Techno Recommendations October 2012

Review: Juan Mendez has pushed the largely abstract approach on his debut album towards the dance floor. Ironically though, the LP version of "Strange Attractor" was more brutal and upfront. On this version, Mendez lets the chain mail groove throb beneath layer upon layer of eerie chords, abstract whispers and what could be an angle grinder running in the background. This extended version of "Invocation Of Lust" has an eerie, garbled vocal in the background, but fused with spiky metallic percussion and a thumping kick drum and throbbing bass, makes for a compelling club record. Finally, "Utopian disaster (End)" is the most Sandwell-esque track on offer, its slamming rhythm, droning sounds and reverberating, doubled up claps sounding like a sequel to the Negative Fascination EP that was released on the seminal, now defunct techno label.

Review: If the title of this new reissues label is to be believed, we should be in for an abundance of great Dance Mania-era ruffness from the nastier side of Chicago's gift to dance music. Parris Mitchell's bumper Life In The Underground is a great place to start, covering the side of ghetto house that was more concerned with challenging sonics and grit than it was with ass and titties. There is an obligatory nod to the ladies on "Ghetto Booty", but tracks like "Street Jazz" are downright revolutionary in their manipulation of old records, while "Work It (Remix)" comes on like a truly primitive vision of where juke ended up.

Review: Here's something a little different from the always-impressive Cottam. Having dazzled with his murky but quietly uplifting deep house productions, he steps back in time to his early days as a producer of woozy, darkroom techno. According to Cottam's blurb, these two tracks were produced some years back and recently discovered in a dusty corner of his hard drive. "The Long Dark Journey" is particularly good, sounding like a paranoid take on the darker work of Sheffield duo Crooked Man. "Untitled" is slower but no less effective, coming on like a smacked-out trip into some dark, German basement.

Review: Robert Hood is techno's undisputed minimal master, but previous instalments of Nighttime World - especially the jazz-fuelled inaugural release in 1995 on Cheap - have afforded him the opportunity to go off script and indulge his conceptual whims. Will he do the same again on Motor? The answer is a resounding yes. Inspired by Julien Temple's 2010 documentary Requiem For Detroit?, which charts the fall and decline of America's former car manufacturing hub, the album is full of references to the effects of man's interaction with technology. If Kraftwerk's shimmering Man Machine was a testament to the benefits of humans harnessing technology, then Motor is the gloomy riposte, emerging from the rubble of a shattered metropolis to tell this sad but compelling tale and crucially, to offer some hope for the future.

Review: More unreleased heat from the Karl O'Connor vaults! Reclaimed 1-4 features four tracks plucked from the recording sessions for O'Connor's Penetration album under the Regis moniker, released in 2001. Originally only available as dubplates, the material finally sees a full vinyl release, with four slabs of loop-driven, brutal machine funk. The granite hard kicks of "Unclaimed 1" threaten to dislodge the needle from the groove such is the ferocity with which they rattle; be sure to check the penetrating, tunnelling groove of "Unclaimed 4". A must for Regis completists and another fine release in what is becoming a pretty special year for O'Connor.

Review: The boys over at Skudge Records present the sixth instalment of their luxurious line of remix EPs. This time it's techno king Marcel Dettmann who reshapes "Man On Wire" with two suave remixes of the original, followed by another reinterpretation from German mystery man, Answer Code Request. Both of the Dettmann retakes share an interesting subtlety which exposes yet more skills by the Berghain resident, with the first being a dub-filtered techno excursion complete with soothing pads and a grainy, progressive layout of snares and hi-hats. For his second piece, Marcel injects a heftier bassline which squelches and mutates its way through a skippy percussion with almost sub aquatic effect. We have a completely different vibe on the B side, as Answer Code Request creates an irresistibly catchy breakbeat, which transports a myriad of menacing sub bass infusions, sharp percussions and raved-out synths, making his voice the louder of the two for this release.

Review: Brandishing an obscure name reminiscent of some forgotten audio format and accompanied by little to no information as to who was responsible for the music, MPIA3's arrival earlier this year via a 12" for Avian cut a swathe through the sea of mysterious techno thanks to its overdriven 303 heavy potency. A swift return to the imprint impeccably curated by Shifted and Ventress is afforded here, arriving on clear red vinyl and printed A5 insert and sporting two further examples of MPIA3's undeniable craft for no-nonsense techno. "Ely" is perhaps the more unhinged of the two, swiftly launching into a hammering 4/4 refrain cloaked in a raw, gated bassline which occasionally descends into full blown acidic chaos. The superbly titled "Squatter's Dog" is slightly slower yet equally well malfunctioned, practically bleeding sparks of bright green electricity.

