Back in stock: Techno (すべて)

Review: Italian techno heavyweight Claudio PRC's fifth album, Self Surrender, is a meditative dive into self-acceptance that comes on Amsterdam's long-running and always top-notch Delsin Records. Claudio delivers a fluid narrative across an exploration of tasteful ambient, dub, minimal house and deep techno here, and it opens with some absorbing introspection before gradually shifting into more kinetic territory. It is driven by pulsing kicks, dreamy textures, acid flourishes and ghostly strings as a refined blend of techno and house sounds all coalesce with the signature depth Claudio has honed over years of his craft. Self Surrender closes on an ethereal note, which encapsulates its core message of letting go.

Review: Richard Fearless, London-based DJ and producer, returns with a daring reinvention of his electronic vision, delivering an unpolished, analogue-driven techno masterpiece. Stripping away any semblance of commercial sheen, he dives headfirst into a world of disintegration and overload, where every track feels like it's teetering on the edge of collapse. Drawing on his deep affinity for the rough textures of underground techno, the work channels influences ranging from the industrial growl of Ramleh to the acidic pulse of TM404, with moments that recall the claustrophobic minimalism of Mika Vainio and the haunting drones of Loop. Fearless is unafraid of pushing boundaries, his machinesifed by years of use and a tangled web of circuitryiemitting strange, almost sentient sounds, as if alive in their own right. What emerges is an album that doesn't simply reflect the artist's influences, but speaks with a distinct, personal voice. Tracks like 'While My Machines Gently Weep' and 'Death Mask' bear the hallamrks of live takes and dub-inspired mixing, creating a haunting, almost otherworldly quality, the machine noise blending with echoes of the past. Fearless has long been obsessed with dub and here, he allows its principles to guide him, distilling decades of musical history into something that feels deeply present. A vivid portrait of an artist grappling with his own sonic ghosts and the fractured landscape of modern dance music, it's quite the spectacular.

Review: There is a great selection of reissues of Future Sound of London's back catalogue going on right now. It goes all the way back to 1988 when they first started chaining the game with their forward facing electronics and mix of rave, breaks, hardcore and ambient into something utterly fresh. It still resonates today, hence these reissues, and this one is a 25th Anniversary edition of Accelerator. This one was, at the time, seen as the group's most "commercially-minded" album but that takes nothing way from its visionary sonics and immersive sonic landscapes.

Review: Before they became ambient titans with a penchant for doing gigs from their studio via ISDN line, the Future Sound of London had already established themselves as a well-regarded house and techno act - albeit one whose love of wavy chords, drifting vocal samples and hallucinatory acid lines put them at the psychedelic end of the rave spectrum. The album that established their reputation, Accelerator, is now 30 years old, which is as good an excuse as any for this reissue. Now stretched across two slabs of wax rather than one for a louder cut, the set still sparkles, thanks in part to the duo's ability to mix and match elements of turbn-of-the-90s ambient house, breakbeat hardcore, bleep techno, deep house and what would then have been called "jungle techno".

Review: If it feels like we've been waiting a minute for some fresh material from the ever-excellent Roger Geressen, then the wait has been worth it as he gifts us this exemplary extended EP which borders on mini-album territory. The Dutch producer has evolved his sound in subtle ways over the years, but his affinity for mellow atmospheres abounds on this drop for Chapelle XIV, leading in with the relaxed broken beat machine soul of 'Other Dimensions' before switching into the more heads-down roll of 'Oceans Of Ganymede' and 'Solar Flare's winsome synth lines and snappy electro rhythm section. 'Future Visions' continues the exploration of broad melodic vistas and 'Moons Of Mercury' goes in hard on the delays for shimmering results. 'User Interface' completes the picture with a perfect sign off on this refined and immersive six-tracker from an artist you know you can trust.

Review: Ukrainian producer Volodymyr Gnatenko returns to Kalahari Oyster Cult with 'Mershiy' - a long-awaited follow-up that trades the drive of his last appearance on the label for something deeper and more exploratory. Spread across six tracks, it drifts between ambient dub, acid and pointillist electronics, with flashes of trance and IDM woven through. There's a widescreen, cinematic quality to it - detailed, immersive and immaculately spaced. Ushering in faded memories of 90s ambient, only re-imagined through a hi-def lens. Repeated listens reveal ever more off-world textures, insect rhythms and a creeping sense of unease. It's introspective, meticulous and beautifully produced.

Review: Lenxi's debut album, Did You Get the Dream I Sent You?, is a cultured blend of IDM, indie pop and techno that is laid out across 10 deeply personal track. The London-born, Amsterdam-based producer channels a period marked by heartbreak and isolation into the music, which means the album emerges as an emotional escape shaped by paintings, sketches and synth lines all crafted in studios from London to L.A. It balances vulnerability with resilience while weaving nostalgia and hope into the mix. Ultimately, Lenxi transforms pain into empowerment here and takes you from sounds of solitude to the dancefloor with a powerful, dreamlike narrative.

