Back catalogue: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Phonotheque Records presents Juan Dairecshion (a pseudonym of Juan Bozzolasco) with 'El Metodo' for its eighth release, laying down an extremely well-crafted, tenebrous techno, house and tech house spine-tingler for the sensitive ear come nervous system. The Uruguayan producer is said to possess a broad range, flaunting an ability to indulge both club-ready rhythms and darker, deeper moments, and this is more than laid bare on the exposition 'Low Pression', coining a brilliant new cognate of "pressure" while opting for a kickless, sinister tension, its space-age SFX and eerie percussions landing the tune somewhere between Roswell and a New York alleyway. Things get more orthodox from there, though the record never once lets up on its eerie dance dramatics; 'Nostalgico', 'Re-progre', 'UBM' and 'It's All About Love' are the increasingly ethereal highlights among them, as the record grows weirder and weirder, hollower and hollower.

Review: Germany's Marvin Dash is one of those house producers who is on the radars of those who know, but should have a much wider profile given his skills. He mixes up Detroit vibes and minimal grooves and has done for more than 30 years. Back in the early days he worked with the notorious Lowtec and was at the heart of the DIY scene in East Germany. Now some of his best work from that time gets reissued on this fine double album which is a quality blend of emotive house groves, loose-limbed tech workouts and immersive downtempo soundscapes.

Review: DDWY appeared on Public Possession label earlier in the year when they put out their Chill Pill compilation and their contribution was the perfectly balearic dance gem 'Orchard'. Now the pair is back with a limited edition album, Sprig Songs. It lays out their distinctive take on dance music which is dubbed out and trippy, often slow paced, doused in proggy melodies and all flavoured with unique Nangis chants. The spell binding selection includes the warped rhythms and FX of 'Green Villa' and otherworldly depths of 'Do Deers Dream?' while 'Hair Spiders' is a more dancefloor ready and dubbed out beatdown.

Review: As part of a new reissues bundle of the work of Canadian dance music extraordinaire Deadmau5, the 2010 album 4x4=12 now gets an as-it-was reissue via EMI. Including some of the helmeted spectacle's most enduring contribution to the dance music world from the era - including 'Some Chords', 'Animal Rights' with Wolfgang Gartner, 'Sofi Needs A Ladder', and 'Raise Your Weapon' with Greta Svabo Bech - the overall 11 tracks here are a worthy blast from the past, documenting the juncture at which Zimmerman moved on from huge walls of emotive progressive house gush, and segwayed into a techier, more mathematical sound befitting of electro house verging on complextro.

Review: Originally released in 2012, '> album title goes here <' is the sixth studio album by Canadian electronic music producer & composer Deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman). The 13-track album features a handful of Deadmau5' biggest hits, including but not limited to: 'The Veldt' with Chris James, 'Professional Griefers' with Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, 'Channel 42' with Wolfgang Gartner, and 'Telemiscommunications' with Imogen Heap. Now reissued for an even-more contemporary audience, this latest coloured vinyl version provides a new window into the world of the helmeted muroid cynic, and the humorously updated progressive house sound he helped trailblaze.

Review: Desire once again demonstrate their prowess in the field of coldwave synth escapism with this new long player for Italians Do It Better. As soon as 'Black Latex' kicks into gear you know you're in for a red-lit thrill ride that captures all the seduction and mystery of nocturnal body music played the old-skool way. The kit list features such staples as the Jupiter 8, D-50 and Mellotron, while a revolving cast of ghostly vocals impart their message in English, French and Korean. This multi-lingual vibe only serves to take us further away from familiar territory into the displaced surrealism of the sound world Desire like to call home.

Review: Malmo, Sweden-based Bolero Record store boss Dip Shim comes correct on his debut album with a sublime series of personal and storytelling cuts that find him digging deep into his reserves. The music is said to draw on his childhood in Spain and mixes up elements of downtempo, electro, techno and house. Across the 12 tracks there is plenty to explore with pensive electro opener 'Enter The Maragrillo' twitchy downbeat acid jam 'One For Regen' and deep space ambient soundtrack 'Bases Didacticas' all making an indelible impact.

Review: Though his career has taken many turns over the last decade, DJ Koze has remained that most illusive of creatures: a minimal-minded producer with an ear for a melody. This fourth full-length, packed to the rafters with big-name collaborations (Apparat, Caribou, Ada and Matthew Dear all feature), continues his move towards the home-listening sphere. So, while many of the heady rhythms and shuffling grooves hark back to his stripped-back past, Amygdala impresses with its woozy songs, genre-straddling fusions (see the modern soul meets deep house of "Homesick" or the steppy, tropical vibes of "Marilyn Whirlwind") and homely atmosphere.

Review: DJ Koze is a master of his craft, and without even so much as lifting a finger, it's proven yet again with his 10th Anniversary Edition of 'Amygdala.' Known for its experimental yet minimal style - which has since trailblazed in his home country of Germany - Koze's knife-edge productions for the LP were far ahead of their time in 2013, breathing fresh life into an often exhausted genre, while also enlisting the help of fellow titans such as Caribou, Apparat, Dirt Von Lowtzow, Milosh and Matthew Dear. It's a classic album of restless detail and domestic lowercasery. Much-aped, but never outmatched.

Review: DJ Sotofett returns with a double 12" packed with eight hard-hitting, underground techno tracks. Featuring frequent collaborators LNS, L.A. 2000, Ronny Nyheim, and Zarate_Fix, this release is a direct nod to the no-nonsense techno nights at Berlin's iconic Tresor club, where Sotofett holds residency. Each track is crafted with pure dancefloor energy in mind, moving through dub-driven techno, acidic overtones, and percussive basslines, all delivered with a raw, uncompromising edge. WANIA mk1 is a masterclass in DJ-ready versatility, perfect for those who love their techno stripped back and potent. Standout cuts include the bombastic, percussion-heavy Preparation and the 909-vocoder-fuelled My Spirit Is In Techno Music, both of which exemplify the release's dedication to the underground essence of the genre. With alternative mixes from WANIA mk2 making an appearance, the album offers both continuity and innovation, keeping true techno fans hooked from start to finish. Sotofett's attention to detail in programming, mixing, and mastering is evident throughout, making this a must-have for DJs and clubbers who live and breathe the core of real, unfiltered techno music. WANIA mk1 isn't just an album; it's a statement for those who value authenticity in their club experience.

Review: Dana Kelley's archives continue to yield more incredible compilations from the Above Board-steered Guidance revival. Put together with the blessing and assistance of the late house producer's family, this second volume of Boston Boy goes even deeper into his archives, touching on the tough-as-you-like broken beat brilliance of 'Something About You', the sprightly, jazzy deep house of 'Trifling' and some heady unreleased DAT grabs which will have long-time devotees flipping out. Long may Kelley's incredible touch filter out into the global house music community.

Review: A sprawling, typically irreverent effort from the ever-prolific DMX Krew. With each unfolding track, Edward Upton charts a new tributary in the Detroit-Berlin-Sheffield pipeline, from the grouchy technoid stomp of 'Bathtime Bobby', to the hazy chillout room introspection of 'Escape To 92', to the dazzled machine funk of aptly named elektro quest 'Desperate Measures'. Another thoroughly satisfying entry in the ever-growing DMX catalogue, Spiral Dance is a sizzling hotplate of timeless electro wizardry.