Review: Having taken some 12 years to reach its 20th release in fine style with that Neil Landstrumm/Matt Whitehead double header, the Don't imprint overseen by Jerome Hill swiftly (for them) usher in their next release which features two sublime 1988 New Beat classics from Zsa Zsa Laboum and HN03. Laboum's "Something Scary" is perhaps the archetypal New Beat track, commencing with a sample lifted from the dodgy 80s B Movie "The Entity" and displaying some excellent percussion and a powerful and obscure acid line - it still sounds excellent some twenty four years later. On the flip is the R&S classic "Doughnut Dollies" from New Beat icon Eric Beysens under his HN03 moniker features. It's grubby industrial arpeggio sounding equally vibrant today - especially pitched way down to -8 like the New Beat guys used to do!

Review: For underground techno heads of a certain persuasion, the idea of mysterious Detroit collective Scan 7 returning to Tresor - their home for a time in the 1990s - will be enough to bring on a dizzying rush of blood to the head (or, perhaps, the groin). There's no doubt that it's an exciting prospect. So, have they delivered? Undoubtedly, yes. "The Resistance" itself is a gorgeous piece of retro, string-laden techno with a classic house twist - all long, drawn out chords and Knights Of The Jaguar riffs. The remainder of the EP, though, is formidably dark, with the murky, hard-as-nails "In And Out Of The Groove" and shuffling "Why Not" proving their grimy dancefloor credentials.

Review: Drum & bass, Detroit techno, and now...post-punk? It seems unlikely that anyone would have expected Untold to conclude his trilogy of EPs with two tracks that could have emerged out of the dancepunk boom of ten years ago, but if anything they just prove that the DNA of early 80s British guitar music runs deep enough to show its dominant traits once every few generations. Of course it's not a total departure - although "Kane" is characterised by its Gang of Four style bassline, aesthetically it's a fitting companion to the first EP's "Motion The Dance": dark, throbbing, and filled with malicious intent, it's offered an air of grandiose spectacle with its symphonic violin, peaking at its mid-point when an event horizon of waspish drones open up beneath the bassline and pulls everything in. "Overdrive" meanwhile takes a more explicitly industrial tack, as heavily distorted bass guitar licks are thrown into a cascading jumble of crunchy, organic beats.

Review: The ever-dependable vinyl arm of the Dutch deep techno stable Field Records continues apace into its eighth outing with four carefully selected inner space travellers perfectly suited to the hazy end of the party. Artefakt kicks off with a brooding jaunt through interlocking 4/4 grooves and luscious Detroit pads, while Mark Du Mosch opts for a more punishing tone to his fuzzed out techno. Steffi locks in for a smooth and focused bath of deep house, while Area Forty One switches things up with a refined and textured take on electronica propelled by a prominent broken beat.

Review: Perc Trax is notorious for delivering colossal levels of four to the floor power and this latest slab of techno wax stays true to their policy. Truss is back again for the label and begins with "Ganymede", a sweltering beat filled with metallic synthesizers which fit suitably within the skeleton of the track, a spawn of the now familial relationship between techno and so-called UK bass. Skirt takes care or remixing the original and transforms it almost entirely, reducing the clanging sounds to form a squelching, neo-acid piece with a pounding bass drum. Label boss Perc takes care of the second remix and comes in all guns blazing, with a skippy, shot-like sound leading the way for another cavernous mutant bass to smother its way over the half-step beat. Lastly, the swampy drums and melodies on "Hackney" are contained without allowing them to be released into another raucous techno pummelling. Who knows what could happen...

Review: The legendary Mote Evolver is back with another ferocious slab of UK techno. Label favourite Psyk gives us a blow to the head as soon as the needle touches down on title track, "Distane". Repetitive keys swing back and forth with mighty force; followed by "Isolate", another triumphant techno bomb filled with muffled static and a feverishly hissed percussion. For the B Side, Psyk takes us further down the bouncing rabbit hole on "Rdmn", and completes his rave injection with "Main", an almighty, stripped number worthy only of a gigantic dark room filled with bass bins.

