Back catalogue: Techno (すべて)

Review: In celebration of their tenth birthday, Selador marks the occasion in style with a four-track collaborative EP, featuring tracks from 3D, Robert Owens, Olivier Giacomotto, Quivver, Dave Seaman, Hernan Cattaneo, Argia, and Jepe. The opening track, 'Known Love', is a deep, pulasting house tune that feels like an instant classic, perhaps thanks to the soulful, pop-tinged vocals - think LCD soundsystem meets Four Tet. 'Snailblazer', the second track on the EP, takes a much darker turn, with a chugging, EBM-esque feel. Full-bodied and complete with obscured vocals, this is the kind of track to pull out your bag when it's time to really get stuck in. On the B-side, 'Napkin Knowledge' draws on the glistening synths of eurodance, yet still securing the melodies to a grounded bassline and rhythm section. 'Salitre' is the perfect closing track, rising up in a gleaming, ecstatic melody, before delicately returning to ground level. A varied yet firmly cohesive collaborative release - the perfect way for Selador to kick off their 2023 catalogue.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Torn sleeve, otherwise in excellent working condition***


Qeta and Inkipak show off their respective skills on this fine split EP on Sound Synthesis's Wave Function label. Qeta takes care of the a-side with a serene opener in the form of 'Idream' which pairs lush ambient designs with pristine breakbeats. 'Revved Orb' is a more dubbed-out and trippy post-jungle rhythm with 'Redawn' bringing soulful Detroit techno style to the floor. With his trio of tunes, Inkipak offers stripped-back breaks and celestial chords, heavenly moods on 'Schedule' and a cosmic comedown soundtrack with 'Wetlands.'

Review: Quince makes fluid and timeless techno music influenced by the soulful high tech sounds of Detroit. His latest release is a four-track EP on the Nowhere series which features tracks like 'Udon', a hypnotic and pulsating tune with a synth melody and a vocal sample that create a heady atmosphere, as well as 'Noodles', a more upbeat and groovy track with a catchy keyboard stab and a sultry bassline that add some energy and funk. 'Anthology Of Interest' is a solid EP that showcases the veteran Dutch producer's talent and style.

Review: Waage is a firm favourite amongst dub techno fans. The Icelandic producer has long been turning out icy and atmospheric rollers for the heads and here he works alongside a fresh name, Quantal, who is sure to go on to big things. Here they land on Thule Records, a legendary label in its own right with roots going back to 1995. They kick off with the textured dub of 'WQ1' which has glitchy sounds paying over the rolling drums. 'WQ2' is much more smooth and streamlined, with an underwater current that sweeps you off your feet, then 'WQ3' leans into the wind with hypnotic techno drums and vamping chords that melt the mind. Last of all comes 'WQ4', a timeless dub with infinite horizons and the most frictionless drum loops.

Notes: Tresor is pleased to announce the Drexciyan journey's continuation with the release of The Book Of Drexciya, Vol. 1, a graphic novel which covers the first 5 vivid chapters of this powerful mythology, a crucial Afrofuturist work.

African pregnant women thrown o the slave ships gave birth underwater to amphibious creatures. They could breathe as they did in their mothers' wombs, they had webbed hands and feet and became the Drexciyan wave jumpers: great warriors of the abyss. Revealed in the inner sleeve notes of The Quest (1997), through a map of the diasporic black culture, Drexciya illustrated four phases: The Slave Trade, Migration Route of Rural Blacks to Northern Cities, Techno Leaves Detroit, Spreads Worldwide, and The Journey Home (Future). It introduces the very creatures and warriors found in these pages, such as Wavejumpers and Deep Sea Dwellers. The return home is of destination future, where lays the population of their abyss.

Follow the story of the first Drexciyan, his subaquatic birth, growing up in the caves of Ociya Syndor, later to become Drexaha, the empire's first king. Get introduced to Dr. Blowfin, Master of Alchemy and Quantum Genetics, who masterminded Drexciyan computer systems and network, based on Genetic Intelligence and DNA matrix systems. Hear the story of the birth of the wavejumpers, the mightest warriors of Drexciya. Enter Bubble Metropolis, thriving with its central command, aquabahns and aqua wormhole gateways to the cephalopod-like oceanic Cruisers.

Authored by Abdul Qadim Haqq and Dai Sato, it features the art of Haqq, Leo Rodrigues, Alan Oldham, Hector Rubilar, Leonardo Gondim, Daniel Oliviera and Milton Estevam. Haqq's legendary concept imagery associated with the Detroit techno community and beyond for almost 30 years and his contributions to the mythology at the time of conception makes him uniquely positioned to lead this endeavour. Dai Sato is most known for his screenwriting for animes Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell.

This project comes with the full support of living Drexciya member Gerald Donald and Helen Stinson, the surviving mother of James Stinson.