural exchanges and for the first release on the label it makes complete sense for them to share top billing and set the tone. Simply called 'Radi 001', the EP has each one doing two tracks of all new music. Cosmjn's first track 'Touchstrip' is a dark tribal tech builder that has some prog house and a perfect amount of jackin' in it. 'Systems' is an electro funk party track that is perfect for poppin' and lockin'. Lizz's two tracks 'Restore Your Fear' and 'Future', meanwhile, are house burners that show the way forward in house music. If this is sign of what's to come on the label, than make sure to keep tabs on this project.

Review: Costin RP is, to us at least, one of the newer names to emerged from the ever fruitful Romanian scene. Of course he makes minimal for the late night hours, but his own take on it has a little sense of fun and playfulness as evidenced by this new EP on BPLR. 'About Us opens up with a drunken sense of off-balance rhythm and shiny synth leads that never stop evolving. Sit then remixes and brings more defined drum funk to his version while 'Bad Waters' shuts down with some raved-up synth stabs and tripped lines that rise up and down through the mix in nice loose fashion.

Review: The mysterious Creature is back with the seventh release on the blazing hot self-titled label. We have a clue who is behind this label but we aren't 100% sure who is making these impressive slabs of house music. For this edition, 'Singing' cleverly picks out a few lines from Moloko's 'Sing It Back' and turns it into dancefloor devastation. On the second side is the exceptionally dirty and sleezy grinder called 'Freaking'. Both, when used properly, should wreak havoc on the floor and make serious waves in the minimal techno world.

Review: This is the 13th release for the Czech Republic techno label Harmony Records and sees a return of a regular contributor in Alfred Czital plus Ayu. This joint EP sees two pieces that are co-produced and then a single track by each, which gives the record a unique flow. 'The Robbery' is an upbeat breakbeat that strides the line between techno and trance. We like how these songs stay in the sweet spot and don't go overboard into a cheesiness like with 'In The End'. For a more psy-trance and techno track to keep in the groove is the refreshing. 'Body High', giving us big flashbacks of warehouse raves in 1994. We love the energy these sustain. With a psy influence throughout, fans of futuristic techno will love these darker bangers.

Review: Here's a new transmission from lesser-known cats operating in the minimal underground. PUNCHIS seem to be committed to keeping things low key and letting the tunes do the talking, which is absolutely fine given the quality of the music contained within. Delaj sets the tone of the record as dubby and moody with the slender minimal breaks of 'The Path of Life' before Cirkel Square offers up a swirling minimal tech house offering with sumptuous synth work to slide your mind into. Nicola Brusegan invites Mariana to lay down some vocals nodding to the mighty Erykah Badu on 'Touch Me', and DOMO rounds the record off with the shuffling, rubbery funk of 'Settle Down'.

Review: Man of many aliases Ron Wells is undoubtedly an under-appreciated British dance music hero - a producer who delivered a string of innovative jungle-techno releases in the early 90s and has been serving up killer cuts in a variety of styles ever since. Here he dons the Jack Smooth alias (a moniker he debuted way back in 1991) for a collaborative four-tracker alongside fellow storied veteran Anthony Wilson AKA Chicago Loop. They begin in sensational fashion via the bleep-sporting analogue acid house of 'Waverider', before opting for warehouse-ready early UK techno sounds on the gnarled and nasty 'Innervision'. 'Blunderbuss' adds warped hardcore rave sounds to a sweat-soaked jackin' house beat, while 'Under The Influence' sounds like a long lost, loved-up tech-house blueprint from 1994. Stellar stuff all told.

Review: More proper tacker makes it way to vinyl here courtesy of the blow label who enlist four more producers of this latest various artists EP. Kitchen Plug's 'Cheat Code' marries the best of tech, garage, dub and house into a kinetic bit of body music that oozes warm and lo-fi soul. CYMKA brings kaleidoscopic colour and squelchy acid to 'Sweet Peach' then it's all pout old school piano rave madness from Batenko on 'Inside Summer 21'. Last of all is the searing electro funk of Les Hauts with 'Passing Clouds', a blisteringly quick trip into another dimension with some rueful chord work. Sensational EP.

Review: The already well-travelled 'I Am a Dancer' cut that was originally produced by Marc Romboy and C.A.R. and debuted on Kompakt's acclaimed Total 21 album now undergoes some vibrant transformations with three new mixes. Marc Romboy & Sinisa Tamamovic goes first and make it into a steamy, weighty but deep and pulsing track that drips with sweat and lust. The Skatman remix is much more for the big room with its grinding low ends and epic breakdowns and Dense & Pika then bring some unstoppable and rolling waves of techno power to their version. Cheers.

Review: Domenic Cappello is a long time legend of the scene who has been in the form of his life of late. As such he finally drops a much anticipated and long awaited debut album 'Basement Philosophy on Alien Communications that comes 20 years after he started making beats. Cappello's sound permeates the whole record as it traverses diverse sonic landscapes with captivating potency. Opening with 'Mushroom Waltz', dreamy pads and lively chords set the tone, leading into the soulful depths of 'Midnight with T'. 'Early Flight' builds cerebral atmospheres with characteristic snapping drums. 'Acid Rain' evokes nostalgia, while '3am Jamaica Street' pulsates with peak-time energy. 'Moon Jump' offers languid melodies reminiscent of classic Underground Resistance and electro-inspired 'Burning Past' and 'Not for Instagram DJs' conclude ta high class record in style.