Review: The Biorhythm experiments continue to impress the Juno review team with their lack for catalogue number protocol and unhinged techno direction, as that killer Sun God release is followed by some more Crystal Maze explorations from Ma Spaventi and G String. The duo is undoubtedly two of Amsterdam's finest exponents of the darker spectrum of edgy, unsettling techno and the Dissolved EP demonstrate their potency together is magnified innumerably. The title track is Crystal Maze at their mood setting finest with the rumbling undercurrent of bass and creeping textures threatening but never actually fully consuming the sparse 909 percussion that drives matter forward. Darkness descends further on the appropriately titled Dungeon Dub of "Dissolved" which wouldn't look out of place on a Milton Bradley release; such is the sense of descending dystopic dread that runs throughout. "Photon Sphere" operates in a similar dread filled mindset, though is much more percussively inclined.

Review: Featuring a relatively shady collection of artists, the latest Area 51 release delves into different shades of techno from dark and menacing to naive and charming, but always packing a high standard of originality and production. Sowing Paranoia bring a strange funk to their wraith-like construction, maximizing on a bassline while the beat stays largely pacified. The Transhumans get a more direct rhythmic slant on the detuning chord styles of "Posthumana" while metal clangs echo in the background, leaving it to Bule to take over the B-Side with two tracks. The first of them, "IBK", is a spaced-out affair with crisp top end action and ill-defined chords, while "Weg" is a sweet, synth-rich jam with carefully interweaving arpeggios in the classic Artifical Intelligence mould.

Review: The artist otherwise known as Marcus Intalex has been making serious waves over the past year with his techno leaning Trevino alias, and following releases on Martyn's 3024, [Naked Lunch] and The Nothing Special, he steps up to Appleblim's Apple Pips for his biggest release to date, swapping linear 4/4 for something altogether more interesting. "Indulge" is a particularly Drexciyan number complete with breakbeat rhythm and dystopian pads, while "Under Surveillance" is a significantly moodier cut which combines the atmosphere of early dubstep with a jagged electro bassline.

Review: It's payback time for Perc as he shifts roles from label A&R to remixer - but can his work across three remixes match up to the Factory Floor remixes of Forward Strategy Group? It's hard to answer, not least because the reworkings from Butler, Colk and Gurnsey of tracks from Labour Division were subtle and insidious, while Perc chooses a more upfront approach to repay the favour. The only exception is the Noise version of "Two Different Ways,", where Ali Wells intersperses the sound of trapdoors slamming shut and metal grates screeching with gulps of ambient noise. Blink and you'll miss the tortured vocal snippets. It's a diversion from the main event though, and on the Perc dub and second version, Wells pushes his foot to the floor and stretches his hands out to the stars. This dub take is rooted in heavy claps and a pulsing bass as slamming warehouse beats lead the arrangement to the inevitable climax. The Perc remix is even more of an anthem; the eerie vocal that simmered in the background on the dub remix is brought to the fore and ravey riffs are added to the breeze block groove for a hands in the air moment that feels like the antithesis of Factory Floor's cool. Apart from Perc's repositioning, this release also marks the intriguing return of former Cabaret Voltaire and Sweet Exorcist man Richard H Kirk. The Sheffield producer's take on 'Ways' is more understated than Perc's three versions, but it does have an irresistibly chugging groove and possibly in a nod to the period that marked his original rise to prominence, a choo-chooing train that sounds like the android equivalent of Telex's "Moskow Disko". Two different ways indeed.

Review: The debut album from Barker & Baumecker has been a long time in the making, but its timing couldn't be better. With techno at a point of divergence, as producers like Untold and Blawan make the move from the UK end of the bass spectrum into straighter 4/4 fare, Transsektoral seems to offer a Berlin perspective on the same theme. Although the stark, often dramatic atmosphere is that of an Ostgut Ton record through and through, the whole thing is peppered with broken rhythms and lurching bass (see "Crows"), and even some inventive R&B sampling reminiscent of the Tri Angle family. Of course it also makes its concessions to the Berghain purists with the spluttering, acid toothed techno of "Trafo" and "Silo", or the relentless "Buttcracker" but all things considered, this is one of the most vital albums Ostgut Ton have released since The Traveller - which is high praise indeed.

Review: Essential early tracks from Chicago producer Paul Johnson feature on the third Dance Mania warehouse find, with five ghetto house cuts from 1994. The A-Side sees two contrasting sides of the producer, as "2 Smooth" switches on his deeper mode, as dusty organ chords and subtle marimbas play off against spoken word vocals, while "On My Own" goes in with a harder ghetto cut. On the flip, "U Flat" sees strained horn samples and minimal stabs coming together with syncopated rhythms in a stripped back, proto-footwork arrangement, "With You" combines an overdriven kick with the titular vocal cut-up into a crafty DJ tool, while "Swing Side" sees him indulge his humorous side with a stop-start track full of oddball samples.