Back in stock: Techno (すべて)

Review: Tom Carruthers returns with a fresh drop on Syncrophone Records, comprising the fresh analogue jams 'From Within', 'Zone', 'No Frequency' and 'Malfunction'. All hitting hard with an old-school, sequencer-happy flavour, one which requires no second-guessing, our faves here have to be the basal FM roller 'Zone' and the brash, trashyard B-fronter 'No Frequency', both of which make deft use of the same bassline, yet each to drastically different effec.

Review: Cirkle's Vakandra's Spell delivers four serious techno burners, each track packing its own punch and depth. Side-1 kicks off with the title track, 'Vakandra's Spell,' a sci-fi stomper that echoes the hypnotic intensity of Jeff Mills' Purpose Maker work. It's slightly demented yet profoundly captivating, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that pulls you in. Following this, 'Lunar Orbit' presents a fast-paced, loopy groove that drives the energy forward, making it a perfect fit for peak-time sets. On Side-2, 'Evolving' stands out with its chord-based loop style, offering a deep, rhythmic flow that keeps the momentum going. The EP closes with 'Quantum Shift,' a pulsating techno track where rhythmic hi-hats percolate over a driving beat, delivering a high-class finish to this well-rounded release.Vakandra's Spell is a powerful offering for those looking for deep, intense techno tracks.

Review: Deluka's Mind Games EP on SK Eleven delivers four tracks of pulsating, rhythmic techno that showcases a tech-driven edge. The EP opens with the title track,'Mind Games', a minimal yet powerful techno cut that thumps with primal energy. The seductive rhythm draws you in, building layers of intensity as it moves forward, making it perfect for late-night club sets. Braunschweig follows with a subterranean vibe, featuring intricate, morphing beats and a sci-fi atmosphere. The complex rhythms keep listeners on their toes, pushing the boundaries of techno's sonic palette. On the second side, 'Everybody Talkin' brings raw drums and a rolling rhythm, packed with an infectious energy that makes it an undeniable banger. It's a track that commands the dancefloor with its relentless drive. 'Bunker' closes the EP with a futuristic, techy vibe, driven by broken beats and mechanical rhythms. The track's edgy, forward-thinking sound makes this a sharp record for bold, innovative techno.

Review: Dookuzot is the entrancing debut from Floid & W92 aka Woody92, and it's released on their own Omen Wapta imprint. Across eight tracks, they craft a labyrinthine soundscape full of shadowy textures, tribal rhythms and eerie, dissonant tones that feels both ancient and futuristic-an ambient-techno blend that channels family history into sonic myth-making. Standout 'Maushe' hints at dancefloor tension, while 'Veriyou' is seriously deep and heady as part of what is a haunting, high-definition journey through imagined realms and moody post-human worlds.

Review: Last year Joe Baker took his Forest Drive West project to legendary Dutch label Delsin for the very first time, in the process offering up one of his deepest and most picturesque to date. There's a similarly hazy and hypnotic feel about his latest EP, Dualism, which sees the East Londoner return to Livity Sound for the first time in the three years. He sets the tone via the EP-opening title track, a typical on-point combination of broken techno drums and drowsy dub techno style textures, before opting for more energetic Afro-tech beats and spacey, almost ambient chords on the equally brilliant 'New Day'. He further explores his love of polyrhythmic techno on feverish and mind-altering flipside opener 'Ritual', before joining forces with Lucky Pereira on cumbia-influenced, sub-heavy workout 'Scorpion'.

Review: Irish-born, Manchester-based artist Kerrie returns to James Ruskin's Blueprint label with her third outing for the label, continuing her evolution through weighty, precision-built techno. A fixture of the UK scene and now a resident at Berlin's Tresor, Kerrie draws on her background in record store culture and over a decade of hardware experimentation to forge tracks that are both rigorous and emotionally charged. 'Act Of Resistance' pairs dub-soaked atmospheres with serrated industrial textures, while 'Validation' rides a more urgent, tunnelling pulse. Flip it for the paranoid spirals of 'In Your Orbit' and the slow-burner 'Natural Order', each anchored by detail-rich production and layered groove. Rooted in classic hardware sensibilities but driven by a personal, future-facing vision, this is heady, unrelenting techno with purpose.

Review: DJ Nobu's avant-garde Bitta label looks to fellow Japanese great in Osaka-based Erik Luebs for its next trick. As always with this fine imprint, the sounds are about balancing transcendental synths with deep tech rhythms. They are masterclasses in economical arrangement and on the surface don't do much, but when you tune in properly, they are mind-melting trips, starting with the mystery of 'Granite Monolith'. 'Irradiated Body' has loopy synth sequences unfolding at great pace with pristine accuracy and 'Coming Up For Air' gets a little more extroverted with dubby kicks and the sound of overloaded AI machines getting ever more frenzied. 'Facing The Horizon' is a flickering, optimistic and mildly euphoric sound for dropping when the sun peaks through the blinds and you celebrate getting through another night of darkness.

Review: New York City's underground stalwart Sweater On Polo returns with the debut release on Signal Route. His Mechanical Confusion EP draws inspiration from early 90s Chicago techno and basement house so it echoes the gritty, raw style of labels that dealt in that sort of stuff, like Dance Mania and Relief Records. Across the six cuts there is an intergenerational dialogue between past and present with acid house, techno and synth punk all capturing a familiar old-school angst and texture but with a fresh twist. 'Land of Code' is one of our favourites with its rising percussive tension, deeply buried bass pulse and dusty analogue drums.

Review: Colombian producer JP Lopez aka Verraco delivers full-throttle techno gritted up with grime influences on his new 'Basic Maneuvers' EP for Tra Tra Trax, the label he co-founded. His offbeat, chrome-plated and heavy style has been heard on Blawan's Voam and Batu's Tiemdance before now and here Verraco blends Latin club energy with signature rhythmic invention. The title track drives with mind-melting techno and ragga-infused bass, while 'Total' fuses gqom and dubstep with holographic vocals inspired by Arca. The grime-tinged 'Sobe Sobe' features Ugandan MC Yallah over Orbital-like pads and gritty, Coki-style midrange. Verraco's genre-blurring mastery knows no bounds.