Review: Fourth part of the compilation celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Milanese record shop. This collection is entirely composed of previously unreleased music, exclusively produced for the occasion by many artists of great relevance in the worldwide music scene, who supported the store over the last ten years.
This EP features Ellen Allien, Kreggo, Timeslip89, Itinerant Dubs and Heith.
Review: Last year Brazilian DJ/producer Ana Miranda joined Kompakt Extra following years spent building her reputation via fine releases on such labels as Novamute, Twin Turbo, Yoshitoshi and Terminal M. For her third release on the long-serving German label she's joined forces with another scene queen, the incomparable Miss Kittin. The pair has produced a raw, driving dancefloor beast that's bigger than Donald Trump's ego and infinitely more alluring. "Forever Ravers" is heavy, intense and forthright, with stylized vocal snippets and razor sharp electronic motifs surging above a thumping groove. Miranda offers a different take on the track on side B, opting for bleeping and panicked electronics and spacey bleep melodies.
Border One - "Organoid" (Jeroen Search remix) (5:47)
Review: Binar's fifth outing looks to a selection of talented remixers to add their own spin to some stylish techno originals. First, it is Decka's 'Alignment' that gets reworked by Efdemin, who we haven't heard from for a while but are glad to do so now. He flips it into a straight-up and smooth techno pumper with fuzzy pads softening the edges. Next, Amotik brings some urgent synth pulses and hunched-up drum funk to 'Remains Mystery' and The Lady Machine remix of 'Run' is all fat, drunken synths tumbling about with jacked-up drums and analogue hits. Jeroen Search brings some signature future cosmic energy to his take on Border One's 'Organoid.'
Review: If there is one planet we would like to spend some time on, it's Planet Rhythm. For techno lovers, it is one of the finest out there thanks to its consistently high quality, fad-free output. Kaiobarssalos is next to add to the cannon with this uptempo and stripped-back EP. 'Fatia' is all twisted and unsettling synth motifs, 'Lupulo' gets glitchy and 'Not About' is packed with unresolved loops that keep you on edge, and last of all some of the pent-up pressure is released through the more smooth but still banging deep techno trip that is closer '80's Moove'.
Review: Leipzig based Riotvan, run by Peter Invasion and Panthera Krause, welcomes Kalexis and Paulor for this collaborative four track that mines techno's deepest depths. 'Going Through The Void' is a moody and slow motion opener that rides on an undulating bassline with plenty of ambient pads for company. 'Energy' is more edgy, a stomper with fractured vocals and wonky synths that builds a darker mood. On the flipside there is the brilliantly unhinged and unusual melodies of 'Lashes' which sounds like a marching band on acid and 'Magnetic' closes down with haunting low ends and spooky pads.
Review: Long before Karen was a universally accepted epithet for entitled middle-class white woman, there was Karenn, an uncompromising techno duo who do artful things with menacing noise. Pariah and Blawan have been on and off making music together since first launching this project in 2011 but whenever they do, it's worth hearing. This one on Voam is another case in point: 'Feeling Horizontal' is a monstrous and ghoulish stomper with twisted vocal darkness, while 'Happy Birthday' is a more lithe and bouncy cut with rubbing low ends and zippy synth texture. 'From Hunk To Husk' carries on the brutalist approach with more intense voices, bass and drums, and 'When Lutes Were A Thing' is a brain-bogging mix of sludgy sounds, spangled percussion and metallic surfaces.
Review: Shalom Aber's Be As One label has done a one job of evolving from its earliest sounds in the tech house realm into a place for more refined and sophisticated techno. Kashpitzky's new offering very much fits in with that MO and opens with 'Elevate' which is a trip minimal cut with rising synths that make it feel as if you are forever speeding up. 'Silver Ball' is like a hall of mirrors with synth reflections everywhere and the Phase remix lays it down with a more rooted low end. 'For The Vision' is an unpredicted but brilliant jungle closer.
Review: Scott Kemix's 303 Alliance delivers a thrilling sonic experience with its four heavy acid trance and techno tracks. 'Dancefloor Killa' kicks off with fast-paced, frenetic techno beats infused with a heavy acid trance sound, creating a sci-fi atmosphere that pulls listeners in. 'Big Fast & Dangerous' follows suit with its big acid trance sound, keeping the energy high and the intensity palpable. On the flip side, 'Fighting For Our Freedom' verges into psy trance territory with its energetic vibe, while 'The Guy In The Sky' adds a techno edge to the epic trance buildup, making it a standout peak track. Overall, 303 Alliance is a relentless ride through the realms of trance and techno, showcasing Scott Kemix's ability to conduct heavy, driving acid techno music for the headstrong.
