New releases last two weeks: Minimal/Tech House

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: German producer and long-term Giegling affiliate Dwig leafs over a new chapter with the launch of his own label, nextprophets, debuting with a 12" twilling the soft yet bold ends of minimal deep house. Just four tunes effuse a demure confidence, the hazy emotive headcanon of 'Happy Theories' contrasting to the contradictorily mournful ontology of 'Cry & Smile'. Two of them introduce vocals into the mix, threading subtle vocal hooks onto staunchly taken mic stands, echoing the murky elegance of the artist's former label outlet and further reminding us of the detailed warmth of imprints like Nous Klaer. Screened in handmade artwork, it's a quietly bold step for an artist who's always preferred the long, personally touching game.

Review: Facta's latest for Wisdom Teeth opens with 'Jets', a low-slung, sub-sloshed throb that's quietly become a DJ favourite-Ben UFO has spun it as an opener multiple times and you can hear why. It's bouncy, tactile and disorienting in just the right measure, setting the tone for a seven-track suite that finds the Londoner weaving through dubby techno, cheeky minimal and post-step psychedelia with that recognisably prismatic touch. 'On Deck' pivots into springy broken house, full of teasing builds and frayed edges, while 'Bunt' pairs heavy-limbed bass pressure with pointillist vocal chops. There's a skittishness to the palette that recalls his most textural club material, but these tracks feel leaner, more distilled-sonic matter reshaped mid-air. Even in the most playful moments, like the bleepy funk of 'Swish', there's an undercurrent of tonal oddness that keeps things slippery. 'Fang' and 'Snooze Alarm' slow the pulse, tracing soft arcs across rhythm and dissonance. As ever with Facta, genre markers are melted down into a coherent sonic vocabulary, full of negative space, strange hooks and glistening decay.

Review: Tal Fussman causes another fuss with his new LP for Time Passages. As always, the Tel Aviv producer sublimates genre borders and moves through them as though they were impalpable membranes, slipping easily between peak-time set centrepieces and green room solitudes. 'Rather Be Numb' opens on a rather repressive, positivist synopsis, and it's only by the midpoint, with such tracks as 'Falling Apart, Coming Together' and 'Self Reflection', that we really break into high-octane breaks-progressive feeling.

Review: Recorded live on September 10, 1993, for BBC Radio 1, this set strips back the studio polish in favour of raw, surging energy, breathing new life into core tracks from their Brown Album era. Their explosive 1993 John Peel session was a broadcast that captured the UK rave pioneers at their most visceral and unfiltered. The versions of 'Lush 3-1', 'Walk Now...' and 'Semi Detached' found here are looser, leaner and more urgent. 'Lush' in particular throbs with a relentless momentum, shedding its original texture in favor of a tougher, more improvised drive. It's a perfect showcase of Orbital's gift for live manipulation, transforming structured studio pieces into kinetic, spontaneous soundscapes. This reissue boasts newly commissioned artwork by Intro and aligns with the legacy of the Peel Sessions as a proving ground for boundary-pushing talent. Critics and longtime fans have praised the EP for its intensity and fluidity, supporting Orbital's status as live innovators. Radio Sessions is a nostalgic artifact and a reminder of how thrilling and forward-thinking Orbital's sound was.

Review: Belgian label Music Man Records continues its deep dive into local club history with a standout 12" drawn from a wider retrospective on Destelbergen's legendary Boccaccio club. This release centres on the early house and techno that defined its Sundays-an alternative narrative to the better-known New Beat story. The A-side opens with Steve Poindexter's 'Computer Madness', all skeletal drum patterns and jacking minimalism, before UK crew Age Of Chance explode with 'Time's Up (Timeless)', a proto-rave anthem remixed into cut-and-paste chaos. On the flip, LFO's self-titled 'Leeds Warehouse Mix' drops like a techno blueprint-bleep-heavy, bold, and unmistakably northern. Closing the set is Alice D In Wonderland's 'Time Problem (Techno Speed Work)', a hyper, squiggly take on acid techno that feels like a high-speed trip through late-80s futurism. With selections curated by Olivier Pieters and Stefaan Vandenberghe, this 12" captures the rawness, friction, and thrill of a scene that still resonates across Europe's underground.

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: Norm Talley has put together a second volume of his Unity series on his own label Upstairs Asylum. It features his nearest and dearest from Chicago and Detroit, all of whom of course serve up perfectly smoky and stripped back deep house and techno grooves to make you move. Delano Smith's characteristic loops lock you in from the off on 'Big City Nights,' Norm himself pairs dub techno chords with suggestive techno stabs that keep you on edge and Brian Kage's 'Poly-Phonic Phonk' is heady, dreamy, richly melodic house bets listened to in a cosy back room at 4am.