Back catalogue: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Massive weirdo minimal tech verging on wackout experimental dance from the Planete 51 crew, welcoming five of their greatest to the fore for a new V/A. With producer Brent kicking things off with a fiery fidgeter whose predilection for variation seems to know no end, 'Etoile' is a buzzing, alarmingly comical track, working in strange UI zaps, wobbles and film samples at seemingly every twist and turn. The vibe continues into the Chanbara themed 'Wazabi Sword', which is the ultimate samurai deep tech crossover tune. Itarima weirds things out further with 'Amour Degueulasse' with weirdcore detunings on the lead, before Nathanael takes on a mood of nighttime noir to close things out.

Review: Kompakt have billed their latest collaborative spiritual house release - three groove sandwiches shared between Deer Jade, David Hasert and Nicone - as an antidote to the all-to-prevalent late-winter blues and lack of sun, an affliction that seems to blight ravers in particular. Aside from canvassing for more outdoor and/or glass-roofed venues, all we can do in the meantime is weight the tonearm and jog-start the disc; 'Jukurpa' and 'Wasting My Time With You' are just the course of sonic vitamins us daywalkers need. The former is a deep, righteous blur of just piano tritones and circumscribed handholds around fires, as weighted knee-slaps and impacts evoke the feeling of a collective ritual come out-of-body experience. 'Cosmic Dream' returns to the very same rave spot at nighttime; at this point, it's all gone a bit lunar-psy, but the desert winds and temperate nighttime heat allow ample energy for continued soul flight.

Review: Voodoos & Taboos unveil their anticipated new LPs series with Human Aventura, the debut self-titled album from the promising Corsican producer. An unusual dance release modelling itself on electro and chiptune, but finding itself somewhere in the hidden interstice between them, this is a self-described "libidinous Mediterranean spoken disco" album, giving elements of Telex or Kraftwerk, albeit with a progressive bent best heard on pithy cuts 'Solid State Scouter'. Not one to be missed for those who like it intelligent, fidgety and FMmy.

Review: Munir Nadir has been breaking through in the past few years with essential releases on 4Plae, Nuts On Board and Outcast Planet. Now he's minting a new label called Odd One Tape out of Italy, and bringing his playful, synth-rich sound with him. There's a nod to Italo and 80s electro in the sampling and throbbing, analogue groove of 'Rhythmistic', while 'Bass Jam' tips more towards the early 00s electro house boom a la Tiefschwarz and Tomas Andersson. 'Urban Whispers' has a more jackin' flavour with some low down sub freakiness thrown in for good measure, and 'Binary Technologies' brings the heat on the B2 with a powerful arpeggio and hard-slapping drums.

Review: The unstoppable Fuse continues its X series with a meeting between Italian veteran Alex Neri and next generation Florence-rooted hero Mennie. The sound is big, bold and 90s on this EP, with 'Reality' setting the tone perfectly with its trance-informed arps, sensual rhythm section and 'outer space' speech samples. 'Find Me' has a slightly more intricate techno make up to its synth work, while 'Rockets' shrugs off the grandiose synths for a tougher rhythm track sprinkled with acid. 'Watch Me' completes the picture with a rawer, nastier workout that maintains that old-stool flavour the duo have laid down on this deadly release.