DJS: MOST CHARTED - TECHNO - MOST CHARTED IN NOVEMBER 2015

Review: The second of MDR's surprise batch of 12"s, Answer Code Request's "Calm Down" sees the German artist go back to doing what he does best; the beats are sparse and filed with short breaks, while the sonics circling above them exude that familiar sci-fi feel. "Dust 0.2" is more of a minimal techno piece - pads and effects still firmly in place - while "Modal" flickers its strain of distortion over lo-fi acid bleeps, and "Feel (Rework)" is all about the tune's cascading synths and slow-morphing low-ends. Quality gear, as expected.

Review: Apparently, Rene Pawlowitz doesn't already have enough production aliases. Having already released killer material as Shed, Head High, Craft, WK7, The Traveller and War Easy Made (to name a few), he's now adopted another moniker: Zigg Gonzalezz. "High Jackin" sees him expertly doffing a cap to Nuyorican Soul-era Masters At Work and similarly loose-limbed US house from the turn of the millennium, layering sparkling deep house chords and sweaty vocal samples over a bustling, Africanism-style rhythm. "The Kind" explores similarly territory, though it feels a little deeper despite the presence of denser, tribal-influenced rhythms. As for "The Kind (Storm Dub"), it feels like a long lost DJ Duke jam from the tail end of the '90s.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Not An Animal return with their 2nd installment, this time from Ess O Ess (aka Chris Stoker and Jamie Blanco).

Their original offering, Cantillate, isn't an easy beast to identify, being equal parts Swamp-Rock and Techno.
Imagine you've stumbled across an ephedrine and moonshine fueled rave in a deep Louisiana bayoux in the year 3000, and you're close. Add an out-there vocal refrain, and you'll start to appreciate why this is a particularly distinct record.

Relocate said rave to a some kind of Space Ship hitting hyperspace, with photon torpedoes fully armed, and you'll suddenly find yourself with the first remix, as created by Ene Records owner Chida.

Continuing the hybrid vibes, the final remix as provided by man of the moment "Suzanne Kraft" (yes, man), takes a juxtaposed tropical techno (with added dub) approach to his interpretation.

The overall effect of all 3 mixes is a pleasingly schizophrenic release which drips with multiple personalities.

Review: Over the last few years, Dario and Marco Zenker's excellent Ilian Tape has given us some of the purest and most bold-faced techno around. The label has built up a solid reputation as being all about the music, minus the hype, and Italy's Andrea has been there at the forefront of their growth. The Turin-based producer returns to the moody imprint with his third EP for the label, led by the thumping, hypnotic swings of "Outlines" - containing possibly the best kick drums we've heard since Head High - and the break-ridden journey that is "Rainbow", on the A-side. The flip sees "Machine" enter a no nonsense mode, where a fast percussive groove locks tightly within a sea of intergalactic pads, and dubby, broken pastures on "Choral". All in all, this is a fine selection of wild, dare-to-be-different dancefloor tracks that span many styles and influences. Tip!

Review: Woof! Anthony Parasole and Levon Vincent's Deconstruct Music label returns after a three year hiatus, with the former taking the controls to lay down a heavy hitting two-track 12". You'd expect a track titled "Wild Life" to be a little on the humid side, as if the creator was inspired by the sticky intensity of jungle heat. That's exactly what you get with Parasole delivering an impressive blend of dense, tribal-influenced techno drums, creepy chords and dubbed-out synth motifs. As the track progresses, you feel like you're running away, gripped by panic, from some kind of mythical, red-eyed beast. There's a more obviously melodious feel about "In The Stars", with Parasole combining whistling synth lines and intergalactic electronics with hissing, cymbal-driven drums. To say this is recommended is a bit of an understatement.

Review: Some two years after the debut edition of his Reminder series on SUED, co-founder SW. delivers the third volume. This time round, he's looked to classic Motor City futurism, ambient techno and deep house for inspiration, returning to Earth with a quartet of cuts that combine a keen dancefloor sensibility with rich, expansive musicality. He goes slightly off-piste with the standout "Track 2" - whose high-tempo, African-influenced machine rhythms tip a hat to footwork amidst the intergalactic pads and eyes-closed chords - and successfully tries his hand at Kaidi Tatham style cosmic-bruk on the superb "Track 4". Both cuts provide a balance to the shuffling, sci-fi deepness he indulges in elsewhere.

Review: Amazingly, Greg Beato was just 18 years old when he made his debut for Funkineven's Apron imprint back in 2013. Since then, he's become something of a label regular, occasionally wandering off to contribute releases to L.I.E.S (and their Russian Torrent Versions offshoot). Here the Miami native returns home, serving up three more chunks of woozy machine music. Beato sets the tone on "When Monkeys Attack", which expertly fuses booming bass, fizzing drum machine hits and dreamy, hypnotic synthesizer motifs. There's a hazier deep house feel to "El Dinero Falla", which despite its' inherent beauty is also notably tough and more than a little wonky. Another excellent outing closes with the clanking drum machine cowbells, Syclops-goes-rave riffs and furious percussion programming of the more techno-leaning "Sadati".

