Review: Fresh from serving up a superb set of off-kilter house cuts from Newcastle-based maverick Man Power, Timo Rotenen's Echocentric imprint has turned to regular Belters contributor Dominik Marz. The long-serving producer has delivered an EP of nostalgic, energy-packed delights that variously doff a cap to dance music sub-genres of the 1990s and early 2000s. For proof, check the gargantuan 'Honesty', where mind-bending noises and sharp, trance style stabs rise above stomping beats and deep, sub-heavy, bleep & bass style low-end pressure. Similarly excitable and mind-altering is EP-opening slammer 'Honesty'. Elsewhere, 'Only One' sees Marz pepper a stabbing bassline and hissing house beats with raw bleeps and nostalgic samples, while 'Never Use Quantize' is pleasingly wayward - like early Chicago house crossed with NYC freestyle.
Review: Now well over 300 rises deep, Swedish staple Drumcode is one of main room techno's mightiest ever imprints. Adam Beyer has stepped in though several sonic evolutions all while staying true to its original signature sound - namely drum heavy techno. Massano shows he has mastered that style with this new Telepathic EP. The title cut is lit up with video-style game synths that flash abut over acid touches and rolling kicks. 'Destructure' pairs whitings back and allows some freaky synths to entangle themselves around the drums and 'The Method' veers towards harder techno worlds with hints of trance.
Review: Phat bottomed Drumcode techno of grander proportions by way of festival favourite Massano. Following his stellar three-track EP 'Telepathic', the Simulate label head and future-thinker now offers us a stark mix of choppy leads and spitting, pressure-release snares here, in the form of 'The Lights'. His signature use of momentary 32nd notes, and a lasery lead line, functions as a nod to adjacent "big room" techno styles, while a modal swirling about a suspensory tonal centre offers much towards the way of a faintly Middle Eastern melody. As its many multilayered lead lines grow increasingly twinging and chaotic, so too does an atmoss of shocking tension grow in the rave-hangar.
Review: Afterlife is not just a label and party brand but a way of life for melodic techno lovers. It's headed up by Italian pair Tale Of Us and now welcomes back regular artist Massano following his exemplary debut EP, In My System. This one opens up with 'Shut Down' (extended mix) which has something in common with hard techno in the flat drums and trance-like synths, all of which are sure to get those hands in the air. 'Cybernova' (extended mix) then come son the flip and is more subbed and subtle in the way it builds towards a big emotional peak. Two epic tracks for main rooms all over the world.
Review: Italian duo Mathame return with a new single, which they wrote to embody the essence of summer through its energetic melodies and uplifting vibe. It was created during their 2024 tours across Mexico and Asia and was refined through live performances in New York City and Ibiza. It has all the hallmarks of a summer anthem, frankly - the sentimental dance-pop vocals, the big synth waves, the happy melodies and the big, bold, accessible drums. It's well produced, bright and shiny and is easy to sing back when dropped on vast festival stages.
Review: After first surfacing digitally late last year, Matisa's Steel City Dance Discs label debut finally makes it onto vinyl - and not a moment too soon. Hard to pigeonhole but fiendishly heavy and floor-friendly, the four cuts on offer are rave-igniting workouts that somehow manage to sound both nostalgic and genuinely fresh. For proof, check opener 'Brillatine', where a warped, all-action bassline, fizzing electronics, Orbital-style female vocal snippets, jumpy stabs and pots-and-pans percussion hits cluster around a skittish, warehouse-ready breakbeat. 'Eyeliner' is a slightly more rave-centric chunk of heady breakbeat hardcore revivalism with added M1 organ motifs (and a rap-less accompanying hip-house style tweak from label boss Mall Grab), while 'Lip Plumper' is a muscular, hands-aloft house workout with layered percussion aplenty.