Review: Jodey Kendrick won't necessarily be familiar to you as he is someone who rather goes under the radar, but now you know. This EP proves his unique type of production genius across a bunch of mind-warping techno cuts that fuse Detroit, 90s UK styles and brain dance into glistening and physical workouts. The future rave kicks off with the high-pressure 'Changes' and then takes in the sludgy stomper 'Malfunction All Levels' and the caustic and high-tempo industrial urgency of 'The Metal Planet'. 'Organic Matter Detected' closes down with a more cerebral and sparse vibe designed to keep you on edge.
Review: UK producer Inigo Kennedy - also known as Seducer, Tomito Satori and Helki Torsnum - comes up with a pair of techno tracks that positively glisten with luxuriant melody and a beautiful musicality that's rare to ape in this - or indeed any - scene. 'RackSpace 2' and 'Dewdrops' both glide with serene ease, the melodies weaving away in the back seat of the track but never threatening to overwhlelm the atmosphere. The latter is definitely operating in a spacier sphere, with the reverbs and delays working overtime, but both are nicely restrained takes on techno that nevertheless paint vivid sonic pictures.
Review: Inigo Kennedy returns to Token for its 126th release with The Calling, a three-track EP that exemplifies his unique production style, blending hypnotic and stomping club elements. Inigo has been making techno for a better part of 25 plus years now with over 50 plus releases to his name. Side-1 features 'Magnitude Seven,' a track marked by melodic dissonance and a stripped-down acid line supporting a saturated groove and noisy synths. Waves of unsettling intensity, driven by a powerful double kick sequence, make this an epic opener. The title track, 'The Calling,' on Side-2, elevates the intensity with a frantic four-to-the-floor rhythm and sustained notes that create a sense of pressure. Harmonic sections breathe life into this nail-biting record, showcasing Kennedy's ability to distance himself from the typical loop-based templates prevalent in techno. This track underscores the ongoing relevance of his long-standing career in club music. The EP concludes with 'Out of the Woods,' a fitting electronica closer that shifts focus to introspection. Drifting notes and shuffled percussion lines evoke Kennedy's UK roots, providing an ethereal epilogue to the preceding techno tracks. The Calling is another masterclass from Inigo Kennedy, highlighting his innovative production techniques and soulful approach to electronic music.
Review: Manchester-based Kerrie is a multi-disciplinary artist, incorporating live sets, DJing and running her label Dark Machine Funk. For this release, she returns to James Ruskin's esteemed Blueprint for another dose of straight-ahead techno cuts on the Transient Belief EP. The A-side kicks off with the visceral broken beat onslaught of the title track followed by the powerful peak time workout 'Night Walker'. Over on the flip, the futurist electro funk of 'Theta State' shows off the Irish producer's wide sonic repertoire, and finally she unleashes the hypnotic heads-down style fury of 'Find Your Tribe'.
Review: Kerrie's latest proprietorship is the Dark Machine Funk label, to which the Irish DJ and producer brings the weirder ends of techno. Proudly presenting the new K-llab series, Kerrie is here heard partnering with some of her favourite ever artists, offering a fresh take on the sounds and creative processes of each collaboration. Here the collab of choice is Italian duo Dynamic Forces, known for their heavy, old-school-leaning, industrial-influenced techno. The latter artist's 'Moralism' leads the charge with an unsettlingly slippery wonky techno tune agog with stinger plucks resembling horror movie pizzicati, while Kerrie's own 'Good Intentions' betrays perhaps less felicitous outcomes, utilising consequent, spirally leads and all-encompassing synth buzzes of the sinister variety.
Review: Johnny Kick's Come On EP on Rawax Germany is a vibrant homage to the early 90s rave sound. On Side-1, things kick off with 'Burnin,' a track that blends classic house and techno with strong melodic stabs, reminiscent of MK or Nu Groove. 'Come On' follows with a fun and clever UK breakbeat style that echoes the energy of 808 State. On Side-2, 'Alright,' is a perfect recreation of the early 90s techno rave sound with classic samples. Closing the EP is 'Everybody,' a breakbeat dancefloor destroyer with keys that pay huge respect to Outlander's 'Vamp.' Each track captures the nostalgic essence of the rave era while delivering a modern punch. Massive!
Review: Returning with their second EP on their self-named label, the Kilotoni series is said to be the work of renowned techno artists, plucked from the archives, but whatever, it's a a fierce resurgence of headstrong acid techno that feels both classic and vital. Side-A opens with 'Track , a minimal yet powerful stormer driven by a thick, rolling acid bassline that commands the floor. 'Track 2' follows up with a heavier, more stomping affair i a dangerous, sci-fi-inflected ride where the acid line buzzes with an incessant, hypnotic edge, pushing the energy to the brink. Turn to Side-B and 'Track 3' hits with alien sound design and raw 90s acid techno energy. It's a slice of nostalgia, yet the strong modern production keeps it razor sharp and club-ready. Closing things out, 'Track 4' shifts gears into a groovy, fun techno jam that retains the otherworldly atmosphere but brings a lighter, more playful bounce to the mix. A heavyweight EP that perfectly captures acid techno's gritty essence while pushing it into new, futuristic spaces.