Review: Whether using the ambient Rings Around Saturn guise, or more dancefloor-focused Dan White alias, Rory McPike's influences always tend towards the vintage. Following a one-track contribution to a Butter Sessions 12" last year, the Melbourne-based producer makes his full debut on local label with a trio of cuts that explore the sounds of the early '90s in a number of different ways. This is perhaps most apparent on A-side "The Hammer (Think Mix)", where orgasmic gasps, 808 State chords and Detroit-influenced melodies usher in a pitched-down hardcore-era breakbeat, rave sirens and surging sub-bass. "Just A Beat" doffs a cap to the more psychedelic end of early-90s techno, while the immensely beautiful "Sacoid" joins the dots between ambient house, intelligent techno and the deeper end of Motor City grooves.

Review: Hot on the heels of his widely acclaimed debut album, Levon Vincent delivers more intoxicating, synthesizer-heavy techno treats on the Novel Sound label that's been his home since 2008. "Fear" has been an in-demand since it was featured on his Fabric mix back in 2012, and remains one of Vincent's most striking compositions - a spacey, melancholic mixture of classic Detroit influences, unfussy deep house beats and new wave-era synth and bass touches. The flip boasts a more recent collaboration between Vincent and Marcel Dettmann, which is equally as tasty. "Vengeance" is synthesizer-heavy and intergalactic in design, with EBM style motifs and tumbling, atmospheric melodies riding a similarly no-nonsense groove. Pink T-Rex vinyl too!

Review: You have to admire Ostgut Ton's ambition. While celebrating a decade in dance music with a compilation of exclusive, previously unheard music is now standard practice amongst leading underground labels, few would have the balls to release it on a box set that boasts no less than 10 slabs of wax. Unsurprisingly, the track list is like a who's who of left-of-centre techno and deep European house, with Marcel Dettmann, Boris, Virginia, Steffi, DVS1, Martyn, Tobias and Ben Klock all featuring. Highlights naturally come thick and fast, from the spacey electronics, heady textures and hypnotic rhythms of Function's "DX3 Analog Bass Seq", and the rush-inducing, string-laden house warmth of Matthew Styles' remix of Dinky's "Planes", to the picturesque intelligent techno of Doms & Deykers.

Review: Fresh from impressing via releases on L.I.E.S and Viewlexx, DJ Overdose heads over to Unknown To The Unknown for a spot of techno-jackin'. Thrillingly, "Housejam Freaker" combines fizzing, upbeat machine drum rhythms, deep space chords and wild, sped-up Motor City electronics to create something that sounds like the bastard offspring of Jeff Mills, Drexciya and Phuture. Willie Burns provides the obligatory remix, offering something that retains the original's energy whilst increasing the beauty factor tenfold. Elsewhere, he wanders into deep acid territory on the straight-up jacker "Dikzak", and delivers a surprisingly funky dose of intergalactic electro on the cheery "Vinca". A string of handy locked grooves complete a tasty package.

Review: Dutch techno maestro is back and delivers a fine four track EP for Berlin institution Ostgut Ton. On the A side: "Falling For You" is deep soulful techno with a nod to Detroit with its funky synth bassline and melancholic piano notes leading you fully into oblivion over its nine minute glory. On the B side we have "U1-U8", possibly a reference to the Berlin underground routes and quite fitting really. A stomping epic warehouse techno cut that could match anything Shed or Mike Denhert have done of late. Finally "Ahmadiya" gets back on the soulful side with its dreamy bell melody and entrancing stabs, dancing on top of a vicious broken beat shuffle.

Review: We're sorry to be brutal about this, but there is no way that we will introduce Detroit's Octave One at this stage in 2015, and if you haven't by any chance come across them as of yet, we're both disappointed in you, and you'll just have to let the music do the talking. 1995's Foundation EP is herein reissued by an unknown source, but we couldn't care less, as it's one of those releases that has been missing from our shelves for way too long. As its title implies, these three tracks represent the techno movement in its fullest, and from "Empower" to "Passageway", the Octave One duo put together everything that is fresh and interesting about the genre: sci-fi, dystopia, funk, industrialism, futurism, and heavy beats. Essential doesn't even cover it.

Review: There is little to say about David Flores and his Truncate alias apart from the fact that we've been big supporters of the label for years, and that he's given the go-to guy when you're yearning for some militant, stripped-back techno goodness. In fact, "Culture" is more house-centred than his usual material, but that's only because of the tune's repetitive vocal sample, while both "Track 2" and "Track 3" are more representative of Flores' usual style; the former chucks sparse 909 drums over classic Chicago sirens, and the latter goes for the bleepy treatment, making the perfect score to any Berghain set.

