Back catalogue: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Random Factor's 'On The Air' EP is a hugely sought-after classic by those who know. It came on Ralph Lawson's ever-reliable 20/20 Vision and now, as it turns 25 years old, he has decided it is the right time to get it remastered and reissued. 'On The Air' is first up on this fine EP from Carl Finlow and it has serene synths that bring to mind Detroit techno soul over pulsing bass and slick drums. 'Lockdown' has a raw vocoder vocal over punchy drums and twitchy synth stabs and 'Undercurrent' is another weapon that has more than withstood the test of time as it bumps along on funky drums and is overlaid with more playful synth patterns. 'Disconnect' is a crunchy and 8-bit closer with pixelated synths and screwy acid lines. Superb.

Review: Reboot has been committed to the art of minimal tech house for a long time now, and his sound evolves with the same measured elegance as his DJ sets. There's space for balmy deep house chords and disco loops in the stew now, but crisp functionality and tracky immersion remains the order of the day as 'Make You Move' locks into to its seductive arrangement. 'Alternate' toys with swirling, dubby synth work around the steadfast beat, while 'Unstop' piles on a little more hand-drum action for a dense, engrossing rhythm workout - whichever mood you're after and however long you want to ride them, these tracks won't let you down in the mix.

Review: Offenbach upstart Tom Ries has been impressing with his playful take on minimal since debuting in 2017, and he's on especially fun and funky form for this first release on Inadequate Audio. Every track is a winner, but 'MM Swimsuit' is a particularly deadly cut thanks to the combination of swinging, sizzling drums, pinging sound design and warm, smudgy chords cast in a jazzy tone that only adds to the grooviness. Every track has its own distinct character, making this a must-check for anyone who likes their shuffling minimal to play out with flair.

Review: London-based artist and Semi Delicious label head Demi Riquisimo brings some peak time future tech inspiration to his new Windows 95 Anthem EP on Higher Ground. He has already dropped signature sounds on Ninja Tune, DJ Tennis' Life & Death and collaborated with Carlita, UNKLE and TSHA, so is very much a man of the moment. In this EP he leans on Italo and acid for his melodic licks which are high speed and glossy as they surge over crispy beats and retro-future keys. Chloe Caillet and Spray also add their own remixes to this tidy new 12".

Review: UK DJ and producer Justin Robertson is back with his latest 12" record 'Deadstock 33s', the fourth release on the up-and-coming Pamela Records label. This record is filled with groovy little tracks that blend various genres into one. 'In Minus Shadows' has a nice psychedelic campfire funk to it, with the dub-like 'Cup Of Silence' and the electro sounds of 'Of Ghosts' completing the package. Eclectic and unique dance music - very cool tunes here.

Review: Parisian producer Franck Roger lands on Nu Groove with 'Cosmic Tree' EP, a four-track outing of deep house perfectly at home on the legendary NYC label. Still going strong almost 35 years after its inception, it's nice to see the label is still welcoming fresh talent: Roger delivers a sultry, sauna-dunked steam on 'Part Of My Soul', one of the most contented-sounding house tracks we've heard in a while, thanks in part to the vocal stylings of Rimarkable; then there's the more repetitious ardour of 'Radik'Hall', 'Cosmic Funk' and 'The Music', all of which revel in the purely seductive potentialities of deep house production. "The music just turns me on!"

Review: The Off Grid label outta Germany serves up its third 12" here and opts for a four-tracker from various artists. TINI's 'WHAT WHAT' kicks off with a bumping house cut that's wired up with some spaced-out pads and warped synths. Rickie then gets all wonky and loose with his off-balance 'Explosion' which has blurts of bass and snappy low ends and GNMR's 'Controlled By Mefistofele' gets more wonky and textural with smeared and smudged sounds and a nice acid bassline. Session 4000 shuts down a high-impact and fresh EP with the astral and speed-out tech with 'C'est Wild'.

Review: Joe Babylon's cultured US label Roundabout Sounds has never rushed music out but when it does serve up new material it is always timeless and top quality. This latest EP is the first installment in the new All Hands series and it features some real house heavyweights. Frits Wentink kicks off with the mystic and lo-fi depths of 'Jellyfish, then DJ Aakmael layers up his soft edge chords and cuddly kicks drums with some muted horn motifs that bring the romance. The label head brings some upright drums and spoken word lyrics for a beautifully warm sound and last of all Detroit royalty Rick Wilhite links with Jon Easley for a final blissed-out and breezy deep house day dream.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


We're never short of new Ricardo Villalobos material and he's generous with his time as a mixer, but this project offers something different from the Chilean mad scientist of minimal. A Mountain Of One are a duo who deal in Balearic-leaning pop with a subtle charm and an adventurous spirit, and they initially approached Villalobos for a single remix of one of their tracks. As a fan of their sound, Villalobos ran with the project and it wound up as a full remix album of seven different versions. On the earlier tracks Ricardo takes a surprisingly light touch, while the later stages find us knee deep in the mesmerising roll of his minimal house, shot through with dubbed out ingredients from the original songs. It's surprising and satisfying in equal measure, showing Villalobos at his best and quite the scoop for A Mountain Of One.

Review: Ten year anniversary? Has it really already been ten years since Recondite's sophomore album 'Hinterland' came out?! Recondite almost single-handedly was responsible in many peoples eyes for the resurgence in techno during the early 2010s. After beating down the doors of Ghostly International for many years, the fans finally get their wish in the shape a new, shiny reissue. Coming on smokey black vinyl this time, nobody has a reason to not have this record in their collection. Included are legendary tracks like 'Stems', 'Clouded' and 'Leafs'. Many think that not only is this the best Recondite album but one of the best techno albums of the year 2013.