New releases last eight weeks: Techno

Review: Drumcode supremo Adam Beyer has become increasingly more prolific in recent years, signalling a creative renaissance that recalls the undoubted quality of his work in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His first outing of 2024, which follows a quartet of EPs last year, is predictably strong and packed to the rafters with future Drumcode anthems. Fittingly, he starts with 'Let's Begin', where mutilated vocal loops, mind-mangling rave noises and unsettling melodic motifs dance atop a typically thunderous and breathless big room techno groove, before opting for a dirtier, acid-flecked groove, metallic noises and sped-up hip-hop vocal samples on 'Computerized' (hip-techno anyone?). To round things off, he goes darker and denser still on the loopy techno power of 'Red Room', which pleasingly also boasts the same Aisha vocal sample as the Orb's 'Blue Room'.

Review: Adam Beyer's notable techno label Drumcode seems to be as busy as ever of late. The label here rolls out a fourth part of its ongoing A Sides series, which is now up to volume 12. Though the Swede himself doesn't feature, some of his trusty sidemen do starting with Chris Avantgarde who brings big room, hard techno energy to 'The Last Time'. Bry Ortega keeps it just as intense with the machine-gun like synth fire of 'Discover 9', Massano brings some brighter synth loops to the stomping 'Betraya' and Spektre shut down with a mix of hardcore, trance and techno potency on 'Too Far Gone.' Some great DJ weaponry here, for sure.

Review: Befitting of the label's name, Drumsauw aka. Joseph Sutherland keeps to the Code with a fresh three-tracker of megatechno heaters. Starting things off with the entraining but no less driving dreamer 'Focus', we're met with riveting sixteenthy knocks and dour breakdowns, a formula devoutly followed throughout; the B offers up two further alarmist pummellings of the third kind, with 'Set Back' repeatedly jabbing the podiatric floor with pressurised weight-kicks and offhand "push it" voxxes, and 'Escape' continuing to sound said alarm while insisting that we "escape" the laboratory, now quarantined to sift out those hesitant to dance.

Review: Kaiserdisco bring some big room techno energy to the one label in the world that is most synonymous with that sound - Adam Beyer's Drumcode. Opener 'In The Music' is a dark and driving cut with an acid tinged bassline over hard, hammering, flat footed drums. Add in a dark vocal hook and you have a real monster. 'Error In The System' on the flip is another moody techno pumper for the main room with hefty drums, eerie siren sounds and of plenty squelchy designs. It's a real headwrecker to close out a big 12".

Review: Strap in for another rollercoaster ride through the Drumcode tech-scape as we get an authoritative workout from four essential new talents. First up is Mha Iri, whose 'Bel' centres around a catchy vocal hook and darkly seductive synth snarls, before Marco Faraone nods back to some classic Wildchild and locks it to a steely pulse. Balthazar & JackRock offer up something epic on the B-side with the towering electro house synth touches of 'Andromeda', and LO'99 links up with Ray Foxx to round the record out with the playful vocal hiccups and undulating big room groove of 'Skydance'.