Review: Deeper shades of a finely sifted pedigree. Irish label Appian Sounds, helmed up by Al Blayney, champion only winnowed techno sounds, not threshed. A welcome international team huddle in, with these six artists from locales as far-flung as Amsterdam and Valencia contributing the likes of 'Tsuneo' and 'Persist'. The tunes verge melodic as they move through and beyond jankiness, distending die-cut acids and subtly synthetic humanisations, especially in the percussion department. 'Fuego' is the zen roshi's choice, its gaffered, glass-smithed pads topping off a naturalistic percussive surging forward, one best experienced with your eyes closed.
Anthony Georges Patrice - "Easy To Love" (Tunnel Vision mix) (9:50)
Review: Anthony Georges Patrice's Ausblick label has trod a fine path over the course of its first five releases and the good work continues on its sixth outing which is a new various artists affair. It is Berlin based Ephem who kicks off with 'Dizzy' and all its bumpy beast and raw perc, then Koln's Hidden Sequence follows with 'Optical Drive' that is more stripped back and powered by warming sub bass. Anthony Georges Patrice himself then completes the hat trick with 'Easy To Love' (Tunnel Vision Mix) which over ten sublime minutes brings some more airy, double doit flavoured and has already been getting plays from Mosaic boss Steve O'Sullivan.
Review: Hamatsuki and DJ Astrobee have the honour of being the first artists to release on the newly formed Summoning label. They take one side each with Hamatsuki's 'Nemolizubam' licking off with some intense, synth-laden techno that is lithe and dynamic as it unfolds. 'Whitecap' is more textured and riddled with bleeping synths and tumbling melodic rain. DJ Astrobee gets dubby with 'Oslo' which has warped synth smears and snappy kick and clap combos. His second offering 'Mother Sun' is a richly emotive techno sound that oozes hi-tek soul.
Escape On The Midnight Express (Hardway Bros mix) (8:03)
Escape On The Midnight Express (Masonic Noodles mix) (9:28)
Review: Echoes of Glory serves up a second helping with the assistance of Hardway Brothers and Masonic Noodles aka Sean Johnston and label founder Grant Dell. 'Escape On The Midnight Express' gets two tidy tech house versions with distinct flavours which should appeal to those who like their 4/4 grooves tripped-out and headsy. The Hardway Bros version is a pneumatic, boxy workout swathed in dub and rolling slow and steady for the warm-up crowd, while Dell's Masonic Noodles interpretation takes a sparser approach sprinkled with mystical synth motifs to send a chill through the dance.
Review: Brooklyn-based Malik Hendricks does a fine line in raw, deep but visceral house sounds that cannot fail to make an impact both physically and emotionally. He has done so on the likes of Bliss Point, Coloring Lessons and Darker Than Wax before now and here arrives on People Of Earth with more compelling cuts. 'Move On Up' is a steamy and sweaty house thumper with impassioned vocal swirls, 'All Mine' layers in some heavenly melodies that manage to uplift the mood in a subtle fashion and 'Feeling Like Larry' references the great Mr Heard, surely, with its balmy cosmic pads and spiritual house depths. 'The Way' (feat Tane) is licked with acoustic guitar riffs that bring to mind open-air dancing by the Med.
Review: Dub techno don Luke Hess has been a mainstay of Omar S's FXHE label for as long as we, or anyone in fact, can remember. The Motor City talent dropped this particular EP, 'Dubout EP #3.13', back in 2011 but it now resurfaces and has aged to perfection with some extra touches from Smith himself. 'Narrow Road' is strident and direct dub techno with signature FXHE chords. 'Leads To Life' is more liquid and paired back with an undulating bassline and a cosmic feel to the swirling pads. 'Unity Excerpt' closes with more icy beats, hi-hats and skittish synths that snake throughout the mix.
Review: Natural Expressions takes another dive into the rich pools of dub-informed techno and tech house with this must-check four-track split release. Vapnik works spatial magic over Marco Hessler's 'Spacewaves' with some monumental chord treatments that keep suspense high and the mood psychedelic, before Gradient slips into something more comfortable on the smooth cruising immersion heater 'Flight Above The Fog'. Merv's 'Serpent' opens up the B-side in a quintessential workout of submerged, bass-loaded dub techno, and Collogne completes the picture with a swirling masterpiece fit for a Deepchord album.
Review: Hidden Sequence have appeared on legendary dub techno label Mosaic in fine form of late and now they land on the Lempuyang imprint with four more serene fusions. Their Theories of Time EP opens up with the swaggering dub rhythms and bottomless depths of 'Distortion', a cut as heady as they come. 'Travelling,' as the title suggests, has a deeper rolling groove and more movement to it as it snakes through underwater dub caverns. Flip it over for more widescreen and serene explorations of the ocean floor with 'Shift' and mysterious leads of 'Delay' which is a fourth and final frictionless dub dream.
