Review: Coyu's Barcelona-based Suara label continues to push the thresholds of hard techno, with this new one by legend Cisco Ferreira under his reknowned The Advent moniker. Brace yourself for The Movement EP, featuring heavy duty sonic artillery that must be handled with extreme caution. From the brutalist dystopian slammer "Witches Spell" to the unrelenting peak time fury of "Live 98 Tour" which is reminiscent of timeless classics like "Bad Boy", to the Detroit style breakneck electro funk of "Same 4" which is a collaboration with his son Zein. Ferreira proves yet again that even after 30 years in the game, he is still miles ahead of the rest - respect!
Zarate-Fix & DJ Sotofett - "Dub State Looped" (8:15)
DJ Sotofett - "My Spirit Is Looped" (0:28)
Ronny Nyheim - "EXP" (DJ Sotofett Lockmix) (2:03)
DJ Sotofett - "Hats Loop 1" (0:37)
DJ Sotofett - "Stab Loop 1" (0:26)
DJ Sotofett - "Beater Loop 1" (1:08)
L.A.2000 & DJ Sotofett - "1st Wave Fusion" (9:49)
DJ Sotofett - "Preparation Looped" (0:33)
Review: The wonderfully idiosyncratic DJ Sottofett is back with more of his leftfield magic alongside Ronny Nyheim, Zarate_Fix and LA 2000. This outing on WANIA is a special release with alternative mixes and non-album tracks from the upcoming WANIA mk1 double album. 'Dubquartz' opens up with rattling dub techno, 'Dub State Looped' is a slow motion and heavyweight dub with rusty chords and then comes a seizes of loose for adventurous DJ fun such as the scratchy vocal of 'My Spirit Is Looped' and frosted hi-hats of 'Hats Loop 1'. '1st Wave Fusion' is the standout with its cinematic synths and widescreen grooves.
Review: Chris Liberator's experimental techno label Maximum/Minimum forms part of the Stay Up Forever Collective umbrella, which has been going for a heck of a long time (since 1995-ish), charting untouched terrains of teratological UK hardcore techno. An offshoot imprint dedicated to the "creative corruptions" of the Stay Up Forever crew, Liberator and co. would originally release these ones without catalogue numbers, that is until the market beseeched them to behave more conventionally. Now, well past their 65th V/A release, comes their latest, a decapitatory pummeller fronted by Sonico's 'Did You Say Acid?' and Zyco Seon's 'Citric Frequencies'.
Review: Pi Electronics bring four classy artists together on this new 12". It marks the start of the Limitation series and opens with the deft, moody broken beat techno and unsettling synth ambience of Sam KDC's 'Dominion.' Interviews then ups the intensity with the frosty and rusty loops of 'Crawler' which lurches back and forth with real menace, and Zevla's 'Yours Is Mine' then keeps the pressure on with more tight drum loops, lashing of synth static, corrugated low ends and general dystopian vibes. Slave To Society's 'Biosphere' is the brutalist broken techno banger to close down with.
Review: Newcomer Zara makes her debut on Salt Mines with an EP that takes its cues from "the sounds, colours and textures of festivals in the Australian bush." As a result, it is organic techno with a rich array of organic and natural details that make it an experience for both body and head. 'Breathe' opens with bird calls, the sound of scuttling insects and nice leggy, rubbery drums. 'Fragments' is a more ragged and rough rhythm with the sound of stampeding herds and 'Di Plastica' is a more aqueous dub with neon fireflies darting about the mix. A Mara mix offers pure liquid techno joy.
Review: MCMLXV might be on your radar for its quality output in the realms of dub techno. This time out though it veers more towards club tackle and is less heavy on the dub via the work of label head JS Zeiter. 'Outline' stars in a deep, pensive groove with glistening hi-hats cutting up the smooth bass. 'Taken' is another mid-tempo plodder that comes alive with nice heady synth curlicues that add some scale. 'Navigate' keeps these serene vibes flowing with more deft and wispy pads colouring the rooted beats and 'Resistance' shuts down with more swaggering bass.
