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

Review: The undisputed godfather of Australian techno Cam Bianchetti aka DJ HMC has enjoyed a deserved second coming under his Late Nite Tuff Guy guise but this is where it all started with these two classics. First track "6AM" originally released in 1996 is a true mid-nineties zeitgeist that could have been spawned during an evening at the Packard plant in Detroit, but actually conceived in Adelaide. It's overdriven acid backed by the pounding kick and metallic hiss of a 909 just like Plus 8 Records were doing back in the day. What can be said about 'Marauder' that hasn't already? It's resurgence as a Berghain anthem in the last few years is well deserved. This rendition being a much more serious and restrained version than the 2001 version. Get your hands on this timeless piece of history.

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: Although Cliff Lothar's music has been in demand ever since his first EP on Viewlexx back in 2013, the producer hasn't been outing out tonnes of music. Instead, he's opted to stick close to home and has only released on a handful of labels including Skudge White and the present Riverette out of Spain. The Old Jams Die Hard EP is the first volume of a likely series and its classic Lothar, where the grooves of "Tugeda" are tightly packed and hard-hitting. There's also some funkier moments in "Don't Need Nobody, raw and jacking drum machines oddities on "Going Dutch", and a deeper, meaner kinda vibe on "The Snow Is Falling". Killer.

Review: For the latest instalment in Clone's suitably robust Basement Series, sometime Numbers, LIES and Hemlock man Randomer has joined forces with forgotten techno producer Cadans. Randomer's presence isn't all that surprising - he's appeared on the occasional series before - but it's heartening to see Cadans, whose last 12" dropped in 2013 - back in action. The resultant tracks are, naturally, formidably dancefloor-focused. While there's much funk to be found on rolling flipside "Lopttarump" - think jaunty, acid-influenced hooks, rubbery electronics and stomping bottom-end - it's A-side "Angry Fiddle" that most impresses. The beats are, of course, thunderous, but it's the looped melodies, popping electronics and relentless vibe that really stand out.

Review: Another release from Spencer Parker's Work Them imprint. It's brutalist peak time techno from Manchester's Sam Coates, now based in Berlin and you can tell, if these four relentless belters are anything to go by. The A side features "Man Ray" a bleak, peak time monster that could have easily come out on Mord instead and "Movement' which channels that old grating, loopy, Downwards vibe so well. On the flip is the cyclical madness of "Ulterior Motive" with its mesmerising synth melody and kicks on the clap, respectfully referencing Robert Hood. Finally "Menifesto" is more restrained with its warped MDR style melody and true roller of a groove.

Review: Under his Bookworms name, Nik Dawson was responsible for one of THE label defining LIES records in 2012's Love Triangles and it's nice to see his weird streak been channelled good and proper on this new 12" for Ron Morelli's outfit. Clearly inspired by his ongoing musical experiments with Steve Summers at Confused House HQ, these four Bookworms cuts bristle with odd energy, coaxing you into experiment different notches on the pitch adjust. For example "Touchless Automatic" sounds all the more hypnotic and druggy with the tempo pitched right down, whilst "Coaxial Electric Slide" feels like an Acido track done Brooklyn style. There is a dank feel to the modular strains throughout "Exotic Auto Boutique" that you can almost touch whilst "Control That" perversely sounds like Dawson is barely making a faltering drum machine work. Wonderful chaos in other words.

Review: Bjarki, a new producer hailing from Iceland, makes his debut on Nina Kraviz's Trip with an effective two-piecer aimed at the dancefloor. "I Wanna Go Bang" is straight, hard-hitting and boasting an instantly memorable vocal which you'll probably be hearing around the dances this summer. "Orange Juice Man", however, is the complete antithesis of it's A-side cousin, where Bjarki opts for a deeper, chuggier kinda groove that's more suited to the corner-dwellers than the first-rowers.

Review: Under his Chemotex alias, Marcos Cabral has been one of The Trilogy Tapes most productive artists in recent times. This is his third 12" for Will Bankhead's imprint in less than 12 months. Unlike Cabral's recent album for L.I.E.S, which reveled in its' own distorted, balls-out intensity, Thulsa strives to get a balance between becalmed techno hypnotism, skuzzy grooves and gently melodious intent. This blend is perhaps most satisfyingly mixed on the industrial-tinged clank of "Delta City", though the woozier, scuffled late night warmth of "Music For Security" pushes it close. Twice he heads towards deeper territory; first on the title track's trance-inducing synthesizer loop groove, and secondly on the dubby, locked-in tech-house majesty of "Lorentz".

