Juno Recommends Minimal / Tech House October 2021

Review: Only Music Matters are back with more classy tech house bait on super limited 12". An unknown artist or artists take care of the sounds and immediately lock you in a 4am groove. The silvery drums, the flutter of snares and the warped synth hook of 'Track 1' all race along smoothly and seductively. 'Track 2' is more deep and spacious, with eerie leads and playful loops that will tease and please the floor. 'Track 3' brings a vulnerable The Weeknd vocal to a futuristic electro beat and it is an unlikely but brilliant combo that will make for the standout tune in any set. These are characterful minimal tools.

Review: Theo Parrish is one of those characters who manages to unite lovers of both house and techno, indeed producing offerings that seem to make the distinction utterly redundant. How does he doe it? Well, if this pair of new tracks are anything to go on, it's the simple trick of making tracks that combine the soufulness and rootsy earthiness of house with a trippy sense of the futuristic and psychedelic that elevates them out of the ordinary.
Take, for instance 'In Motion's simple piano stabs and the subsequent off kilter groove that builds up around them. Or, equally, the cheeky bass keyboard manoeuvres that form the backbone of 'Don't Play' featuring Ava, funky enough to be Stevie Wonder but then matched with caustic, scything hi-hats that have more than a hint of the surreal and robotic about them. Best of all, it doesn't feel like a compromise, it feels like a full on creation that acknowledges both traditions but refuses to follow either slavishly.

Review: After copies sold out in record time earlier in the year, Mint Condition has rushed through a new white vinyl pressing of their essential reissue of Housey Doingz influential 1997 EP Doing It. Comprised of six producers (including Terry Francis and Nathan Coles), the collective was one of the first to define the tech-house sound, with this EP - and their debut album of the same name - probably the pick of their catalogue. Check first the electro-flavoured late-night intoxication of 'Curly Wurly' - all rugged acid lines, twinkling synths and stabbing bass - before admiring the more breakbeat-flavoured tech-house purity of 'The Poets'. Elsewhere, shuffling, tech-tinged beats nestle beneath dreamy deep house chords on 'Ambidextrous Left', while 'Flying Saucer' is a creepy, all-action affair bestowed with a genuine sense of forward momentum.

Review: It's not often that Jamie Jones' Hot Creations label treats fans to a vinyl release, so it's pretty exciting. This one is by young Irish producer Rebuke, who follows up an impressive run of releases on Saved and DFTD. Of the release, the artist known to his Mum as Reuben Kenny has stated that 'Along Came Polly' may have been a bit too leftfield for the label's fanbase, but once it caught the attention of the label boss, 'there was no stopping it.' The track's off-kilter percolator jack is in the vein of legend Green Velvet and is indeed a tripped-out jam geared for those heads-down moments on the dancefloor. Over on the flip you've got something more straight ahead on the funky and bass-driven shuffle of 'Rolo' reminiscent of Dana Ruh's work.

Review: Steve O'Sullivan has been a prolific collaborator around the deep techno and minimal scene for a long time now, and he really hammers that point home with this expansive new project on Sushitech. Across eight tracks, the Mosaic maestro teams up with artists ranging from premier league titans like Ricardo Villalobos and Brawther through to emergent talents such as Soela and Ben Buitendijk. Each guest artist brings their particular slant to their track, but O'Sullivan's overarching deepness is the glue that binds the release together in a swirl of dubby pads. The results are consistently classy, but you knew that already right?

Review: Ever the enthusiastic collaborator, Steve O'Sullivan follows up the first volume of his Dimensions series on Sushitech with another eight stunning partnerships which read like a who's who of contemporary techno. The artists invited span a fair range, from established legends like Mark Broom and Steve Rachmad to inspiring newer artists including Exos and Soela. The whole release hangs together naturally as O'Sullivan's signature dub techno touch slips in amongst the approaches of his chosen sparring partners. From nervy immersion heaters to starry-eyed reveries, this is sophisticated modern techno at its finest, with every track precision engineered to work in the club and take the crowd somewhere very special indeed.

Review: Physical Education calls Len Lewis back for an extra class that finds him offering up a reissue of his early 2000s tunes 'Joy' and 'Skip Up.' This limited edition repress makes these hard to find but essential minimal tech tunes available once more and we're glad for it. 'Joy' has plump bass and a cavernous atmosphere run through with nicely spaced out chords. It's a smooth tune for the heads, while 'Skip Up' gets a little more unhinged, with glitchy sound effects and turbocharged bass all softened by some sustained celestial pads. Squelchy analogue funk never sounded so good.

Review: After a couple of wicked EPs on local imprint Melliflow, Berlin-based Uruguayan Fernando Zapico returns to Japanese imprint Cabaret to follow up 2019's Mayday EP. Ravey, all analogue, old-school inspired jams are the order of the day on this one, with Detroit being a strong influence on the A side of the Extension EP. From the Daniel Bell inspired minimal techno of opening cut 'Nothing But', to the Drexciyan electro shenanigans of 'Kaos Designer'. Then flip over to the B side and you've got the title track, an acid infused epic sure to elevate you to a higher state of consciousness.

