Back catalogue: Techno

Review: Berlin Atonal returned two years ago from a long hiatus, 23 years to be exact. After three tremendous festivals this decade, they now present us with their first recordings since 1984. These particular ones from the 2014 edition. Cabaret Voltaire (in this incarnation featuring only Richard H Kirk) was a true highlight and contributes "Microscopic Flesh Fragment" and "Universal Energy". One half of Demdike Stare Miles Whitaker went solo, presenting his truly unique take on techno, and the slow burning attitude of "Vagabond No. 7" is evidence of this. New Zealand's Fis also appears; rather uncategorisable as always on "Dist CL (Atonal Version)." On the third disc we have Northern Electronics main man and modern auteur Abdulla Rashim presenting two commissions from his captivating atmospheric set that year. Limited to 700 copies.

Review: As the Houndstooth roster becomes increasingly diversified with age, so Call Super remains the label's brightest star. Responsible for inaugurating the Fabric-housed operation, J R Seaton has subsequently gone on to deliver some of their best 12" offerings and the time feels right for the Berlin-based producer to show his hand at full length albums. In contrast to the techno-focused approach of his Call Super 12"s, Suzi Ecto finds Seaton expanding on his palette with 11 tracks that veer wonderfully between moments of electronic poignancy and more thrusting fare. Spend some time with Suzi Ecto and you'll find it to be one of this year's most rewarding listens with new favourites emerging with each cycle - "Raindance" is the current fave here at Juno HQ.

Review: Call Super has always been something of an underground darling - one of those untouchable artists with next level skills in the club, and a unique studio sound that excites even the most hardened and passionate fan. 'Eulo Cramps' is the artist's fourth album and one from the centre of a multifaceted project they call 'Tell Me I Didn't Choose This' which includes poetry, auto-biographical writing, painting and music. It is full of personal reflections and his signature melding of jazz, electronica and the unique voices of Julia Holter and Eden Samara. Though adventurous and experimental, it is an album steeped in very real emotion which we can all connect to.

Review: Natural Sciences are always adept at platforming distinctive artists, but this is an impressive reach even by their standards. Candido hails from the Krishna-core punk scene of Buenos Aires, and his sound takes elements from early industrial and acid house to create a darkly powerful club record. Freestyle stabs, thumping Rompler bass and edgy sampling place this right in the jakbeat vibe you'd expect a DJ like Traxx to play, and it's a whole heap of boxy, bashy fun. Just listen to 'Body Board Memories', a slamming workout with gated reverb on the snares which is thick enough to eat.

Review: Candido aka. Luis Schiebeler lays down eight darkwave / Italo numbers for Spain's Oraculo Records as part of their extended EPs series - Megabreakz. The seventh addition to the sonic saga is a hearty, circuit-bent dancefloor haunter, marking the 'inaugural chapter of a two-part epic' by Candido, which promises a journey spanning everything from EBM to new beat to rave breaks. Wherever you place 'Mechanical Dances Part 1' on this vast stylistic continuum, the fact remains that Candido's approach to the post-industrial dance form is as psyche-imprinting as it is floor-denting, often nodding to the profound (sometimes dissociative) experiences common to frequenting such a scene. Peppered throughout - if you know where to find them - are repetitive lyrical mantras, alluding to everything from OOB experiences to controversial French psychoanalysts.

Review: Joseph Capriati has very quickly risen from underground techno player to top-tier titan. The Italian hails from Naples, a famous hotbed of minimalism that has spawned stars like Marco Carola. whose footsteps Capriati has followed in by securing his own Ibiza residency for his Metamorfosi party. The sort if sounds you can expect to hear on that label and at the events are well showcased here on his new mix of the legendary Global Underground series. From dark and driving techno to more emotional and melodic house, it's a colourful and widescreen ride that features a couple of his own fresh jams and many more from contemporary artists.

Review: Carsten Jost is the DJ and Producer alias of David Lieske, co-founder of Dial Records. His latest collection of functional, ultra-utilitarian techno tracks here is essentially a slew of music for Moon exploration. Peaceful, raw and wonky techno tunes with a blue temperament are firmly arranged across 10 portions of wax; all carry the comparative sense of having less gravity weighing them down than techno made on Earth; it's techno made at 1.62 m/s² compared to our 9.807. Standouts include the alien voice cameos on 'IV' and the subterranean cave excursion that is 'VII'.

Review: London Techno Collective's Steve Loss aka Catharsis returns to Berlin's Zhark Recordings for his third release and first long-player. Terrifying Shadows features eight tracks of 'hydraulic techno func (sic) .. and roaring drill mechanisms' that altogether make for some seriously difficult listening. Such disturbing titles as 'Into The warm Embrace Of Deviancy', 'It's So Easy To Corrupt A Soul', as well as 'The Tao Of The Scarred' or by far our favourite 'Tasting Hate From The Cup Of Gods' give you a fair warning of what to expect on this eight track opus: brutalist experimental techno delivered in uncompromising style. Not for the faint of heart!

