Back catalogue: Techno (すべて)

Review: The prolific Dutch powerhouse that is Conforce (aka Versalife aka Boris Bunk amongst other things) is in techno mode here with this new green-marbled 12" on Syncrophone. Commuting Part 1 opens with the quick-stepping and deep dub techno rhythms of 'Octave Echoes' which is delightfully fluid. 'Stable Velocity' then bids up impossible smooth dub loops and watery pads into something buoyant and stirring both physically and emotionally, and 'Self Assessment' then ups the pace with thudding, infectious kicks and plenty of rippling synth details. 'Highway Hypnosis takes a more paranoid and stripped-back approach and closes out Conforce's finest EP in some time.

Review: On Synchrophone Records comes Conforce for with second edition in the Commuting series, bringing stygian control room techno to already chapped ears. Sometimes, to feel good on the floor, warmth isn't what you need; and these further four fan-greasers are perfect complements for said latter kind of mood, the cold and unattached unjamming of inner vibes. With coolly bureaucratic track titles like 'Recuperation' , 'Self Assessment' and 'Stable Velocity', Conforce's series has succeeded in portraying the secret joys of humanity's greyer modern face; the tracks here of course continue to fit us in sleek uniform, now deploying such neo-futuristic cyphered titles as 'SCC-ML' and 'RTM-Zuid', the meanings of whose acronyms you'll just have to deduce from the zapping, emissive sound design yourself.

Review: Synchrophone proudly present the latest Gerard Hanson aka. Convextion release; a head-turner moment, since the last proper EP by the 2845 artist was over seven years ago, with Vectorvision for the EP 'Zy Clone'. Since then, Convextion has been hard at work, eschewing all concavities for a purely thermal, fluid sonic exercise. 'Torc' and 'Andas' are unsettling, looming techno visions, confecting a hypothetical world in which the hard sciences have taken total precedent over the human, resulting in a rapid dissipation of heat. The only energy that remains is that which is fed through the machine, as further evidenced on the sinister murk-movements on ERP's version, its two-tone Reese stab suggesting utter indefatigability when begged for mercy.

Review: Synchropone reissue Ellery Cowles' iconoclastic 'Sonic Control' EP, originally released in 1995 on the legendary Djax-Up-Beats label. We've no idea of the kinds of sonic preservatives Cowles injected these beats with, but we do know that the Chicago DJ and producer's debut EP has - to indulge an old but gold phrase - "stood the test of time". Just as it was, the reissue preserves the original's sound, albeit now brings it to marvellous marbled blue splatter vinyl. Best among the bunch here are Cowles' career-definer, 'It's Taking Control', across which the 4x4 still janks and tussles slightly, as though the imperfections of whatever medium it was made with were forcing it to lapse the usual perfect timing of techno. And the title track, too: tintinnabular to the point of tittilating, we're bowled over by its singular, bell-laden universe, by which point it seems more or less proven that Cowles really did exercise at least something along the way towards total "sonic control".

Review: Mike Dehnert delivers a versatile four-track EP of his signature slippery machine funq on Syncrophone, with tendrils of influence unfurling in a plethora of directions, from DJ Rush and Paul Johnson's springheeled Chi-town bump to the more recent soul leanings of John FM and Omar S' FXHE alumni. Opener 'Un' is the most conservative, with a restless shuffling b-line and surgically cropped hats assembled for maximum club pressure, while 'Deux' is a spacious, clattering soulful trip full of small room synth squelch and honeyed vocal mantras. The flip is both more pensive and noisy, with the distant hydraulic wheeze of 'Trois' giving way to the wonky, swaggering gait of the closer 'Quatre'. Proper.

Review: Fred P continues to be a prolific driving force in deep house, with his own Private Society label carrying a huge amount of his work these days. On this latest single he maintains one of his other close working relationships with Parisian institution Synchrophone, delivering three cuts of his refined, endlessly immersive music. 'Dance Of Rhythms' is a driving, sharply defined cut with a lot of action occurring in the lower register while the higher frequencies have acres of space to stretch out in, all the better to keep your head mellow while the hips sway. 'The Beauty In The Sound' is a more pattering affair and 'Vibe Science' favours a nagging drum pattern which nods towards jazz funk as much as techno. This is quintessential Fred P mastery, through and through.

Review: Youssef Benjelloun aka Kosh may run Convergence out of his own Morocco studio, but this time he lends his talents to fellow patrons Syncrophone, for close to 20 minutes' worth of deep techno prowess. With its Ibizan chords and subtly varied sections, 'Lost In Change' proves the lability of techno over time; that slow phrasal evolution need not conflict with in-the-zone flow states. 'No Exit', our favourite track otherwise, brings absurdist Sartrean machinery to a sequenced hell on Earth, going relentless on the 909 toms and claps.

Review: Copenhagen's finest duo deliver deep, hypnotic dub techno, straight from the source. 'Wind' strikes us zephyrously with tizzy stabs and harder grooves, whilst 'Stylus' impresses with a relatively minimal flick of the pen, making for a quick and effective intra-vention. 'Viper' and 'Garth' run with this sense of freedom, unburdening themselves with gaseous headrooms, ample spaces in which to let the reverse hits and tonal whacks breathe. A worthy debut for the French fabulists over at Syncrophone, though Merv are hardly new to the game.

Review: Macedonian-in-Berlin Stojche continues his faithful exploration of deeper strains of techno with this entry for esteemed French label Synchrophone. It's the first time the Tangible Assets artist has appeared on the label, and he does so with the statement drop of just one original tune, the frankly epic 'Granada'. Laying down a swirling dream of synth strings and fluttering Rhodes, the core of the track is a soothing balm driven by bouncy, strident 909 kicks, but the real magic comes from the switch up as the pads give way to fast-paced, classically informed techno rush right up there with the best of Detroit. Meanwhile, the B-side is handed over to the mighty Convextion, who delivers a version which submerges the broad sweeping pads and focuses on building the forwards momentum.

Review: Acid trance-inducer Johannes Volt delivers several new blissful blowouts for French label Syncrophone, demonstrating a remarkable ear for progression and variation, when the two are paired right (trust us, it's rare). 'Inner Fusion' brings a mesmerist's magic to acid trance, with opener 'Starlight Tunnel' plunging us into the titular metaphysical tube, and follow up 'Hidden Structure' revealing the abstract topological construct found at the other end. A shaman's intuition is felt on the B-side in equal measure, with 'Inner Structure' and 'Drawbridge' portraying much deeper and increasingly dubious, yet no less vital, sonic goings-on.