Back catalogue: Techno (すべて)

Review: B12's 1993 debut album, Electro-Soma, has long been regarded as one of intelligent dance music's "must-have releases". Offering a decidedly intergalactic blend of otherworldly techno, ambient and deep space electronica, it remains a brilliant piece of work. Here, Warp Records give it the reissue treatment, packaging the peerless original album with a second disc of early B12 rarities and hard-to-find cuts recorded during the same period. There's naturally plenty to admire on this bonus disc, from the shimmering electro bustle of "Transient Pathways" and Motor City futurism of "Debris", to the intoxicating ambient brilliance of "Go With The Hiss". That this material is every bit as good as the tracks included on Electro-Soma is testament to the (then) duo's rarely matched brilliance.

Review: Banyek is next up on the prolific Lithuanian label Greyscale with Alue, a new album that marks the imprint's 37th full-length overall. It is a typically expansive and immersive listen that takes inspiration from cities like Riga and Espoo. Dub techno, ambient and experimental all infuse the sound waves and the intricate craft of Banyek means you're always hooked onto some small detail as the gentle rhythms flow over you. There are stark melodies and more airy atmospheres, minimalism masterpieces and calming sounds a plenty as this most super exploration of tone, time and texture plays out.

Review: The Black Dog's Foucauldian 2009 CD opus hears an honorific remaster and reissue through Dust Science on vinyl, extending the trio's concern with Orwellian surveillance and state-capitalist intrusions into the present. "From billion-dollar corporate entities openly mishandling our data for profit to highly targeted and manipulative political propaganda campaigns, the misuse of our data and communications is far more sophisticated and devious than originally envisaged," says tBd's Martin Dust of the sinister side of today's sociopolitical climate. The tracks therein still elicit much emotion, with 'Northern Electronic Soul' especially charging our intensities despite moods of data scouring and electromagnetic hoarding and 'Skin Clock' co-opting even the more glamorous ends of modern techno-life.

Review: Still-rising new electronica artist Ben Bohmer shares his first new studio album in three years, Bloom. Coming off an ambitious world tour in support of his previous album, Bohmer made a point to take time to himself afterwards, returning to the peace and quiet of his studio; the return would also help him process the heartbreak and grief that drove the inspirations of the record in equal measure. The artist embraces his imperfect journey thus far on the forthcoming album's first single, 'Best Life', featuring Berlin-based singer-songwriter duo JONAH. "Life is short and fast," JONAH remarks on the track. "You try, you fail, and sometimes we lose a special person along the way who is irreplaceable, but the memories stay with us, shaping who we are. 'Best Life' is all about that rollercoaster ride of trying, failing, and a reminder of the importance of living each moment to the fullest." The album features a swathe of styles and tempos that earlier tracks in his career feel like breadcrumbs to.

Review: It wasn't so long ago we were writing about the joys of BVDUB's Fumika Fades, a new double pack in February that sunk us deep into moving ambient soundscapes. Now the Bay Area dub techno titan Brock van Wey is back once again with yet another album - he dropped plenty of them last year too so is clearly in a mad creative patch. Slowly Shifting Lakes comes in multiple formats, this one being a double CD. The ambient here is coarse and textured, fizzing synths stretching out over skittish rhythmic frameworks before sinking into calmer waters on cuts like the escapist 'Searching For Glowing Shores.' Another triumphant album for sure.