New releases last two weeks: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Montevideo mainstay Alejo steps up for his debut on System Error's Flow series with the '1984' EP , a sharp, floor-feeling statement from an artist who both stands out in and defines the Uruguayan figure-ground. As co-founder and resident of the long-running Emile Club, Alejo's instincts run deep, and here they come sluiced though a new channel: four tracks, from '4to En Discordia' to 'Rkr1', offering snarling low-end pressure opening out to estuaries of wiry electro wades. Raw, punchy and tightly engineered, it's music that speaks with the verve of someone who's lived the scene from inside and out the booth.

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: 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: Pilot is one of the many labels in the orbit of the irrepressible James 'Burnski' Burnham. Its next outing is from M High who perfectly slots into the label's classy minimal and tech sound world. Things open up with 'Same Routine' which is a turbocharged sound with frazzled bass and thumping kicks. 'On My Own Supply' has a touch of the old school to it with the unbridled joy of the dancing piano chords and big, bulky beats. 'Same Routine' then gets a space-tech rework from Wodda and Hatori's live Bass remix brings some lush cosmic synth swirls and bumping drums.

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: With more than two decades of output behind him, French producer Okain continues to carve his own path through the deeper ends of dance music. On this latest EP, he folds elements of acid, sci-fi and Goa trance into a rich and forward-moving four-tracker. The experience leans much more toward interstellar techno exploration. 'Acid Spin' kicks things off with propulsion. It's not overly fast, but the drive is undeniable. Electric squiggles and sharp synth lines dart across a steady rhythm, giving the track an urgent yet sleek atmosphere. 'EPR Paradox' is just as tightly produced, letting its groove build gradually with layers of texture and restraint. On the 2nd side, 'Wavefunction' drops into a swirling, cosmic descent. It feels like tumbling through a wormhole, where the lines between gravity and sound begin to blur. 'Computing Force' rounds off the journey with a deft hybrid of Goa trance energy and techno structure. The melodies shimmer with a nostalgic rave glow, yet everything remains clean, spacious, and functional. Altogether, the EP is a bold statement from a veteran still pushing boundaries. It's deep, physical, and built for futuristic dancefloors. This EP could change minds when it comes to what psy-trance is...

Review: Demi Riquisimo and The Trip join forces to launch Tessalicious, debuting a collaborative project, splitting partly off from the former artist's own Semi Delicious imprint. The new four-tracker evidences a shared talent by the pair for producing a twisting, winding dance finesser mood, blending melodiousness and functionality so that we almost can't tell the difference between them. Intended to captivate festival-goers, the likes of 'Don't Go Away' and 'Rock The House' offer sensorial and distant vocal samples, though their rare audible moments - "how do you say... you're gorgeous!?" - manage to leave us feeling all fuzzy inside.

Review: Bucharest's SEPP brings his sleek, late-night minimalism to _NRV with three tightly built DJ tools that reward close listening. 'Feeling Ma' Bass' opens with a thick low-end throb and clipped vocal pressure, subtly layering loops that spiral into a locked-in hypnosis. 'Body Language' keeps the energy taut, working crisp drum hits and delayed FX into a taut, heads-down groove. Closing cut 'Do You Love Me' dips into a darker mood, balancing grainy textures with a filtered vocal loop that teases emotion without overstating it. There's a strong sense of restraint across all three-this is dancefloor material from a producer who knows exactly where tension lives.

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: Claus Voigtmann's Life Miles LP was another fine bit of work from the London-based German, and now two of the singles from it get served up on a new 12" next to remixes from a pair of tasteful underground producers. First up is LA-based Liquid Earth who brings some low-end wonk to 'North Of The Sun' next to acid-soaked grooves and driving 909s. The original pumps a bit harder with a Leftfield cosmic edge. Then comes Youandewan on the flip. He twists 'Lowrider' into a murky and late-night dub cut with warped bass and a signature sense of crispy tech funk. The original is a more high-speed and silky, electro-inspired space cruise with lovely broken beats.

Review: Bobby Donny's ongoing ACE series of vinyl releases has thus far delivered some genuine deep house treats. This is particularly true of the Dutch label's sporadic, compilation style EPs, which tend to showcase tracks previously released on digital-only EPs. There's plenty to set the pulse racing on EP number four, with highlights including two fine collaborations between label founder Frits Wentink and fellow Amsterdam scene stalwart Malin Genie (the sub-heavy peak-time bounce of 'Ambrosia' and the techno-tempo hypnotism of 'Exopaq'); the ultra-deep two-step house shuffle of 'Comet (Deep mix)' by ZZ Banks; the Italo-house influenced colour of Clovis Chilwell's 'Don't Let The Night End'; and the deep, hazy and dubbed-out brilliance of 'Slow Burn' by Rico Scott.