Back catalogue: Progressive House

Review: Berlin's Exit Strategy began their 12"s game releasing EPs in browned sleeves, shortly before branching out into digital-vinyl combo releases with original artwork in the 2020s. Now with over ten years of experience under their belts, they welcome five new artists for a playful bricolage in deep and minimal techno, privileging elite, razor-sharp additive sound design and future-soulful vocal tasters. Ivory's opener 'Rain' epitomises this, while Jimi Jules squelchifies the same formula, and Aera's 'Future Holdings' rolls out the same logic to its ultimate conclusion, veering towards complex, 3D-graphic melodic techno composed entirely of climbing saws.

Review: Sex Tapes From Mars come back a year after their last EP with a third one on the small but well-formed label and this one is handed over to Jata. Opener Stutter '(I)' is pure funky techno and mind altering cosmic synth work for the peak time. It's a bright and vivid sound world that's as good for the head as the heel. 'Midstate' then gets more dirty with warp synth riffs and smeared chords over industrial tech beats. It's restless and kinetic and another dancefloor bomb. Last of all comes the wonky closer Stutter '(I)' which is full of trippy effects and freaky little synth motifs over squelching basslines.

Review: This techno and house EP is a refined journey through futuristic themes, blending nostalgic echoes with forward-thinking soundscapes. Across its four tracks, the EP seamlessly intertwines elements of techno, trance and house, delivering a polished out of this world experience. Side-1 begins with 'Lucia', a melodic exploration that feels like a futuristic odyssey. Its nods to early 90s techno, trance and Italo house create a euphoric, spacey atmosphere. Following this, 'Solstice' offers a celestial take on techno, with shimmering tones and an air of serene beauty. Side-2's 'Orchid' is a standout, driven by a heavy rolling bassline and progressive house sensibilities. Darkwave and 80s electro influences infuse the track with dramatic tension, as its energy and melody build to a satisfying crescendo. Closing the EP, '00 26' is a smooth, uplifting piece of trance-inspired bliss, balancing beauty and subtlety with ease. Berkana EP is a example to JAVI's ability to craft tracks that are both nostalgic and forward-looking, perfect for late-night sets or introspective moments. Proper trance alert.

Review: Neptune Discs specialise in progressive downbeat, upbeat and acid convections, and as a label theme themselves after forgotten marine kingdoms. Though Poseidon has thrusted his trident at us here, there's actually a fourth track/prong on this tenth edition in the Dutch label's V/A catalogue, adding extra implosive impact to an already power-packed depth charge. Standouts here, in our estimation, have to be the faster currents of the bunch, taking shape as Tifra's 'Headspace' - whose breath-of-life melodic sequencings and CPAP pads allow us mammals a moment to come up for air - and DJ Life's 'Carapax' - whose gnatty lead buzz is like a desiccant for contaminant waters.

Review: Chris Stussy's Up The Stuss label is one of the hottest out there right now - a fresh label setting the underground with its mix of spaced out breaks and deep house, slick minimal and futurist techno sounds. Jhobei is part of that revolution and lands here with a fresh four tacker that cones on nice blue vinyl, with 'Slink 'N Slide' - a throwback sound with rave overtones and rapping basslines that never quit - and 'Viral Vendor' (Trance mix) among the rigid groove highlights.

Review: White Scar's goal is to release EPs that feature a club ready track from four various artists on each. On the first side, Jucid's 'Essential To Our Life' is a futuristic and energetic synth heavy techno track that is sure to keep the crowd pumped up. Zuul's 'Are You Neutralised?' adds a bit of mysteriousness and drama to this sci-fi novel soundtrack. For the second side, Desiree Falessi's 'Electro Samurai' offers a dramatic 80s tinged techno sound complete with the perfect amount of tech while Boheme's 'Spiral' wraps up the EP with another science fiction track that adds some fun to the sound. Overall, four superb examples of retro sounding techno with a bit of a trance and electro feel within.

Review: Effortless fusions of broken beat and rabbit hole prog-acid on this latest from Speed Dial. After a slight hiatus, the imprint is back, and is here joined by a slew of underground talent, coming together as one for a combinative set of 'Rhythm Rituals'. Surprisingly for a set of rituals, the three A-siders proffer three wordless mudras (as opposed to incanted mantras), with Mtty's 'Ahhhhh!cid' laying down a two-stepping breaks dust-storm replete with bells, ufologic risers and ectoplasmic synth flatulences; and Pocket's 'Smoke Signals' imparting the ways of long-distance telegraphy by way of a deeper four-wheel drive, with indo-Australian chants sampled therein. B-side helmers DJ Relax and Local Support offer two contradistinct Balearic beats, the former track veering more chuggy and auto-suspensive, in contrast to the latter's emotive, e-organic builds and vox gates.

Review: John Digweed remains a hugely influential figure in the dance music world. He was amongst the first to champion The Pressure on his iconic Transitions radio show and now along with Nick Muir they all come together on this new single from Undisputed Music. 'Counting Down The Days' (extended mix) is a far sighted, cosmic progressive house tune that builds in sweeping layers with lush arps and prickly tech edged beats. There is a dub for more dreamy moments and a Strings dub that ups the latent sophistication of the original.

Review: We can't fault anyone for calling their EP Four Really Good Tracks just so long as it does indeed feature four really good tracks. This hand-stamped 12" from Terrazzo does just that with contributions from four different artists. Remotif's 'Ludovician' kicks off with a nice zoned-out tech roller for 4AM. Jay Gadian then steps up with 'Crisscrossing' which has a busier rhythm anymore searching synths smeared over the face of the groove. Reflex Blue's 'Mystic' is a busy workout with spiraling melodic refrains and a constant sense of cosmic takeoff. Wilt's 'Fractal Ceiling' then shuts down with acid laced deep techno.

Review: While most party DJs lament their wedding gigs while lauding their fun cool jobs, Wedding Acid Group - the openers of this latest V/A by Undersound Recordings - marks a point of going beyond mere cultural Stockholm syndrome, not just making light of our matrimonial masters, but redirecting those cheugy energies into a killer beatific-corrosive intro.AThen come three more riveting uplifts of a blissful and bouncey variety, from 'Do As I Say' by Albert Ess to 'Singlestranded' by Systelman to 'Love2' by J. Mono, seguing from industrial anvil clankage to a nightbus-bound house closer.

Review: Multi-instrumentalist Jimi Jules got plenty of acclaim, and rightly so, for this 2022 album, which now sees a reissue on coloured vinyl. Executively produced by Innervisison label head Dixon, the album includes some of the most hammered tracks of the year it was released in - see 'My City's On Fire,' the superb 'Der Aufstand,' the dancefloor hit 'Burning' and 'Clinomania,' featuring Joy Tyson and renowned drummer Nathan Curran who has worked with the likes of Lily Allen and even Elton John. It's a melodically rich album that works at home as well as in the club and the album's artwork is designed by none other than the legendary Trevor 'Underdog' Jackson.