Techno Recommendations March 2011

Review: London imprint Autoreply celebrates its 10th release with an incredibly solid 12" from Dan Curtin, the techno don responsible for the label's first ever release. His Lifeblood album on Mobilee was one of the more underrated long players released in 2010, and here he marks the start of a new year with two very special tracks. Head straight for "The Fugitive", a peak time party bomb featuring deeply effective synth stabs over a powerful techno backdrop finished with a soulful sprinkling of female vocals. There are simply not enough tracks like this doing the rounds at present - one other that springs to mind is the cheeky Power House 12" that Hardwax fans will have noted with glee in late 2010. Flip over for "Fly By Night", an impressive blend of old and new in which Curtin utilises soaring 303s, reverb-soaked piano chords and a rib shaking sub bass. Stripped back techno at its finest.

Review: Ah Skudge, there's something so satisfying with the name Skudge, it's a word you can shout with the same glee attached to techno or beer. Equally satisfying is the music Skudge have been treating us to in their short and mysterious career. This brand new twelve inch is no different and provides an auspicious insight into what the Swedish duo's forthcoming album might sound like. Filled to the brim with wall rattling machine funk most likely! "Below" sees Skudge in hypnotic form twisting an indecipherable and haunting vocal through around and between a bass heavy throb of droney synths and snapping metallic percussion. Rhythmically subtle in the way it undulates, this is Skudge showing a new side and most impressive it is. Complementing this is the dark and long rubbery, hypnotic menace of "Phantom" which seems designed with the sole purpose of destroying your motor functions. Skudge!

Review: Vinyl sampler from John Digweed's long running Bedrock imprint to accompany what is, amazingly, the first album from Marco Bailey in seven years. Whilst the album sees the veteran Belgian flex his production muscle with a set of tracks that veer between downtempo and the more usual tough dancefloor cuts, this sampler very much focuses on the latter. Proceedings commence with the Moroder-ish hedonism of "Bom Bang!", characterised by menacing arpeggiated bass that rises and drops in all the right places. Alongside this are the rubbery main-room jack funk of "Rubber Band", the driving tropical thump of "Break The Rules" and the twisted acid freakery of "Beaming". All this means you'll have to indulge in the album proper to hear "Bill The Trumpet Player" - a deliciously jazzy stomper that recalls Garnier's "The Man With The Red Face".

Review: Munich imprint Prologue is the latest label to be graced by Mike Parker's experiments in techno abstractions, with the inclusion of a remix from Donato Dozzy likely to send pulses a racing. The Subterranean Liquid EP commences with the suitably titled "Ringing Bass" a droning acidic skeletal throb punctuated by paranoia inducing insect-like textures and a heavily treated vocal refrain that is repeated throughout with reverberant purpose. It's a restrained yet relentless opening gambit from the multi talented artist. The title track occupies similar locked groove sonic territory, launching straight into fuzzy kaleidoscopic Martian rhythms and understated syncopation consumed by a thick viscous bass throb. Donato Dozzy closes this excellent release with a stripped back remix of "FWD" that sees a barely audible beat engulfed by a growling acid wave that accrues several layers of additional menace the track progresses.

Review: After the brief dalliance on Planet E that was Night Lights, The Oliverwho Factory turn in some equally splendid dusty techno meets lunar electro for Rush Hour. "Galactic Transit" starts in rattling Theo Parrish style fashion, little more than spinal syncopation and booming bass hits before setting off for the stars via Shonie C's cooing refrain. The point where her vocals float over a surfeit of glistening pads is a blissful moment that continues to build and builds before somehow twisting into a futuristic electro jam as the end nears. The flipside version removes the vocals, which only serves to highlight the hypnotic effect of the track. Big tip!

Review: Veteran US techno producer Damon Wild revisits his 1996 classic "Avion" with this twelve inch of high calibre remixes just one of a number of releases celebrating one of the Synewave boss's most memorable productions. It's testament to Wild's talents that the gloriously dense percussion and spine shivering, arcing acid lines sound fresh despite the passage of 15 years. Berghain resident Marcel Dettmann hogs the A Side with a remix that continues the rich vein of production form shown on his recent Factory Reports for the Kontra imprint - all dense hypnotic rhythms and evil acid licks. The flipside duties are shared between 88UW and Echoplex with the former's slamming drive populated by atonal bleeps, which contrasts nicely with the latter's lighter, more melodic approach.

