Back catalogue: Techno (すべて)

Review: Dreamlogicc and SW are two standouts in the outlier world of leftfield house music, and they find a perfect home on the equally out-there label that is Kimochi. This is the first time they have been on the same bit of wax (though both have been here many times as solo artists) and hopefully, it won't be the last. There is plenty of unusual rhythm work here with wonky grooves that are enriched with a world of superbly futuristic sound designs. All of these hard to define cuts are serious curveballs that bring a great element of WTF to any set, so do not sleep and add them to your arsenal ASAP.

Review: Dino Sabatini returns to his own Outis Music label with another mesmerising selection of deep electronic sounds that seem to take plenty of influences from dub, downtempo, ambient and trip hop. The open has a creeping melodic sequence that is forever subtly shifting and brings a sense of eeriness to the smooth and unhurried dub rhythms below. 'Inenarrabilis' is then a double quick flurry of tiny synth loops and trippy effects then 'Plena Lunae' allows you to breathe once more and sink into a vast dub soundscape. 'Ego Experior' shuts down with some paranoid baselines bubbling up through a slowly churning groove. Some quality work here for sure.

Review: Doo crew's latest 12", Smoke Barometer, brings together label regulars DJ Spence and Sentena with local acts Kozz and Sweets of the Night from Tension Nurse and Drainolith. The Doo label's eclectic approach, evident in its willingness to explore different tempos and styles within a single release, has garnered attention from discerning listeners. With a tagline emphasising music designed for any time of day, Doo's releases balance trippy, freewheeling downtempo vibes with certified dancefloor hits. 'Smoke Barometer' continues this tradition with six tracks ranging from beat-down cosmic leanings to inward-looking machine funk and musically playful, balearic cuts. The standout track, 'The McGurk Effect' by Ancient, offers a weird, dubbed-out house tool reminiscent of Maurice Fulton's Syclops project. Overall, Smoke Barometer is a diverse and engaging collection that rewards repeated listens, perfect for a range of settings from radio shows to after parties.

Review: Two years ago, Italy's Balearic Gabba Soundsystem switched from remixing and re-editing their favourite cuts to curating compilation style EPs of similarly minded fare. They're in that mode again here, presenting a trio of cuts that combine the saucer-eyed warmth and loved-up musicality of Balearic music culture with grooves and rhythms firmly focused on the dancefloor. They begin by showcasing Wallace's sublime remix of Sewell & The Gong's 'Better Worlds', a locked-in, hypnotising fusion of semi-organic deep house grooves, new age melodic motifs and the dreamiest of ambient chords. Over on the flip they dip into slo-mo Italo-disco/acid house fusion via SIRS fine revision of My Friend Dario's 'Tell Aro', before treating us to a Pedro Bertho remix of Verdo's 'Belvourdier' in which sparkling Balearic house piano riffs, undulating acid lines and mid-80s "chorus" synth sounds rise above a fluctuating synthesiser bassline and hustling beats.

Review: Fauxpas Musik taps into the talents of St Andrew for a fresh new techno outing, No Rain No Flowers. After the opening 'Prologue' things get serious with the well-constructed synth and groove layers of 'Apricity'. 'Better Days Are Coming' is more widescreen and ambient laced deep electronic bliss, and our favourite might be 'No Rain, No Flowers' with its unhurried drums and steely hits all softened by more dreamy pad work and a sense of emotional longing. 'Heaven is a Place on Earth' keeps the mesmeric synth work flowing and a tasteful Outro rounds out this most engaging of trips.

Review: Stavroz returns after a year of creative hibernation with the 'Kick Up the Dust' EP, marking a refined yet experimental journey through sound. The title track takes a direct route to the dancefloor, blending remorseless beats with an elegant trumpet and saxophone duet that's as healing as it is intense. Her Eyes Were Red offers a unique emotional blend of melancholy and power, while Dae-El, featuring Poltrock, brings a dreamy fusion of synths and duduk into an ethereal, spaced-out listening experience. The EP's depth is further showcased in Valente, a collaboration with Castello Branco, where Sade-like vocals meet acoustic guitar and horns. An inventive EP that masterfully straddles the line between the club and the couch.

Review: Stereometrix takes care of the first release on new label Tread A Measure and boy does he come through. His cultured Fall EP is a deep exploration of liquid techno landscapes that draw on cosmic energy, psychedelic colours and evolving synth patterns to melt your mind whether in the club or at home. There are downbeat and melancholic cuts like 'Fall', serene and soulful percolators like 'IO' and twisted sonics for afterparty freakouts like 'A2', while 'Glitch' is a collage of ghostly sounds and warped pads to close out this top-class EP.

Review: With A Real Piece Of Work, Stillhead helps Brightest Dark Place reach into the "hazy, blurred overlap between techno and ambient", throwing a suspension chord between two bluffs over a vast sonic chasm, and letting terse rhythms monkey-swing across it, letting reverb bellow from below. This is an equally dynamic but intense listening experience, proving that vast, chasmic sound design need not chafe against dynamic buoyancy: the two can coexist. Keeping to about 170BPM, the Edinburgh DJ marks his sixth release here, and it is an impressive logical extension from 2022's comparable mission statement Restraint And Reverb: 'The Red Ball' suspends a sampled 'Funky Drummer' over an atoll of sub compulsions, while 'A Light Thump On The Head' stretches a classic future garage rhythm over a telegraphic void, with dispersive, long-decaying results.