Review: Three of techno's biggest names under different alias appear on this second release Stroboscopic Artefacts have put out to celebrate their five year tenure of abstract techno. "Totemism" may well be an off-cut from Zeitgeber's debut and self-titled album, a collaboration between Speedy J and SA label boss Lucy. It's reminiscent of the early, rhythmically dubby productions of the label's earlier releases, while L.B. Dub Corp (aka Luke Slater) provides a reduction of his thunderous Ostgut Ton mega-storm "Take It Down In Dub". With more five year celebrations on the way, this adds to the unexplainable tone of a label that's now firmly fixed in Berlin club culture.
Review: Two years on from delivering a notably dark, fuzzy and drum-heavy debut on Public Possession (the genuinely brilliant 'Percussion Heaven', which more than lived up to its title), Zellmani is back on the Munich-based imprint with a similarly inspired four-track EP. Check first opener 'Yongheng Forever', a left-of-centre house cut in which weird electronic noises, atmospheric field recordings, saucer-eyed chords and cute melodies ride a charred bassline and unfussy tech-house beats, before admiring the quirky, breakbeat-driven deepness of Piotr collaboration 'Nuevo Portamento'. Over on side B, Gojiano hook-up 'Smutt' is a spacey, thickset slab of late 90s tech-house revivalism with added pots-and-pans percussion, while 'Eternal Loop of Emotions' is another jazz-flecked, breakbeat-driven slab of star-gazing wonder.
Review: It's the label heads themselves, Zenker Brothers, who step up for Ilan Tape's 65th EP. As ever they lead from the front with four fierce cuts of inventive, fresh and rhythmic techno that is masterfully arranged and hugely complex but never at the expense of dance floor clout. The opener 'Two Paths' is a physical and prickly blend of tightly programmed kicks and scraping percussion with howling synth winds. 'Power Supply' then rides on a funky drum line with aqueous pads, 'Workhorse' is a big room banger with panel-beaten lops and synths riding over the top and 'Hold On' shuts down with surges of warm, futuristic chords and glitchy filters.
Review: Originally founded in Manchester but now well entrenched in Berlin, SK Eleven continues to fly the flag for stern, unrelenting techno shrouded in gothic undertones with this essential drop from Zippo. The approach is one focused on needlepoint drum programming, running from the twitchy hats and thunderous kicks of 'Pulse & Distortion' to the snappy 909 hits of 'Xukro' on to the mind-warping arps of 'Cannot Stop Thinking', which also features Celina Marie's detached voice calling out the track title in the middle of the maelstrom. At all times it's techno delivered with an accomplished tone, making for must-check gear for any dedicated diggers and DJs.
Review: Winthorpe Electronics signs up Dublin musician and producer Daniel Jacobson aka ZOiD for his debut on the label. What a fine one it is too with a real creative freedom in the melodies and rich sense design bringing each of these curveball cuts to life. '2-Oh-Techno' is a loose mix of bumpy drums and smeared chords, zippy leads and pixelated melodies that shine bright. 'Winthrope Acrid 2C (2-5s On The 303)' is then a double-time and wonky workout with a collage of synth textures all intertwining. 'Sunrise Acid' is another unusual but effective techno cut with a happy heart and 'Megajazz Acidhops' is a final collision of synths and rhythms that leaves you wanting more.
Review: Iowa's Zuul hand modulates the proverbial Pressure Control with a five-track slab of tightly wound menace, shifting gears from his earlier appearances on Exarde and White Scar. As head of Laik, Ollie Burgess has previously shown a taste for precise, brooding rhythms; but here, he leans rawer, drawing on EBM, new beat and the wave-inflected electronics of the late 80s, invoking spirits of early Frankfurt and Ghent while keeping an eye firmly on the functional demands of contemporary sets. There's a nitty tension running through each cut, making them as suited to murky warm-ups as to teeth-gritting peak hours.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.