Review: Woof! Let It Be (Acid) marks the second release on Andreas Gehm's low key Cologne Underground Records and lives up to its billing as an "international acid affair". And then some!!! Gehm himself features, closing out proceedings with "Was Soll Ich Sagen", a collaboration with Marco Bendig with tumbling drums, billowing acid lines and strange delayed vocals which sounds like it was a whole heap of fun to make. Before that Jared Wilson, The Exaltics and Ekman all contribute to the Roland butchery with the latter Bunker and Berceuse Heroique affiliate stealing the show thanks to his rather deranged Fight Club-referencing production "Richard Poulson".

Review: Fresh off enlisting Efdemin, Kangding Ray, Regis and Dasha Rush to remix cuts from Inigo Kennedy's 2014 LP, Belgian techno powerhouse Token welcome back another label regular in O [Phase]. This Versions 12" represents an interesting move for Surrey-based Ashley Burchett, a chance to delve into his back catalogue and offer up some versions of some of the heavy hitting cuts that helped establish him within the techno community. Versions opens with an 'Enhanced' and buffed up take on "Flyby / Falling" from his 2006 Espresso EP for Ingoma, complemented by an unreleased demo take on "Bulk" from the same year. Another Enhanced version, of "Obscura Mix 1" is perhaps the finest cut here though Token completists will find much to savour in the stripped mix of Mass, the title track from his 2007 label debut.

Review: Stockholm imprint Born Free continues with its run of consistent quality. Following up releases by Baba Stiltz and Mighty Thor with this pearl by Japanese newcomer Powder featuring four tracks of sublime house to move you all the way through the afterhours. The Balearic vibe on the A side has some true delights in the form of "Spray" with its deep and sultry Latin vibe and "Kiwi Blue" which incorporates some truly tripped out elements lurking beneath the kalimbas! On the flip things pick up the tempo a bit with "Ma KI" and its dirty bass line, more solid rhythm section and summery vibe all round, whilst the tremendous "Alien" sounds like a slowed down take on lo-fi techno.

Review: Liverpool's Binny started on his techno path back in 2012 with an EP on Orbis, and it's taken him only three years to rise to Dax J's Monnom Black imprint, a label reserved for the darker of techno joints. In apt style, "Mispress" kicks things off in a menacing fashion, blasting out heavy kicks, minimal melodies and rough shots of percussion, followed by the bouncier but nonetheless charged belter that is "Outline". Over on the flipside, "Quarantine" is a dirty squelcher in the style of Surgeon and Regis, while "Event Horizon" recalls Jeff Mills at his poignant and would sit incredibly well in a set by the man himself. Belters.

Review: There's a delightfully celebratory feel about this debut volume of Cititrax Tracks, a new 12" series from Minimal Wave offshoot Cititrax. As beautifully presented as we've come to expect, Tracks Volume 1 boasts a quartet of dancefloor-ready smashers from a blend of new faces and label stalwarts. Amato (aka The Hacker) kicks things off with the glistening EBM funk of "Physique" - all restless synth refrains and pounding bottom end - before LIES affiliate Tsuzing go all dark, psychedelic and twisted on the thrillingly intense, acid-flecked "King of System". An-I go all DAF (with a touch of Front 242) on the fuzzy and dystopian stomper "Mutter", before Cititrax regulars Broken English Club delivers a storming chunk of industrial-tinged analogue funk ("Glass"). Bravo!

Review: The UK's number one house pusher, Mr G, steps out of his own Phoenix G stable and lands on Holland's long-running Planet Rhythm, an imprint ran out of The Netherlands by Glenn Wilson. The music, however, is quality as per usual from our main man but the tracks are a little darker, a little edgier in texture. "M's Retrogade", for instance, is more broken compared to Mr G's usual sound, its metallic percussion stabbing away nicely at the rolling beats, while "Flexable" is deeper, dubbier and straighter. Over on the flip, "Binky's Groove" is a classic G joint, straight highs and ingenious vocal samples sliding like mad, and "Dis-tracted" is a swinging techno belter for peak time floor damage. Red hot!

Review: Rhode Island young gun turned Berlin success story DJ Richard has come a long way. After the success of his White Material label (known for its dusty and dirty house workouts) he's snapped up by Hamburg institution Dial for a full length album, and it does not at all disappoint. Grind is an inspired journey through Richard's many musical dimensions, showing off some sides to his sound not heard previously. After the black metal inspired intro of "No Balance" he gives us the smooth and majestic deep house of "Nighthawk" and "Savage Coast" that are more typical of the Dial sound but there's also the dark atmosphere of "I-Mir" and the brilliant "Vampire Dub".

