New releases this week: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Berlin's 11:68PM sets up to the mighty RAND Muzik with four dub-infused tech house weapons. There is a nice grainy aesthetic to opener 'U Need (dub) ' which makes it perfect for gritty warehouses, where it booming kicks and ghostly voices will make for a perfect underground vibe. 'You Do The Talking' is faster and more freaky thanks to robust synth sequences which flutter about the mix. 'Assorted Goods' has a tighter groove and menacing bassline that really kicks you into action and 'Another Day Another Dollar' shuts down with the sort of trippy vocals and well treated synths that soundtrack the early morning moments when the first light begins to peak through the shutters.

Review: Way beyond its New Beat roots, Boccaccio was one of Europe's most influential clubs and known for operating at the cutting edge of house, techno, acid and beyond, and for shaping a distinct sound that defined Sundays in rural Destelbergen. Curated by Olivier Pieters and Stefaan Vandenberghe, Boccaccio Life 1987-1993, released by Belgian label Music Man Records, captures the raw energy of a scene ahead of its time. Four VA Eps from it bring the tracks to wax and this one has four seminal US artists at their most visceral and impactful.

Review: Kiria Records drops a sleek EP here from Romanian DJ and producer Direkt, who keeps it refined with minimal grooves and deep vibes. The title track, 'Vintage A,' opens with classy synth work and crisp percussion, setting a hypnotic tone and Cally's remix follows with a stripped-down, razor-sharp rework ideal for subtle transitions and after-hours sets. Flip to the B, and 'Best Kick Forward' lives up to its name and is driven by bold basslines and forward-moving momentum. Closing track 'Fragments' floats on airy textures and intricate rhythms, so it leaves a thoughtful and lasting impact. A polished, versatile EP built for selectors who like it deep.

Review: Principaute de Bowl-Air is a new label founded by DJ Bowlcut, a prominent figure in Seoul's underground scene and on Seoul Community Radio. The label's debut release offers a deep, glitchy minimal house experience and opens with 'Tibetan Bowl', a track built around a Tibetan singing bowl and vocal samples that drop you deep into the surreal world of Bowl-Air. The second A-side, 'The Moment', delivers a hypnotic bassline and glitchy rhythms with a Korean vocal sample repeating 'Now it's the moment you are waiting for.' The B-side includes remixes by DOTT and Rudolf C and closes out a strong debut.

Review: Three Es would be some trip, and EEE also symbolises guaranteed good times in the club. The mysterious label and eponymous artists keep on rolling out essential tech and minimal cuts that are smartly designed and authentic, but also with anthem potential. Maybe that's why each one is a one-sided 12", to really allow the tune room to shine. In this case, dusty drums with a hint of garage swing and shuffle are paired with melodic baseline motifs and colourful synth patterns. It's a good time groove with plenty of heart.

Review: Big up to northern powerhouse Burnski for steering his Constant Sound label to the not-so-insignificant feat of release number 50. More importantly, the sounds remain as vital as ever and always evolve into subtle new sound worlds. The mantle for this one is taken by Locklead who brings some fine drum patterns to 'Backup' and pairs them with sliding hi-hats and bubbly synth motifs. It's garage-infused but utterly fresh. 'Wizzord' is a darker tech house with searching lead synths and plenty of pent-up energy, and 'Motherland' brings nice jazzy chord work and atmospheric samples. 'Pink Skies' is a bright closer with contrasting synths - some farting, some smooth - and more high-speed, catchy drums that span house and tech.

Review: AF1268 turns to the new talents of Nikol, a rising underground soundscaper from Manchester who makes a solid impression with this, his debut solo EP. Already somewhat known for singles on with MASS, his own label, and O.C.D., here he delivers a more fulsome four-track journey that blends modern minimal and electro. The EP features eerie, hallucinatory sounds with ghostly whistlings, acid stabs and hypnotic basslines perfect for more heady floors. It evokes a spectral atmosphere where Halloween meets tech-house while conjuring images of a damp, decaying club beneath a full moon. These evocative and unhinged grooves make bodies sway in slow motion, caught between dreamlike introspection and the rawness of the moment.

Review: Belgian label Music Man Records has assembled Boccaccio Life 1987-1993, a 40-track compilation honouring the legendary Destelbergen club that helped shape Europe's electronic underground. Far more than just the birthplace of New Beat, Boccaccio championed raw, futuristic house and techno long before the genres went mainstream. Curated by resident DJ Olivier Pieters and regular Stefaan Vandenberghe, the collection features classy cuts that are also being served up on a series of VA EPs. This one hits hard with jams from QX-1, Fred Brown, Mr. Fingers and Laurent X all going dark, deep and moody.

Review: Boccaccio was one of Europe's most influential clubs back in the late 80s and early 90s. Based in rural Destelbergen, it was a place where new beat, acid, techno and house all collided, and Boccaccio Life 1987-1993 is a deep dive into the electrifying soundscapes of the time. It comes on Music Man Records and is a 40-track compilation that reclaims Boccaccio's legacy beyond the overly reductive new beat tag. Resident Olivier Pieters and club regular Stefaan Vandenberghe are behind it, and have split the full selection into four vinyl parts. Bobby Konders's 'Let There Be House' is the killer here, but all four cuts are deliciously dark and heads down club tackle from a golden era.

Review: We're told that this EP is an archive of encoded human memories made to "survive the AI's purge." Anyone listening back to this years from now will be sure we had a good old time, because it's slick and charming, minimal and tech with real soul. Sweater's 'Front Street Strut' is a kaleidoscope of colours, Reyer's- 'Martian Law' brings some stripped-back but bubbly and rubbery funk and Poten's 'Coming Or Going' layers up whirring machines and pixelated synth sequences into something zoned out and warm. Lukey shuts down with the snappy broken beat tech of 'Spectrum' with its bright, singing leads.

Review: Deep house foot soldier DJ Aakmael strikes a perfect balance between gritty grooves and heady escapism with the music he makes. He's fairly prolific, too, and never goes too long between 12"s. He's back on his own Unxpozd Entertainment here with its 10th outing and it opens with the irresistible head nodder 'Oceandeep'. 'Nature' has more widescreen atmosphere with smeared chords swirling round the cuddly kicks and 'Reach 4 My Luv' then offering an excuse to daydream and get lost in empty mindfulness. 'Track 190' brings your focus back with some cosmic jazz melodies and a more propulsive groove.