Review: Detroit electro investigator MICRO4CE delivers a no-compromise double pack here across two EPs packed with nine tracks of raw electronic futurism and imaging. It is all rooted in classic Detroit electro and so-called hi-tech-funk so the sound channels early 80s influences like Nucleus and Mantronix while carving out its own cyborg-driven edge. 'Bass Situation 313' gets underway with swampy low ends and far-sighted chords then the likes of 'Borg Fightz' bring unrelenting coruscated drums and 'The Greed' is a more minimal sound with zippy synths and dehumanised vocals. This is seriously high-grade electro for heads who like gritty, futuristic and fearless sounds.

Review: Orbital's debut album is classic album in the techno genre. A name that needs no introduction really, Orbital defined rave and techno through the 90s creatively and performance wise. This self-titled or as many know it by, 'The Green Album' features perhaps the most popular songs of the rave generation in 'Chime' and 'Belfast'. However, tracks like 'Midnight', 'Steel Cube Idolatry' and 'The Mobius' are the birthmarks of Orbital finding their sound that would turn them into Glastonbury legends and soundtrack pioneers. This edition is true to the original 2x12 making it desirable for those new to the album, those who want a second copy or those who want to complete their Orbital collection. Orbital's roots begin here and have them at their most raw. Do not miss out on having a part of rave history with this record!

Review: Overmono is a real techno-making machine that rarely makes a misstep. He's landed on Poly Kicks and XL already this year and now his entry into the long-running and legendary fabric series is another doozy. Here we have the double 12" selection featuring key tracks from it such as his own 'If U Ever' and a fantastic cut 'I Have A Dream' (feat Benjamin Zephaniah) for an LB Dub Corp album of a few years ago. Blawan's typically supersized 'Fourth Dimensional' is another big moment in an album that is jam-packed with them.

Review: When it comes to jackin' Chicago style acid house revivalism, few can hold a candle to Paranoid London. As this long-awaited second album proves, the duo is the undisputed masters of sweaty, TB-303 driven jack-tracks and - as recent single "(Vi-Vi) Vicious Games" and LP opener "Starting Fights" prove - classic-sounding vocal cuts that recall the glory years of Fingers, Inc in the mid-to-late 1980s. Interestingly, "PL" boasts far more collaborations than we've seen from Paranoid London before, including a string of ragged club cuts blessed with evocative spoken word vocals, a thrusting acid throb-job with lead vocals by Simon Topping and a suitably twisted, machine-driven hook up with Arthur Baker and Alan Vega (the raw and weighty "Angel Of Hell").

Review: Switzerland and Britain collide on the latest Mental Groove-facilitated collaboration between Sonic Boom and Sinner DC. An ambient record first laid to tape in 2013 to accompany live performances at the Festival La Batie in Switzerland, this six-track LP edition is but one half of a wider audiovisual experience, inspired by the idea of the limits of representation. Already building on both artists' trilling cross-sectional work in ambient ethertronica and shoegaze, this album pairs with visuals generated by Dutch artist Space Is Green using a modified ZDoom game engine.

Review: Portuguese producer Trikk returns with a five-track suite that blurs the boundaries between emotional depth and dancefloor precision. It's a new release built for impact and flow, threading through tempo shifts, genre collisions and global voices while holding fast to a focused, tactile sound. 'Rigor' kicks things off with peak-time weight and carefully sculpted drama i chest-rattling bass and stabs of unexpected piano beauty. 'Raiva (feat MEUTE)' brings brassy propulsion into the fold, fusing live energy with Trikk's slick production touch. 'Fortuna', with Kenyan vocalist Sofiya Nzau, hits a lighter, warmer stride, evoking open-air euphoria. On the flip, 'Luxo' plays with friction i industrial textures balanced with bursts of melody i before closing track 'Sagrado' delivers a radiant, sunrise moment. It's the clearest summation of the release's intent: to move, to build, to glow. Rooted in club energy but alive with personality, this one shows Trikk at his most expansive and assured.

Review: Barcelona-based label Exarde's latest compilation gathers a select group of producers whose intricate, cold minimalism defines the label's identity. From the jagged percussion of Kvrk's 'Access Denied' to the hypnotic rhythm of C.ru.z's 'Tecno-Logico', each track offers something different yet unmistakably rooted in Exarde's vision. J6's 'Cyber Crisis' injects an anxious energy, while Sancra's 'Obscure Consciousness' offers an immersive experience, drawing you into its murky depths. As TrascendAnce's 'Whathehell' dissolves and reforms, rhythms begin to shift in unpredictable ways, leading to Dissocietisociety's 'Oda A D.houle', where a metallic sheen gives way to a stripped-back, almost clinical production. Nicolas Longo's contribution pares everything back, reducing the sound to its essential components. Curity's closer delivers an uncompromising, propulsive end, capping off a collection that feels both cohesive and meticulously crafted.

Review: Walker And Royce and Dirtybird are perfect bedfellows - they both have a penchant for bright, colourful sounds, big-hearted beats and playful energies when it comes to club music. No Big Deal, the duo's new album, doesn't disappoint on that front. It is an album that goes big on collars and features the likes of comedian and musician Reggie Watts, Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum-selling artist James Patterson peak-time producer VNSSA, another Grammy-nominee in the shape of vocalist Barney Bones and more besides. Plenty of weird and wacky beats are run through with some great lyrics to make this as functional as it is fun.