Review: Dutch producer Darko Esser pops up on the excellent Curle imprint with a record that boasts remixes from a couple of Juno's favourite names in contemporary techno. The original version of "Clean State" is characterised by icy keys which form the rhythmic backbone to the track alongside deep chord stabs and tension inducing synth work. First up on the remix is DVS1, with the Midwest-based producer who counts Ben Klcok among his growing legion of fans enveloping the original in smoggy atmospherics, dragging those chords into the foreground. Stroboscopic Artefacts chief Lucy - who rather excitingly has a debut album on the way next month - turns in an 11am-on-Sunday-at-Berghain stomper that completely overshadows the original.

Review: Luca Mortellaro's Berlin-based label Stroboscopic Artefacts rose to prominence in 2010, with the coining of the term 'compressed dub' to describe SA's unique mastering process becoming a talking point among the heads down techno fraternity. Here we see the label chief, operating under his Lucy pseudonym, release a remix 12" in anticipation of his debut album due out in March. Beelines For Working Bees sees a nice mix of established and nascent techno talent - namely James Ruskin, Tommy Four Seven, Peter Van Hoesen and Truss - rework four album tracks with considerable aplomb. Ruskin turns the album's most epic moment, "Bein", into a deeper, more sedate roller, while Truss and Van Hoesen offer bruising takes on "Eon" and "Lav" over on the flip.

Review: Sect follows up its brilliant Surgeon and Silent Servant featuring Jolka 12" with this sublime EP from techno stalwart Fanon Flowers. Despite being born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, exactly halfway between Detroit and Chicago, the sounds of this record are very much leaning toward the stripped back industrial machine sounds of the former, with the pulsing heartbeat kick drum on "Up" alone something that lingers long in the memory. The relentless, fast paced loop brings to mind Motor City royalty ala Hood and Mills. Both Parts 1 and 2 of "Maschinenhaus" are glistening lessons in stripped back minimal funk, with the cavernous, croaking atmospherics of Part 1 worthy of particular mention.

Review: Some deep techno for the heads here, as New York-based Berlin favourite Szare returns to Horizontal Ground with three more head-warping cuts. In true minimalist fashion, there are no track titles, and a sound palette that emphasizes heady atmospherics and dubby paranoia. "Track One" is the most straightforward techno composition of the set, and offers a take on the genre that's both tough and minimal. "Track Two" breaks up the beats for a more interesting rhythmic groove, while "Track Three" spins on a dubstep axis for some real late night flavour. Fashionably out there, and all the better for it.

Review: Here, veteran British producer Kirk Degiorgio returns to his roots with an excellent EP of no-nonsense techno on Germany's Flying Donkey imprint. It's the A side originals that impress most, with Degiorgio delivering a pair of Detroit influenced grooves for peaktime floors. "Amongst The Olive Trees" provides the most immediate gratification - a sweet, stargazing groove built around a funky bassline and a whisper of acid tweakery. Lead cut "Flote", meanwhile, is something of a techno-funk growler - all incessant beats and raw 303 riffs. Flip for a tough rework of "Flote" from Abstract Souls and a luscious, European-sounding tech-house take on "Amongst The Olive Trees".

Review: The prestige of a release on Keith Worthy's Aesthetic imprint was the impetus for a production renaissance from UK producer Miles Sagnia that has seen impressive outings on Ornate and his own AER imprint in recent times. An indicator of his standing amongst the house and techno cognoscenti can be measured the invitation to deliver the tenth release on Kirk DeGiorgio's recently relaunched Applied Rhythmic Technologies imprint. Sagnia does not disappoint either, dropping straight into crisply produced techno rhythms doused in liquid acid effects on the title track "Transmission" which soon opens out into a haunting melodic future techno epic characterised by crystalline flourishes and rubbery pads. "United We Stand I" is a beatless opening gambit to the ideas Sagnia explores on the B Side, all warm glowing chords to a backdrop of soft clicking undulations. Lifting you out of that sonic abyss is the scratched throb of "Reticuli", aimed squarely at the club with panned bumping programming touching on a base of bubbling acid and futuristic textures. Very impressive.