Review: Soundscape Versions delivers its third edition of the various artists series and offers four effective cuts between subtle house breaks, acid house, electro and atmospheric techno. Featuring Kintaro 89, Faune, Arian Alexander and Douala.
Review: Proper early hardcore sounds from Brussels' Koma, whose 'Ity' EP released back in march of 2023 but whose vinyl edition now hits our shelves. As suggested by the nostalgic familial image on the front cover, the EP tells the implicit story of a life encoded in the cipher of rave; of Koma's earliest experiences and choicest memories magnified via ecstatic breaks propulsions and fantastical digital audio tricks. In Koma's world, piano stutterings poke through monstrous basses ('Conifurious'), while transitional stop-starts hint at bygone memories ('It's Your Track'), experienced in the dance and left there.
Review: It's hard to argue with how much work Koreless, AKA Lewis Roberts, has put into things. Born in Bangor, Wales, but based in Glasgow - currently the most exciting UK city for electronic music production - it took a decade from his debut EP, 4D, to his first album, during which time he participated in the sorely-missed Red Bull Music Academy programme, collaborated with Sampha, performed on Boiler Room TV, embedded himself within the Young Turks camp, wrote with FKA Twigs, and was credited by David Byrne. That's a lot to unpack, so while the bubble wrap is unloaded let's skip to right here, right now. Deceltica is a particularly Koreless collection of tracks, from the opening warning sirens and haunting melodic chimes of 'Seven', to the robot breaks of the title number, and 'Drumhell''s near-reprise of the opening track, a kind of outro to that intro, it's all very good. Then you get fellow Welshman and resident at Manchester's beloved Bakk Heia party, Jorg Kunning, proving why he's up there with the most technically brilliant beat makers.
Review: Kr!z from Ghent, Belgium wastes no time getting to the pointihis latest batch of heavyweight club tools is built for impact and every track hits with precision. Opener 'Defeat The Purpose' kicks things off with a writhing, acidic synth line that coils around thundering drum machine work, setting a relentless tone. It's stripped-back but deadly, fine-tuned for peak-time hypnosis. 'Chrome Dust' takes a funkier turn, its rolling groove and tightly wound percussion making it a surefire body-mover. Playful yet commanding, it balances raw intensity with just enough fluidity to keep dancers locked in. The title track, 'Ipso Facto,' is all about movement, its low-end bounce and sharp drum transitions reflecting Kr!z's DJ instinctsieverything lands exactly where it needs to. Closer 'Equilibrium' ups the energy one last time, filters opening wide over a punchy, rolling rhythm. It's no-nonsense, high-grade techno from a producer who knows exactly how to work a system.
Review: If you've not heard 'Skyscrapers' yet, where have you been? First released digitally last year and accompanied by more remixes than we can count, the track is arguably Nina Kraviz's most accessible, radio-friendly release to date - a potential crossover anthem that's as cool as it is catchy. Now finally available on vinyl via this single-sided seven-inch, 'Skyscrapers' is a prime piece of what Kraftwerk would have called 'techno-pop', with the much-loved Russian producer's sweet vocals rising above a bed of ultra-crunchy, snare-heavy machine drums, dreamy Chris Lowe chords, gaseous pads and ear-catching lead lines. It's basically synth-pop, but it's classy and sonically deep enough to please all but the angriest underground techno purists.
Review: Furthur Electronix has always been a highly recommended label but they seem to be in a purple patch right now with a wealth of essentials releases all dropping in quick fashion. It is Kreggo who steps up this time with a new limited run 12" that follows his last on the label last year. The Milan based artist is eclectic and throughly underground and is the brain behind the Art-Aud label and the cult Secret Rave series. His electro sound here is raw and rugged, with bumping drums, fixing synths and flashes of acid all making these standout cuts.
Review: Anastasia Kristensen now sits at the top table of the global techno sine. She emerged on a whirlwind a few years ago and has solidified her reputation with electrifying sets that traverse the bass, acid, IDM, rave and techno spectrum with style and captivating energy. Now she once again shows off her production chops with this new EP on her own new label absorb emit. It is the inaugural outing and sets out the sonic stall superbly - 'Cordyceps Disco' is frosty and thumping techno, 'Practice Of Menace' has a more minimal design but no lesser impact, 'Irregularity' rides on busted rhythms with well-swung hits and 'All At Once' is a nice 5am wig out for the late night hours and headier moments. A fine debut.
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