Review: You've got to hand it to Tony Scott. After an illustrious career spanning the better part of 20 years, he's still got it and doing better than ever. It's with his Edit Select alias that he's really nailed it though and his trademark take on droning hypnotic techno. "Hi Line Extraction" has all of what we've come to expect of late; swirling, immersive pads and mesmerising, minimal melodies yet energetic in the beat. The Mike Parker remix is as intense and mind bending as you'd expect from another undisputed master of the artform. Lastly Claudio PRC shows us once again why indeed Italians do it better, with his tribal, transcendental and downright epic trip to another plain.

Review: Australian label Butter Sessions is back with another one of its split releases, this time themed as Sounds From The Suburbs, adding two new faces to the roster in the process. Tina Wantirna drops some techno science on the chilling and dubbed-out "Track 1", while second newcomer Cale Sexton goes for the house approach on the piano-led "Everybody Hz". On the flip, label boss and badboy Sleep D offers a twisted piece of pseudo acid in the form of "Vermondo Vermango" - check his recent guest appearance on NTS Live's Reverie programme for a whole stack of similar new material from the man - and Dan White returns to the label with "Rhythm Works", a piece fit for Axis or any Jeff Mills set. Hotly recommended.

Review: Paris' Zadig has been dishing out the dancefloor servings left, right and centre, putting out heavy house beats on everything from Syncrophone to Deeply Rooted House. He does, however, also run his own label Construct Re-Form, on which he appears at present. This new EP, Lost Tape, is a three-track guillotine, starting with the dubby sways of "Tape 1", before moving onto the much heavier and distorted licks of "Tape 2". "Tape 3" is another techno attack, except this time the beats slither more steadily amid morphed slices of percussion and a fine layer of atmospheric grit. Lovely.

Review: Banging peak time techno from Berlin via Minneapolis' transplant Dustin Zahn on his own Enemy imprint. "Bark Like A Dog For Me" is surefire, peak time Berghain business, pure and simple. But the "Deep Mix" is more on the chugging and hypnotic vibe. He even gets Italian Emmanuel AKA Confucius onboard. He delivers the rather Jeff Mills-ish "Cargo" with its dramatic strings section, while "Contrane" is a pummelling affair complete with a galloping monster of a rhythm accompanied by sharp stabs. Guaranteed to obliterate dancefloors this Fall!

Review: Last year, Dutch producers Robin Koek and Nick Lapien impressed with a couple of contributions to EPs on Prologue and Tikita under the Artefakt alias. Here, they've been given a chance to showcase their sound further, via a debut 12" for the mighty Delsin imprint. As the title suggests, they're stargazing sorts, and all three tracks feel like they were inspired - in part, at least - by the original futurist ethos of Detroit techno. Of course, there are other influences - see the tumbling, intelligent techno style synthesizer melodies and acid flashes of "Transit", or the attractive depth and ambient chords of "From Our Mind To Yours" - but these simply serve to enhance the prevailing mood.

Review: Given the connotations of their chosen moniker, we shouldn't be surprised by the mythical musical humidity at the heart men-of-mystery Mystic Jungle Tribe's debut album. A new project from Mystic Jungle and The Normalmen pair Milord and Whodammy, Mystic Jungle Tribe effortlessly join the dots between cheerful, cheap-sounding analogue funk, loose-limbed, sci-fi inspired jazz-funk, machine-heavy techno, woozy Balearica and sweet electronica. Interestingly, the beats on Solaria are often loose and live sounding, rather than throbbing and metronomic, giving the album a far looser feel than you'd perhaps expect. As debut sets go, though, it's rather impressive, and comes packed with cuts that sound as good in the club as on your home stereo.

Review: Releases on Dolly offshoot Dolly Dubs are infuriatingly infrequent, but when they do appear they're invariably excellent. This latest offering - the first for 12 months - is predictably impressive. It's Martyn's second contribution to the series, and his first EP of 2015. There's naturally much to set the senses tingling, from the wobbly analogue bass, dreamy pads and loose, rave-era house breakbeats of flipside "Don't Block The Box", to the pitched-down jungle rhythms, bittersweet chords and notable bass of opener "Done Away". The swinging, spooky and downright chilling "EF40" is pretty darn tasty, too.

Review: Later in the year, Jeff Mills will release the long-awaited follow-up to his legendary Exhibition mix CD. Details are relatively scarce at present, though according to its creator the CD/DVD package "explains a lot about the mindset, and the concepts, and the procedure of how a DJ does what he does". In a bid to raise interest in the project - not that the Detroit legend needs much help in that regard - he's put together this 12" of previously unheard studio material. It's typical of Mills' floor-friendly exploits, with all four tracks fusing intergalactic, outer-space electronics (see opener "Signals To Atomix One") with rolling Motor City grooves (complete with the usual relentless cymbals) and bubbling basslines.