Review: Sadly, there was no Love International festival this year, but the team behind it have given us the next best thing: a new volume in their superb "The Sound of Love International" compilation series from friend-of-the-family and beach stage mainstay Shanti Celeste. After opening with a typically spacey and dreamy new collaboration with her friend Saoirse - the intergalactic techno haziness of "Solid Mass", the Peach Discs co-founder treats us to a heady mixture of chunky, sunrise-ready breaks (Persian), drowsy ambient dub (Seekers International), deep space house and techno (EBE, Gideon Jackson, Carl Lekebusch), Barbarella's-ready peak-time fare (Perpetual, Paco Pack), angular late night dancefloor sleaze (Mark Seven) and weightless ambient bliss (Pauline Anna Stom).

Review: Christian AB's 'Nu Life' is a curious record indeed; a wonky mixture of detuned, faded sonic clotted-creams and sunset refractions shone off car bonnets; such are the images it conjures. From the opening glut of wonky rhythmatics and rotary-cabinet choruses of 'Outta Phase' - on which the artist playfully, nominally teases the listener by references to the track's tasteful stereo out-phasing - to the juddering solar flare that is 'Bluescreen', on which bunsen burners flagrate hot to the point of a dazzling blue flame - this is an EP of evidently solar-spiritual jams, reminiscent of a persona that finds its core inspiration somewhere between Hieroglyphic Being and Roy Of The Ravers.

Review: Civilistjavel's 1 hears a reissue for the second time, following the mysterious ambient dub artist's resurfacing in 2018, after the late Low Company stumbled on their stuff and somehow managed to gain permission to do so outside of the artist's 'private tape / CDR trading networks'. Now it appears that 'Civilist' has taken the reins on their own work, officially reissuing the album directly from the source. It would go with the territory, not least since a spate of recent live performances by the artist seems to have signalled something of an 'opening up'. We're just as blown away by 1 as we were before; with its sensitive melodies and stumbly analog tone loops, building to slow-burning near-nothings.

Review: Dave Clarke's Red Series remains a vital benchmark in the evolution of UK techno. Released between 1993 and 1996, the three-volume run even managed to brush the UK top 40 back in the good old days when anything felt possible. Tracks like 'Wisdom To The Wise' will forever be etched in the make up of techno, and for very good reason. Now the whole series is being given a lavish reissue treatment which takes in all the original releases along with additional discs of rare, archival tracks and remixes, all bundled up in a box with a booklet and autographed by the Baron himself.

Review: The second instalment of Clayton's retrospective series, this double vinyl is a remastering of unreleased and hidden gems from the American programmer-cum-producer. Featuring staples in the San Franciscan's discography such as 'Box Selection' and 'W-Shape', which sees an exclusive remix in 'W-Shape revisited'. The result is a futuristic techno-house marvel, with it's minimal (occasionally ambient) tone, the composition is analytical in its construction. Each beat feels perfectly placed as dictated by a formula, a chemical blend of glitch, techno, and ambient house. This record is a must for fans of the 90s techno scene, especially in Detroit where you can hear the influences that those artists had on these tracks.

Review: For its 30th release, Persephonic Sirens has this arresting new album from Codex Empire across four sides of vinyl. It explores a brave new techno world where dystopian nightmares collide with club-ready grooves and textural synth work defines each track. 'With Fire I Carve' is a blistering sound with nervy, edgy synth tension, 'Alsatia The Lower' is a hard techno monster with screwy synths and flat-footed drums and 'Transient Phantom' is a tunnelling sound with stark sound designs and an atmosphere that is pregnant with darkness and unease.

Review: Given that she released her first solo material way back in 2008, it's taken Factory Floor and Carter Tutti Void member Nik Colk Void a fair old while to get round to recording a debut album. So, has it been worth the wait? Bucked Up Space is certainly alluring, with the modular synthesizer enthusiast charging between mind-mangling analogue techno ('Interruption is Good'), trippy electronic soundscapes ('Big Breather'), buzzing, industrial-strength heaviness (the formidably fuzzy 'Demna'), post-electro wooziness ('Romke'), Radiophonic Workshop style weirdness (the 1960s Doctor Who freakiness of 'Absence Pile Island'), acid-flecked bounciness ('Flat Time') and druggy, slow-motion workouts ('Oversized').

Review: Here is Confidence Man debut for Fabric's acclaimed Fabric Presents mix series, flaunting the lesser-heard DJing chops of this contemporary pop-dance duo. "Have confidence, man" is the central motto of the collaborative pair made up of Janet Planet and Sugar Bones, who first came up in Brisbane, Australia band found rapid acclaim for their easily assimilable blend of electro pop, dance and indie. Their debut mix for Fabric flexes an adroit ear for the vim-affirming ends of life, scouring the hidden depths of their well-threshed record crate of 90s rave and trance, with tunes by the likes of Joe Goddard, Jex Opolis, Wallace and Sweely all implying an innate, strutting, blue-steel-over-the-shoulder confidence, innate to all yet realised by few.