Review: German artist Martin Matiske's musical journey began under the mentorship of DJ Hell, who introduced him to the decks at Gigolo label nights in Munich in 1999. Inspired by pioneers like Kraftwerk and Jean Michel Jarre, Matiske started producing for International Deejay Gigolo Records and later for Frustrated Funk, Bordello A Parigi, and the Central Processing Unit. His new EP has already had support from Dave Clarke and Helena Hauff, including for the standout track 'Moments', which blends ice-cold snares with celestial pads and retro-future synths. Legowelt's remix of 'Moments' adds an astral electro vibe, while 'Dimensional Space Travel' and 'Analogue Being' explore cinematic electro with nostalgic, playful tones.
Review: 59 Bel is back with another transmission from its HQ in Paris and again it's an interesting take on techno. Ian Maur opens with a minimal cut that is urgent and hurried yet barely there. Deluka brings some sci-fi imagery to the loopy sounds of 'My Underground' and Louis The 4th takes off on dry, glitchy minimal beats on the serene 'Ongoing Motifs.' Model HZ's 'Render' is a more synth-laced bit of classically inclined techno and Askkin's 'Life Spectator'' comes full circle with another eerie, sparse sound for freaking out late-night dancers.
Review: Treptow is a brand new label looking to make waves in the techno underground and it sure has put plenty of effort into this first 12". It's a coloured vinyl but each one is different which means you'll get a nice surprise. Musically, this one is up to scratch too. Max is a German artist with a great grasp of tension and dance floor dynamics on this evidence. 'Geben Und Nehmen' opens with a low-key, drum-led intensity, 'Alle Gegen Alle' brings some trance including synth colours and 'Dream Loop' is a dubbed out breakbeat delight that Sasha would have loved in his peak prog days. 'Dessow' shuts down with brilliantly mellifluous synths over deep, thudding techno kicks.
Review: Just a year after the last reissue of this one should out, it is back again via a different label. This time American imprint Communique serve up this rare old skool reissue of Woody McBride's 'Basketball Heores' EP. It is a punchy gem from back in 1996 is a fine fusion of acid, trance, and big room techno, with every track from 'The Birdman' to 'Darrin Houston' sounding like something between a Mr. Oizo track and a Drumcode overwhelmer. In short, it's a devastating weapon to have in your arsenal - use it wisely.
Review: While not the most celebrated house music 'original' by any means, Chicagoan producer Terrance McDonald was responsible for a handful of fantastic releases in the 1990s for the likes of Djax-Up Beats and Dance Mania. However, it's his 1991 debut, Mind Over Matter, that is most revered. Here reissued for the first time since 2010, the EP blends the drum machine-driven jack of early Chicago house with the Afro-futurist electronics of Motor City techno. For proof, check the hypnotic brilliance of 'Mind Over Matter', where looped synth sounds ride a thumping beat and chunky bassline, and the more sweat-soaked 'New Mix' by fellow Chi-Town legend Steve Poindexter. Elsewhere, 'Spaced Out' is deeper, spookier and even more hypnotic - all alien electronics and restless percussion - while 'Back From Canada' is a funkier and cheerier machine jam.
Review: This third outing from the Unveiled Nuance label is another cutting-edge techno exploration that brings together loopy techno, bass, industrial and a little something unknown across four cuts from Means&3rd. It's all fizzing pads and rusty loops that hang off the meandering rhythm of opener 'Hardship Repackaged As Growth' while 'Countenance' then strips back to a more evocative and wide open bass cavern with static electricity charging up the drums and keeping you on edge. 'Character Ethic' is an icy and heady minimalist floater then 'Desperate & Relevant' shuts down with darker bass and echoing warehouse menace.
Review: Roberto Cagnoli began his musical journey in Florence in 1995 and since then has been contributing to the region's rich scene under various different aliases. He has produced for labels like Disturbance and featured in Gigi D'Agostino's Progressiva compilation and now Evasione Digitale has partnered with Cagnoli to reissue his 2000 project 'Megaton - Essence.' It was originally released on Stefano Noferini's experimental techno label, Plate Records and is a superbly hypnotic, percussion-driven sound that perfectly captures the essence of Cagnoli's innovative approach. Highlights include the dizzying leads of 'Bloody Ears' and the more deep and mind-bending sounds of 'Essence.'