Review: Will Hofbauer returns to Wisdom Teeth for another addition to the label's Hessle-esque vision for the fleshing out the more playful side of 'bassy techno'. Hofbauer is a firm fixture and favourite of the sort of quasi-underground UK DJ circuit that has cut the teeth of the likes of Moxie, Rhythm Section, OK Williams and Ben UFO - and these four new ones are bound to cement that favour, with bare-essentials bits like 'Subtracing The Egg' blending with mischievous audio-hijinks like 'Hiccups' for a humorous, yet no less powerful EP.
Snake Funk (SASAKI Hiroaki - Kurashi City mix) (7:19)
Tech Sea (Tom Ellis mix) (6:46)
Snake Funk (6:30)
Review: The seventh release of Sasaki Hiroaki's Yotsume-Music sees Hisashi Ito aka Hulot (Raum...musik, BELOW, FROGMAN/U.S.B.) welcomed to the fray, quite possible, given the EP's title, taking influences from Mr Hulot, the hero of Jacques Tati classic film 1953 'Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot'. Like said hero, there's a kooky, loveable eccentricity to his two productions - he counts Herbert and Moritz von Oswald among his main influences - with Tom Ellis Remix and Sasaki Hiroaki Remix adding a remix, one on either each side.
Gari Romalis - "Electronix (I'm Ya Dancer)" (7:31)
G Major - "Metro To Downtown" (6:27)
Chuck Daniels & Hazmat Live - "I Want You" (6:25)
Max Watts - "Velocity" (6:35)
Review: Norm Talley's Detroit label Upstairs Asylum comes through with another various artists gem here: Gari Romalis kick off with the sort of smoky house depths you always expect from this imprint. 'Electronix (I'm Ya Dancer)' is dubbed out but dynamic, then G Major's 'Metro To Downtown' brings an injection of soul warmth and percussive looseness. Chuck Daniels & Hazmat Live's 'I Want You' is a darker, more heads down affair with freaky vocals and digital synth patterns over gritty, US garage styled low ends. Max Watts then cuts loose with the undulating dub techno depths of 'Velocity' to round out a varied EP.
Hidden Sequence - "Synapse" (Bluetrain Special edition dub) (8:55)
Review: Dub techno don Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic label is back with a new dubs series and vol 1 kicks things off with a real doozy on lovely red wax. The boss himself offers up a Bluetrain special edition dub of Hidden Sequence's 'Synapse' which is all icy lines and liquid rhythms which make you think of some frozen lake on a misty morning. Sub Basics (Temple of Sound, Lion Charge Records) opens up with a fresh dub laden track with rippling chords, tons of echo and rolling drums on 'Quarters.' Both are timeless dub outings, as you would expect from this label.
Hazmat Live - "The Marriage Of Korg & Moog" (4:50)
Review: Passing Currents aims to stand out from the predictable by offering a deeply human touch in its music. This five-tracker backs that up by melding academic expertise with dancefloor intuition and the A-side features txted by Phil Moffa remixed by Yamaha DSP coder okpk after they met during doctoral studies, they flip technical mastery into bass-driven energy while Atrevido' fuses California warmth with analogue electro, Josh Dahlberg's rediscovered 2009 electro gem, 'Ass On The Floor', still bangs and Detroit's Kevin Reynolds delivers hypnotic grooves before Hazmat Live pushes boundaries with a sound rooted in soulful, experimental innovation.
Review: Per Hammar and Berlin-based label Sushitech are a match made in heaven as both have long since proven their credential in the world of dub techno. As the label turns 20, it kicks off its year with an album that has been two years in the making and features a top-quality array of dub techno sounds. Malin Genie features on two of the more kicking and propulsive cuts, while Jannik Jivung adds an organic touch to two more. In between those sounds are percolating slow-mo jams like 'Representant Dubb' and more kinetic sounds like 'TX Files' with its fresh kicks and rolling bass.
Review: The now 20-year-strong Sushitech have been working on this one for two years and finally it drops - a new album from cultured dub techno don Per Hammar. This is a seriously deep journey into his signature sound that melds the genre's most classic side with a fresh modern twist. Cuts like 'Generation Drive' have a nice crisp sense of motion as well as lovely warped pads, while 'Juvial' brings a sense of curiousness with its undulating drums and bass. 'Defender' leans into sleek techno styles and will have you cruising in no time. An instant classic album, for sure.
Review: We have been digging in the warehouse and have found some copies of one of the faultless EPs that Detroit house royalty Mike Huckaby put out in his lifetime. It features three tracks that are all steeped in deepness and dubby goodness and are unlikely to ever age. 'Wavetable No. 9' is spaced out and rather menacing in a subtle, sparse way. 'Fantasy' is a more airy and light cut with meandering melodic leads and thinking keys that bring a cosmic feel. 'Jupiter' closes out with nimble bass and splashy hi hats joined by conversational synth leads that glow with a late-night warmth. Included in this is a CD featuring plenty of the samples used in the making of the tunes using the Waldorf synth.
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