Review: In musical terms, Bill Converse is as iconic as the basketball sneaker with which he shares his name. He's a techno favourite and veteran of the Midwest scene who has come up under the likes of Claude Young and Traxx but very much fomented his own sound. Here the American ace returns to Dark Entries with a new seven-track exploration of raw, analogue-driven techno. His sound blends the acid grit of Relief Records, the hypnotic pulses of early IDM and Detroit's energy all with an unpredictability that mirrors that of his live sets. He makes fine use of classic hardware like the Roland TB-303 and modern modular synthesis to cook up off-kilter rhythms and abrupt shifts that keep you on edge. Another vital and visceral offering from this legend.

Review: Courtesy's second studio album is another no-holds-barred deep dive into the heart of a minimal and tech house dance floor. Eschewing the usual ambient intro in favour of getting right down to business, things kick off with the surging comic-tech of 'I'm Happy I Am Not Susan Sontag', then the slamming drums of 'My Dazed Friend (feat Klo)' come with zoned out and alluring vocal musings. 'Let There Be LOVE! (feat Lyanne)' is another fast but smooth tech cruise with emotive vocal textures and 'Does Every Track Have To Be A Journey?' is a punchy tool which suggests not.

Review: Dance music stars don't come much bigger or more iconic than Carl Cox. The big man with the big smile and famous gap in his teeth has been at the cutting edge for decades. He plays all across the spectrum with high energy and a really infectious style. Now the legend returns with his first album in over a decade and it comes on BMG. It was written over the last two years at his home studio in Melbourne and takes his sound to a whole new level. It is also being played live by Carl on the road right now.

Review: Renowned producer, remixer, DJ and record label owner Carl Craig is one of the few artists who can truly claim to have shaped the sound of
modern electronic music. Making music since the tender age of 17, Craig has created everything from ambient soundscapes to jazz
during the past 20 years, but it's his work in dance music that is at his core. 'Sessions' is a long overdue album that brings together a personal
selection of Carl's incredible back catalogue, from his early work under the aliases Paperclip People and 69 to worldwide hits like 'Throw'
(recently covered live by LCD Soundsystem) and groundbreaking tracks like 'Bug in the Bassbin'. Alongside the classics, the two discs also showcase why Craig is still such a powerful force in music today with a diverse range of remixes for the likes of XPress 2, Theo Parrish and many others. For his rework for Junior Boys'. 'Like A Child' he was just nominated for a Grammy.
The selection also includes previously unreleased tracks, alternative versions of his own productions, as well as some exclusive unreleased
remixes. 'Sessions' reminds us of how exciting and unique Carl Craig's productions and remixes are and why he remains at the top of his game,
a retrospective of one of the world’s most influential and groundbreaking figures in electronic music.

Review: Craven Faults follows up a trio of sold-out EPs starting in 2020 with a second full-length album. It is another record that moves the artist's story onwards with fantastic analogue electronic sounds that take us across the north of Britain, all viewed through 100 years of popular music. Standers again finds him honing his craft across meticulous tracks that paint vivid pictures of everything from Norse influences to piano drones. It is bleak but beautiful experimental music with a storytelling narrative and absorbing undercurrent.

Review: Craven Faults' 'Bounds' is the latest EP-length project to be outputted by the otherwise elusive Northern English artist. Once again building on his admirable, psycho-terrestrial approach - in which the artist embarks on long, restless trans-Anglican journeys as creative fuel for the alluvial fire - 'Bounds' hears the otherwise anonymous Faults trace the fault lines of the Black Country's pastoral-industrial contradiction, beginning said journey "less than 20 miles North-West of the city", and with no further elaboration than that. Side A traipses through three heat-hazed, ground-dwelling, humid humuses - the vague scrapes of heavy metallic industry looming over each mix, straddling both back and foreground - and only 'Lampses Mosse' permits much respite from the trek, via a tremblingly, relievingly spread synth bell. 'Waste & Demesne' is the B-side's epitaph for England's feudal legacy, its drawn-out basses and quavering pedal notes congregating to mourn the natural losses resulting from centuries' worth of exploitation.

Review: Plastikman is in the glory years of his career, and the recognition of this of late has come in the form of various reissues and deluxe editions. One move we didn't expect Mr. Hawtin to take, however, was approving an entire 'semi-classical' reimagining of his original album 'Consumed', first released in 1998. 'Consumed In Key' is a new collaborative version made between Hawtin and pianist/producer Chilly Gonzales; every track found on the original 'Consumed' now features piano flourishings and other instruments peppered over each moody techno jam, fleshing out the pangs we could only previously imagine on first listen.