Review: Sandwell District and Aril Brikha are among the most respected producers in their respective fields of techno, but it's not hard to believe that they felt some sense of trepidation when they were asked to remix Octave One; the adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', probably flickered through their minds. Octave One were among the first Detroit techno acts to make their name outside their hometown, and it is the act's breakout track, "I Believe", from 1990, which Sandwell District are tasked with reworking. The original is a gloriously atmospheric house track imbued with an innocence that prevailed during that short period that marked the transition from otherworldly techno to the dark excesses of hardcore. Thankfully, Sandwell's version is respectful; anchored in tight, shuffling beats, they add layer upon layer of atmospheric soundscapes making the vocal sound muffled, almost ghostly, but without detracting from the original's sense of wonder. "Daystar Rising" is taken from perhaps the pinnacle of Octave One's career and was originally released as a split EP with Rolando and Mad Mike. Once again, the treatment is respectful and understated. Departing from his trademark deep techno sound, Brikha simply adds a tougher, acidic bass to the brothers' rolling rhythms and makes the chords sound slightly more eerie. It's a skilful edit with enough subtle changes to make a difference.

Review: Milton Bradley returns to his Do Not Resist The Beat imprint with the Sky Full Of Numbers 12". The EP's eponymous track is closer to drone and ambient that straight up techno, with a pulsating sub bass that ripples with menacing intent. Flip over for "The Path To Mathematical Truth", the release's most overly 4/4 techno offering, before "Numerical Analysis" closes out with a densely textured soundscape characterised by subaqueous chord movements. Bradley is proving to be a master of detail, packing each of his tracks with fascinating, detailed nuances like handcrafted miniature models.

Review: Upon launching End Of All Existence, Milton Bradley revealed that the label would act as conduit for him to explore the soundtrack potential for the end of the world. Having reached his second release here, it's clear he thinks there's plenty more sonic scope for such a bleak but fascinating subject. Inherently ambient droney techno cinematics abound, if you replaced the faux mysticism of Demdike Stare's Modern Love output with cold war/ post apocalyptic paranoia then you might approach the creeping guttural throbbing that pervades throughout the title track "The Final Hours". On the flip, "Endzeit" crafts reverberant industrial refractions around stripped down steppy flex whilst "Only Darkness Remains" draws out scratched metallic textures across a backdrop of ever increasing swirls of menacing subterranean bass and mechanical syncopation. Not one for the dancefloor would be an understatement.

Review: Wow! Coming on like a rumbling ultra menacing techno version of the Jaws Theme is the lead track "Crasse" on the new EP from rising German producer Roman Lindau. Back on Mike Dehnert's Fachwerk imprint after a brief dalliance with Ostgut last year, Lindau is in fine form, twisting out an industrial thud over the most evil of bass frequencies on a track that oozes dark energy and demands to be played very loud in a dark sweaty place. The flipside proves to be just as impressive though both tracks kind of live in the mammoth shadow of the A Side. "Lyrica" opts for the minimal throb, spectral pulses twisting around rattling percussion that reverberates deep into the mix beneath the thudding bass whilst "Slow Dope" draws out a heavily dubbed out staccato stutter that is both unnerving and alluring.

Review: Burning question of the week here at Juno: who, or what, is Rod? Here's how our file reads so far: He/she/they have just released a record on Ben Klock's Klockworks imprint. That's about it so far, but we're working on it. What we do know is the three tracks on the Malmok EP speak for themselves. The unsettling sonic architecture and tension building hi-hats on "Malmok One" are more indebted to the spooky exploratory techno of Jeff Mills' Something In The Sky project than the booming techno and punchy house Klock is known to admire. Flip over for the more sparse, almost quirky vibes of "Malmok Two" and "Malmok Three", which, although fascinating in their own right, are somewhat overshadowed by the groove built on the A Side.