Back catalogue: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Watergate welcomes back a crew of regular artists for an EP taken from the 27th instalment of its long running mix series. The Adana Twins kick off with a dark and bubbling minimal house number to set a late night mood then Sabb & Black Circle combine to great effect on the more uplifting, piano laced 'Vega', no doubt inspired by the house icon of the same name. Flip it over for 'Suwedi', a tech house track that traps you in a trance with computer melodies and last of all Emanuel Satie & Nanghiti get all spiritual and joyous with the warm house surges of 'Forever More.'

Review: The latest single from Jamie Smith's 2015 album In Colour, featuring The xx bandmate Romy Madley Croft, gets the remix treatment from a pretty stellar cast. Starting off, Hivern Discs boss John Talabot gets on board with his "Loud Synths Reconstruction" which definitely lives up to its name on this driving proggy take on the track. Ed Russell aka West Country bass techno auteur Tessela steps up and delivers a typically thumping and funked up rendition which is a real highlight on here. On the flip, Cologne's Barnt delivers yet another dark journey through the cosmic hole and the legendary Matthew Herbert offers us his take; sublime deep house and yet again; sampling everything but the kitchen sink!

Review: Swiss minimal techno imprint Relikt is back with its first release for 2023 and another various artists sampler that once again showcases a fine curation of all things minimal and deep. On the A-side, you've got Jan Dro with the swing-fuelled tech house groove of 'Through The Tunnel', followed by Alexander Matchak's late night mood music on 'My Favorite Game'. Over on the flip, Mathii similarly nails that classic Cabinet Records sound of old on the sensual 'Motions' followed by Dajku Twins with the feelgood boompty vibes of 'Blue Light'.

Review: Steve O'Sullivan invites a trio of artists to lay down some serious head nodding beats for 'Rhythm Method Vol.4'. Calling on one of Canada's trusted talents and solid purveyors of deep grooves Jay Tripwire leads the charge with 'Mung Bean Medley'. There's simply no messing: pushing through a taught rhythmic workout, incessant toms and metallic tones etch deep into the mood - awash with dubbed out atmospherics and crafty touches that more than a give a nod to the dark house dubs of yesteryear. On the flip, 'Hidden Sequence' inject their creative flex, demonstrating the all important art of minimalist bounce with 'Synchro'. The kind of fully swung beats and tripped out twinges that brighten the groove more often than not when 7am comes calling. The svelte bustle and soothing tones of 'Makka' from Fletcher by contrast, soothe the mind and leaves plenty of room to kick back as weary limbs take their toll: a fine tonic indeed.

Review: Label boss Ben Jones steps up to curate the third outing on Before. It finds him working with Benjamin Joseph on opener 'Soothe', a stripped-back and warm house roller with crisp hits. Robert James then remixes with a more broken vibe and old-school baselines. On the flip, James then steps up with 'Dmode' with its a punchy cut with drilling bass and tripped-out effects. Ben Jones & Benjamin Joseph then return the remix favour with their own take on 'Dmode'. It's darker and more heads down, with silky synths and plenty of late-night intrigue keeping you locked.

Review: Purism leaps into action once more, this time welcoming a strong cast of lesser known characters that fit right into the adventurous approach to house and techno that the label has forged its reputation on. All these producers make their first appearances here, but you wouldn't know it listening to the quality of the tracks on offer. Rafael Kasma's "Static Rope" is a quintessential grooving house jam with some killer filtered chords, while Munir Nadir brings the twitchy minimalism vibes on "Milagro". Jackie is on a sultry, jazzy deep house tip with "Lune" and Mag0 rounds things off with the cheeky, quirky funk of "Spectrum".