Back catalogue: Techno

Review: Gargantuan-room techno trailblazers Drumcode return with 'The A Sides Vol 11 - Pt. 7'. If the title is any indicator enough - and no, it's not irony - this is a stonking closer to a mammoth seven-12" compilation series. The love-em-or-hate-em label always deliver a rave romp for titans, barging past polite types with frick-off bits from A.D.H.S., Julian Jewell, Marco Faraone and Gary Beck. Topping off a project originally conceived in 2012, this is a pulsing sensation suitable for both budding techno enthusiasts and chinstokers willing to let their hair loose for once.

Review: Over two decades into its lifespan, Adam Beyer's Drumcode imprint keeps evolving and excelling, pushing techno forward while remaining wholly respectful of its roots. On Part 3 of A Sides Vol 7, Beyer brings in the scene's top guns to expertly execute some main room peak-time action. On the first side, it's an undeniably Dutch affair with Amsterdam hero Bart Skils stepping up to deliver the deeply hypnotic tunnel vision of "West Of The Moon", while veterans Secret Cinema & Reinier Zonneveld deliver the darkly druggy dancefloor drama of "Pain Thing". On the flip, Pig & Dan should need no introduction and are in fine form as always on the adrenalised "Pushing On" while ascendant Aussie Juliet Fox similarly impresses on "Wanted Me".

Review: Some serious peak time weapons for the main room on offer here, from the ever reliable Swedish label Drumcode. Usual heroes of the label such as Luigi Madonna, Sam Paganini and Joseph Capriati step aside for some other equally reliable staples. On the A, side label boss Adam Beyer teams up with Enrico Sangiuliano on the evocative and life affirming "Preset Heaven" which takes its cues from early trance with its amazing chord progression. It is something more typical of the label next, on the pummelling warehouse stomp of "Muzik" by Bulgaria's Timmo. On the flip, there's more trance nostalgia on offer again - this time from legends Pig & Dan on the hypnotic/melodic bliss of "La Bruja" which we could imagine melting the minds of festival crowds well into the new year. Finally they save the best for last with French peak time specialist Julian Jeweil, serving up the furious, tunneling and strobe-lit ultraviolence of "Nasa" which will have your adrenaline going from the first beat. It has been a stellar year for the powerhouse label, with great releases by Moby, Dubfire and newcomer Layton Giordani.

Review: Drumcode's A-Sides compilation provides a timely opportunity to showcase the full range of its sonic repertoire, with Adam Beyer scrupulously selecting unreleased tracks that have taken prime position in his sets over recent months. Part four of the seventh volume features another bunch of heavy hitters such as UK AM specialist Alan Fitzpatrick, who collaborates with Hotflush head honcho SCB on the furious warehouse stomp of "Untitled" followed by fellow Brit Boxia who serves up the evocative and transcendental groove of "Final Call". On the flip, Hungary's Jay Lumen channels the heyday of '90s trance effortlessly on the euphoric "Stella Luce" while Canadian Weska closes out the EP by taking you aboard an acid express direct into the stratosphere on "Other Places".

Review: Alan Fitzpatrick and Joel Mull are about as big as it gets in the so-called business techno scene. Somehow, they have never collaborated before but now do so on the mighty Drumcode, with boss man Adam Beyer also getting involved on the remix. 'We Don't Know Anything Yet' is big room techno with big room melodies unfolding up top like an astral explosion. The drums are of course supersized and super powerful. The Adam Beyer remix is dialed back somewhat to a more gritty groove, with slapping hits and flashes of synth. The whole board of techno directors impress with this one.

Review: Frenchman Julian Jeweil can be counted on for absolute peak time weaponry and his new offering on Drumcode is no exception. The tunnelling trance induction of dynamic opener "Space" sets the scene right away, and from here prepare to surrender to the void! "Answer" boosts the adrenaline levels immediately on this pummeling assault to the senses, assisted by some intense dub chords for dramatic effect. On the flip, "South" gets back to the program with yet another strobe-lit affair full of druggy risers and massive drops galore. Finally "Encke" provides something definitely in tune with the Drumcode sound, on this bleepy and hypnotic DJ tool which will have a broad appeal to a wide selection of techno DJs.

Review: The legendary techno pioneer that is Josh Wink is still managing to turn out sleek and fresh cuts decades after he changed the game with his seminal 'Higher State of Consciousness' tune. The Philly-born and bred artist lands on Swedish behemoth Drumcode here with some mighty fine weapons - 'Mind's Eye' is first up and is a bulky and muscular roller with prickly acid and gritty cosmic melodies. 'Caterwaul' has screeching vocals as the title suggests it might and hefty drum funk down low. 'Mind's Eye (acappella)' is a freaky vocal tool for twisted late-night deployment by adventurous DJs.

Review: Julian Jeweil returns to Drumcode with his first EP in two years, nailing the label's buildup-drop ethos with dreamworld textures, deep thumping kicks and delayed stabs. Jeweil refreshingly brings new experimentation to the format: 'Time' has an especially resonant kick, perhaps ousting the top spot for most rumbly techno bass drum we've heard in recent years. Meanwhile, farty electro clashy techno is scaled on the B-side track 3 'Reverse', which with badman precision and a delicate hand, throws us straight back in time.

Review: Adam Beyer's ever reliable Drumcode imprint returns with the eleventh edition in its trusty A Side series. On this one, we've got Aussie Juliet Fox with some pure peak time energy on "Evolution Of Thinking" followed on the A side by Thomas Hoffknecht's "Break Free" - an absolutely euphoric main room affair featuring classic trance motifs. Over on the flip, the reins are handed over to Timmo who wastes no time getting down to business on the steely heads-down number "Community Tool", followed by the pummelling warehouse techno epic by Andres Campo - "Cyclops". Serious!

Review: While most Drumcode releases are suitably sizable, this EP is particularly large - and not just because it features two huge names in Maceo Plex and Josh Wink. Their original version (A1) is predictably robust and rugged with foreboding low register stabs, metallic clangs, druggy vocal snippets and creepy melodies rising above stomping techno beats. It's a genuinely all-action affair that sounds like a massive room anthem in waiting. Over on side B you'll find two re-rubs: a more melodious Raxon remix that sounds like tech-house on steroids and a deeper, darker, trance-inducing techno take by Shall Ocin.

Review: Drumcode's first big release of 2019 comes courtesy of Julian Jeweil, a relative newcomer to the Swedish label who originally built his reputation via years of releases on M_Nus, Plus 8 and Cocoon Recordings. "Transmission" is not only his long-awaited debut album, but also a far more spacey and intergalactic proposition than much of Drumcode's output. Of course, the majority of the tracks are still underpinned by relentless techno rhythms and gnarly electronic stabs, with plenty of darkness amongst the stargazing grooves. Intriguingly, there's also a little more variety than you might expect, with the deep and woozy "Planet X", acid-fired heaviness of "Astral" and glassy-eyed early morning ambient of "Final" catching the ear.