Review: Clean-cut Scottish producer Kerr Slaven has been touted as a rising star for some time, though it's only since joining Toolroom in 2019 that he's come close to fulfilling his immense potential. 'Cold Light', his latest single for Mark Knight's much-loved imprint, has all the makings of a genuine crossover hit, with Leo Stannard's evocative, emotive vocals rising above an attractive blend of funk-fuelled house beats, rubbery electronic bass, dreamy chords and jaunty synth stabs. This accessible, radio-friendly blend is given a big room makeover on the accompanying 'Club Mix', a boisterous, sub-bass-heavy affair rich in jacking tribal drums and big builds, while the '6am Mix' re-casts the cut as a melancholic, soft-touch Balearic pop treat.

Review: We welcome any new release on Amphia with open ears, as it's one of the more finely curated Rominimal labels in our opinion. Following up great ones by Ferro, Christopher Ledger and Amorf, their latest one comes from scene stalwart Cristi Cons with his very first long-player. It features a wide selection of moods and grooves, all delivered in Cons' singular style as always. From the chilled-out yet immaculate beats of opener "Western Habits", or the blissful microhouse roller 'Flux', to the sunny open-air tech house of 'Soul Connection' and the downbeat IDM journey of closing cut 'Crossroads' - Out Of Cycle is a cohesive effort from start to finish.

Review: Rich NXT is one of the super reliable contemporary house producers who serve up functional records with a twist. Here comes another such trio on the popular Eastenderz label. 'Everon' pairs acidic bass and bobbling grooves with a heady sax line that drifts up top to add the all important special ingredient. 'Izbraz' is a much darker tune - a collision of dusty jungle breaks, haunting chords and warped vocals that is brilliantly dense and unusual. Lastly, 'Radian' slips into a freak 4am minimal vibe with a hiccupping hook and crispy 90s tech house beats.

Review: Following a couple of low-key - but quietly impressive - EPs on Dote, Gladoors founder Neil McDermott brings his June project to Kalahari Oyster Cult for the very first time. In keeping with much of his previous output, the four tracks on offer tend towards the intergalactic end of the techno spectrum, with numerous nods to the authentically spacey early UK tech-house sound of the late 1990s. This is particularly evident on opener 'Witching Hour' - all creepy, chiming lead lines, glacial pads, bubbly bass and skittish drums - but can also be heard on bleeping rollers 'Vessel' and 'Shifting Sands' (the latter of which also boasts some lusciously warming chords). Central's remix of the latter track, a kind of deep house/futurist techno hybrid, is also hugely enjoyable.

Review: Following from their welcome bounce back with the D Construction EP, London-based duo OdD are at it again with The Hexachord EP. Their strain of minimal tech house has a raw, percussive focus which champions the power of the drums, whipping up interwoven rhythms aimed squarely at the floor and nowhere else. 'Pythagorean' opens up this new set from the duo in a cascading patter of big and small sounds all pushed along by a nagging hat. 'Do-re-me' nestles down into a subtly dubbed groove, and 'Solfeggio' revels in the nagging funk of a broken kick rhythm and some woozy pad action for a deep destroyer of the classiest kind.

Review: Royksopp continue to serve up some rare b-sides, exclusive new tunes and previously unreleased tracks with their 'Lost Tapes' b-side series. This limited edition, hand numbered 2 x 12" is a very special affair indeed with drama and drifting electric landscapes and expansive cinematic grooves from front to back. Some tracks are more tense and textured, some brim with the sort of quiet artistry hat has made Royksopp such a revered act. Only the most subtle vocals drift in of occasion and overall this is a collection that is sure to be delight hardcore fans.

Review: Cassy brings her a-game to this super raw house 12" on the Kwench label. 'Pacemaker' is the sort of intense, sweaty, textured house cut that makes clubs into heaving rave dens lit only by flashing strobes. 'Together' then layers in some prickly acid lines and jacked up drums to again pump the party in a raw, old school Chicago style. On the flip is a bonus track in the form of a Ron Trent remix of Cassy & Pete Moss's 'You Gotta Know.' It goes deep and spiritual with many layers of glorious synth work and a spine tingling vocal.

Review: Following up a killer release just last week on his very own Superluminal imprint, Berlin's Matthias is back, this time on Colin Chiddle's Art Of Dark with another four tracks of retro techno euphoria. Lose yourself under the strobe lights to the trance-inducing 'Worlds Beyond Knowledge', then get a taste for the acid life on spacetime NRG of 'Modulation Accent'. Over on the flip, he takes to the funky path on fiery party starter 'Intercom Replica' until things get really tripped-out on the deep bleep of 'Acid Developer'.

Review: Desert Sound Colony's Holding Hands has been turbo-charging dance floors for a couple of years now. And just 18 months after serving up the 10th release comes the 20th, which is another mutant fusion of bass, techno, dark garage and acid. Brazen takes care of the beats, opening with some jacked up kicks and rave-y melodic sequences, before 'Twocking' offers a skeletal garage groove, 'Muck' layers up warped synths and heavy sub bass into a physical groove and 'Achey Breaky' offers precision drum programming, throwback bass and jungle vibes to blow up any spot.

Review: A repress for four prime slices of classic Baby Ford minimal tech gear, from the rhythm-centric drum machine fest 'Very', the resonant bleepy tones of 'Test', the sparse and spacious 'Down' and the subtle acid undertones of 'Percy'. Baby Ford is finally getting his props as one the UK acid and techno scene's true innovators and pioneers, and these four very mixable tracks are four more reasons why this is only right.