Review: Mehdi M's latest EP finds him expertly blending house, techno and bass-driven rhythms into one tight package. While the title might suggest a singular focus, each track on this release demonstrates the breadth of his sonic toolkit. The opener, 'Funky Mission,' kicks things off with a tight house groove, where punchy kicks and sharp snares form a solid foundation, while the high-pitched synth melody gradually builds to an energising peak. It's a fresh, feel-good start. On 'Sunday Service,' the vibe shiftsideep basslines rumble beneath a hypnotic rhythm, pulling the track into a more atmospheric space without losing energy. 'Funky Version' brings back a sense of playfulness, with bouncy bass and tight percussion, driving the track forward while keeping the mood light and funky. 'Tare Mode' stands out with its relentless grooveialmost hypnotic in its repetition, the bassline is starker, a steady pulse that forces the track into full-on motion. Closing things out, 'Ritmics' offers a complex, rhythmic journey, with intricate percussion and shifting textures that ensure the EP finishes as strong as it began.
Review: Florian Meindl keeps it real on a new one for Flash that strikes right at the heart of a strobe-lit dance floor. First up is 'Side Control' which hurries along with clipped drum funk and urgent synth loops that get the heat racing and the feet marching. 'We Grow At Night' gets more frenzies with a wall of squiggling acid and demonic vocals all washing over you to psychotic effect and 'Chaos' keeps up that synapse firing sense of arrest with pixelated synths spraying about the mix. 'Kimura' allows a moment to catch your breath and sink int a drawn out and dubby techno trip before 'False Worlds' closes with more mindfuckery and smart synth craft.
Review: Weirdo minimal tech soul, anyone? Any takers should be directed towards this oddball release from Melchior Productions and Paul Walter. Two tracks of serious strangeness: timestretched vocals and repetitious yeahs blossom between the beat-thickets of Melchior's 'Yeah X 3', while many more percussive hits and cuts and clicks and pops and booms come courtesy of Walter's B-side, 'Xvive'. It's an impressive first foray for Maria Newyen's new imprint Scious; let's hope future 12"s stay just as weird.
Review: Five years have now passed since Russia-based Stef Mendisis first set out his stall as a maker of dark, intense, lo-fi and mind-altering club techno. In that time he's released just as handful of 12" singles, though all have been spot on. There's plenty to enjoy on the Greek producer's first outing on Mancunian label CLERGY, from the warehouse-friendly, stab-happy stomp of opener "Critical Ratio", to the similarly slamming surge of closing cut "Chroma", where hands-aloft riffs and short, looped female vocal snippets ride a booming, lo-fi techno groove. Sandwiched in between you'll find more rave-ready business, with the clap happy, organ-sporting peak-time sweatiness of "Memorex" standing out.
Review: Hailing from the brilliant, tangled web orbiting Future Sound Of London, Mental Cube was one of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans' short-lived side projects which found them indulging in the bleep and acid house sound. Given the talent at the controls, it's little wonder this release became such a holy grail - a misfit twist on the conventional formula of club records at the time and yet still as satisfying as any of the more widely played early 90s hits. This is the first time the release has been reissued in its true original form, meaning both mixes of 'So This Is Love' and the 'Santa Monica Mix' of 'Q'. Listen out for the cheeky nod to 808 State on 'So This Is Love' - a respectful tip of the hat rather than a cheeky lift, we'd say.
Review: Merv keeps it super deep here with a trio of supremely tasteful techno cuts doused in dub culture. 'Sliver' is first and awakens the sense with some gentle rattling chords that sound like distant thunder rolling in with a storm. 'Embrace' is airy, with big kicks and frosty pads shimmering across the airwaves and crisp hi-hats cut right through. 'Strain' is last up on the flip and is an elongated journey through some sugary melodic pixelations, a frosty dubscape and hints of melancholia. All are perfect for those late-night and intimate back room sessions.
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