Review: Finally, it's the return of the Windy City's Ike Release to the tougher than solid Episodes label! Mr.Ike Velez makes his appearance heard quickly and loudly from the first bass drum of "Apollo3", an all-out dancefloor winner with a distinctive US edge, sci-fi sonics and gorgeous hardware tweaks. "Guzzle" is more soulful and chord-heavy, while "Socialite" takes a dusty drum programme and chucks it over a deep house vibe, and title track "Watercolours" wins the beauty show thanks to its pounding beat and majestic waves of synths. As always, you can rely on Ike to deliver the sound system magic. Spot on.

Review: On the day today tonight, Ethyl & Flori launch their own imprint, E&F Records. With dancefloor focus, EFR001 guarantees crowd reactions reminiscent of Clinton's welcome home after machine-gunning 400 buffalo.

Review: After his renowned debuts on the mighty Sistrum Recordings, Leonid has continued to impress with his tactile approach to house music, a style which earned him a spot on Steffi's sublime Dolly label, a few years ago. The house kid is back and means business with this new EP for the exclusive ELEVE, an imprint whose catalogue has gone slowly but steadily since their debut in 2011. "Xana" kicks things off here with a sci-fi touch thanks to its deep bassline and the circling parade of spaced-out sonics coming out every corner, and "Puca" takes this vibe down a notch with a deeper, more swollen bass tone in its belly. Last but not least, the wonky "Embarr" jacks things out with its dusty 707-sounding percussion and slow-burning Chicago licks. Deep and mystical, just how we like it.

Review: Those familiar with the Strange Life label operated by Danny Wolfers will know it's rife with CDr material worthy of the vinyl format. Whilst our personal favourite (the bizarre Portopia by Wolfers alias Satomi Taniyama) remains looked over by labels, Berceuse Heroique were responsible for a quite sumptuous double LP edition of Smackos album The Age Of Candy Candy earlier this year. Now local Den Haag crew BAKK have got their hands on 2004 Strange Life album Dark Days for an equally classy triple LP edition. Wolfers fans not familiar with this album will immediately fall in love with Dark Days, thanks to the signature blend of goofy track titles ("Lego Resistance", "An Obnoxious Affair On Tape") and music that veers from soaring, synth vistas to grotty techno via cold, primitive electronics and more.

Review: Given the recent increase in both industrial music and rave-era "intelligent techno", it's perhaps unsurprising that Lindsay Todd and Stuart Leath have decided to reissue this early missive from influential Dutch combo Psychik Warriors Ov Gaia. The four tracks that make up 1989 were initially released on an eponymous cassette in 1989, copies of which now change hands for serious money. While some of the duo's later work did veer towards crusty trance, these tracks are raw, intense and intoxicating, with the percussive power of SPK, the rush-inducing, bombastic intent of Robert Hood, and, in the case of the brilliant "Intoxication", the early hallmarks of what would later be dubbed "intelligent techno".

Review: REPRESS ALERT : After landing his malfunctioning PX-4000 on the purple planet, Captain DMX steps out of the smoldering cockpit. After barely setting foot on the dusty landscape, the Captain is startled by deep thudding from over the hills. Dragging his oxygen pack with one hand and his atomizer with the other, he sets off in search of the other-wordly din. Over the hill his pupils adjust to the stroboscopic lightning and below him lies a sea of strange creatures moving together as one body. A cosmic sermon takes place under the three suns in the sky, mechanical and stuttered frequencies set a manic pace and drive the dark creatures back and forth. Captain DMX sighs a heavy breath and starts to descend into the fray....

Review: Rohan Walder's prolific output continues with another release on Ron Morelli's L.I.E.S. It's been been a banner year for Walder with releases recently on sister label Russian Torrent Versions and Clone Basement Series earning him his stripes. He unleashes six more bastardised takes on techno for this new EP. From the sublime exotic percussion workouts on the title track and "Bell Jam", the rusty and stomping warehouse grooves of "Brutus" and "Dem Thing" it all crosses rather gracefully over on the rather fierce "Juju". This guy never fails to deliver, check this out!

Review: It's nearly three decades since Glasgow's legendary Sub Club first opened its doors. After all this time, it's decided to celebrate its part in promoting electronic music culture by launching a record label, Nautilus Rising. This first EP contains material from a quartet of Scottish producers. Vince Watson kicks things off with the undulating synth bass, classic Detroit chords and wide-eyed shuffle of "Subculture Story", before Stephen Lopkin enhances his rising reputation with the glacial electronics, tumbling melodies and raw analogue drums of "Goodbye G41". Flip for Lord of The Isles' "XIT" - a ragged acid house/Italo disco fusion that's amongst his most robust releases to date - and the discordant, late night wonkiness of Alex Smoke's "Straits".