DANIEL AVERY Vinilo y CD

Review: London's Phonica Records is celebrating being 20 years strong, not only a shop but also a label that serves as a breeding ground for all manner of new musical talents. What better way to mark the commencement of its third decade, then, than with some new music? 20 Years Of Phonica: Sampler 3 pulls together artists from the electronic vanguard, starting with Paramida & E-Talking's 'Read My Lips' which is an acid-laced 90s techno revival. Dauwd's 'Slam' is stripped back and pulses with acid and Daniel Avery's 'Bell' is languid, melodic and gorgeously serene techno. Willow's 'Willbush' is a skeletal minimal rhythm with some nice wobbly bass weight.

Review: Daniel Avery is one of electronic music's most talented artist right now. Whatever he doe sis worth hearing, even if it is an unlikely partnership with Alessandro Cortini, the Nine Inch Nails synth artist. This is their debut work together and is a fascinating coming toter of their own respective worlds - the ethereal pads of Cortini and more rugged electronic drones and textures of Avery. It was all done remotely, with no real concept, over many years, and is a delicate yet hugely powerful album of absorbingly bleak ambient, occasionally frosty textures and moments of true synth beauty.

Review: It's hard to picture the festival-minded electronic music scene of the past ten years without Daniel Avery in it. Since his first single drop in 2012 he's been on a meteoric rise, swiftly delivering his debut album in 2013 and presenting himself as a fully realised artist with a clarity of vision and universal appeal. It's techno for the masses without a shred of compromise, and now you can track back to his landmark opening statement for a special Tenth Anniversary Edition. Pressed up in a gatefold sleeve on white vinyl, this is a welcome revisit to Drone Logic which many will be more than happy to do, given how rapidly Avery was taken into the hearts and minds of the UK party public.

Review: Daniel Avery's heartfelt tribute to the late, great Andrew Weatherall, the melancholic masterpiece that is 'Lone Swordsmen', was one of the standout tracks on his most recent album, the critically acclaimed Ultra Truth. Here the track returns in remixed form, with Throbbing Gristle's Chris Carter putting his spin on Avery's bittersweet, late-90s style IDM gem. Carter's version is a touch warmer and more percussively up-beat, with Avery's lilting lead lines, poignant melodies and glistening electronic motifs rising above a slipped breakbeat and moody bass. It's an excellent remix all told, and a fine example of how to rework on already excellent track to enhance its key features.

Review: By his own admission, Daniel Avery's previous albums have been inspired by escapism and a desire to avoid focusing on the growing darkness of the world outside his studio. On Ultra Truth, he's flipped the switch, "directly looking into the darkness, not running away". That doesn't mean that he's left the dancefloor; far from it, in fact. While some of the aural textures, chords and melodies tend towards the melancholic, moody and overwhelming, they still feature club-ready rhythms or beats that tend towards the bold. Basically, it's heavy and dense, but sonically attractive enough to work outside of nightclub environments, with the contributions of various friends and contemporaries (HAAi, Kelly Lee Owens and Sherelle included) only enhancing the album. For proof, check out ultra-deep D&B roller 'Higher', the sparse and spooky electro shuffle of 'Chaos Energy', and the intergalactic breakbeat hustle of 'Wall of Energy'.