Back catalogue: Electro

Review: Bill Converse and Patricia land on Acid Test with more of their dynamic beat machine workouts in the form of this '380/750' EP which merges their distinct styles into an introspective, dancefloor-driven four-track workout. Recorded live at Ravitz's Brooklyn studio in just two days, the EP features raw, unedited performances that show off the duo's intuitive rhythm-making skills while drawing on Converse's 90s Michigan rave roots and Ravitz's Chicago upbringing. The immersive, bubbly, rubbery sounds are perfect blends of body music and heady synth work and cannot fail to take you deep.

Review: Human Rebellion & Power's 'Fake Reality' EP on Midi Mode Records delivers five heavy electro tracks for the headstrong. Side-1 starts with the title track, a dark, brooding piece with intense vibes, followed by 'Rabbit Hole,' a nod to Detroit electro with influences from genre greats. On Side-2, 'I'm A Freak,' is a chord-driven techno track with an electric, vibrant acid line that will have listeners eyes wide open in awe. 'Human Squad' stands out as a favorite, featuring a robotic and danceable bassline. Closing the EP, the 'Fake Reality' (Nite Fleit remix) offers a powerful reimagining of the original, making this EP a solid addition to any electro enthusiast's collection.

Review: A rich exploration of minimal and tech house sounds with a nostalgic twist. The EP kicks off with 'Istinto,' blending futuristic techno with elements of house music and early 90s bass vibes, all wrapped in spacey sounds that evoke a sense of cosmic adventure. Next, 'Aura' delivers a stomping, darker beat designed to capture attention and drive energy on the dancefloor. Side-2 features 'Potenza' which channels raw techno reminiscent of 1991, incorporating trance elements for a nostalgic feel. The track's energetic vibe and vintage touches make it great for old skool sets. 'Essenza' ends the EP with a great groove and atmospheric feel good melody. A devastating blend of beauty and brawn. Dynamic, engaging tracks that will resonate with techno enthusiasts.

Review: FXHE maintain their monthly heat emission for 2012, with label boss Omar S displaying all aspects of his production prowess (as well as skill for a humorous track titles) across four productions - one of which features the button bashing assistance of one Patrik Sjeren. There's something icily brilliant about the restrained "Income Tax Refund Dance" melding a dark piano riff with snapping 808 kicks and rippling lo fi rhythms which only further justifies the title of Omar S's killer 2011 LP. It's complemented by the far rowdier box jam "The White Castle Song" which jackhammers a simple yet highly flammable key riff over low rent percussion for FXHE's most potent ode to the perfect warehouse moment since the all conquering "Here's Your Trance..." Given the lack of additional info, we presume the Patrik Sjeren that produces the B Side "Untitled" track is the same Patrik Sjeren that released in the mid 90s under a multiplicity of aliases, and his contribution is every bit as incendiary as the track preceding it, whilst "3c 273" sees Omar S slip into pensive utopian electro mode with aplomb.

Review: Germany's RFR Records welcomes some high-grade Vienna impact from Peletronic here with his tough blend of electro and abstract house hitting the spot across three new cuts. 'Riddim & Bassline' opens up with fizzing synths a percolating percussion over snappy kicks and hits that never sit still, and nor will you. 'Sry I'm Dazed AF' has a cyborg funk feel with rugged bass and crispy broken beat drum programming. 'True Brew' is a coarse bit of house music for dances in derelict factories - the far-sighted synths bring some lovely Detroit soul. DMX Krew remixes with his usual golden touch to close.

Review: Extramusical hugeness from Texas's best experimental electro outing, Science Cult. A name like 'Commuting Observables', when lent to a V/A mini-album, is abstract enough to immerse us in the implied concept; it conjures a mental image of a glaucous laboratory of sorts, in which a cadre of sonic mad scientists toil tirelessly to yield the batch of effervescent sense-smushers you hear here. Be warned, this isn't your bog-standard, one-or-two-part acid-analog jam EP; no, every track and alias here plays out like a different iteration of some carefully spliced yet still egregious biogenetic experiment; monster faunamechs bursting free from their respective vitreal nutri-vats, and embarking on respective misanthropic rampages, all leaving trails of mimetic polyalloy gunge behind them. Were we to choose one of said bio-beasts as our fighter, it'd have to be Syrte's 'I'm A T-Shirt', shortly run up by a tie between Fleck Esc' 'Unrefined Intentions' and Ben Pest's 'From AU'. But we have to say, none of this music is standard fare techno: all of it is really quite wild.

Review: Karsten Pflum's album Liars explores the underground sound of techno and creates a captivating and energetic soundscape. Pflum's album is a journey through the dark and enigmatic underbelly of electronic music. He skillfully blends elements of techno, electro, and acid to create a unique and immersive experience. The album's jittery rhythms and moody soundscapes are perfect for late-night listening or for energizing a dancefloor. Tracks like 'Mousfolk Acid' are raw, intense, and uncompromising. Tracks like Lola' are sure to get comparisons to AFX and Squarepusher and that's not a bad thing at all. But for those who are willing to delve into its depths, Liars offers a rewarding and transformative experience.

Review: Piroman is a short-lived alias for Ulf Kleiner, a German jazz pianist who decided in 1998 to have a dip into electro and tech house, and wound up with one of those mythical records which graces the sets of the deepest diggers. It's not hard to hear why it's such a highly regarded release, and Kleiner's musicality shines through not least on the lead track 'Piroman's Theme'. Now Spanish distributors Outside In have picked the EP up, given it a generous spruce up and brought it back within arms reach for those of us steering clear of the second hand market place.

Review: Esteemed electro explorer Emile Facey aka Plant 43 is back on his Plant43 Recordings imprint. Despite being hugely prolific, the artist always managed to find fresh new creative ground with each new outing and Concrete Echo is no different. The title cut is a high-speed opener with shimmering lines, fizzing static electricity and drama in the chords that make you take note. 'Emerald Shift' is a broken beat kicker with raw claps and scintillating liquid metal leads while 'Raw Vectors' layers up acid wobbliness and textbook electro rhythms. 'Mist Memory' closes down with a melancholic vibe and heady synths that take you into the cosmos.

Review: Chromatophore makes a head turning debut in the world of vinyl with a various artists EP that reaches all points of the electro spectrum. Plant43 will be no stranger to those in the know and opens up in urgent fashion with the synth waves and driving grooves of 'European Tides'. Kev Cotter gets a little more introspective and deep in his complex 'The Bronx Executioner' with a mood bassline underpinning the whole thing. The most experimental of the lot is Allward's closing gem 'Slowburst,' a mix of shimming synths and disappearing pads that leave you floating adrift in the skies.

Review: Banging electrobass from Spain's Masa Series, mooting six of their roster artists for an incendiary exercise in grit and vibrancy. Having already invited a slew of artists for individual releases, the Cluster series here aims more at collectivity. All the tracks here nail the label's signature smushing of heavily heat-glued sound, moving between everything from electro to breaks, landing somewhere in the synaesthetic register of an earthen sonic purply-brown. The highlight here, though, has to be Anna Kost's 'Conjunction', which breaks this general rule through a fast dubstep-ish 150BPM exploration in nervous respiratory pad design and glance-off percs, making for a bracing potential set intro.

Review: Hilltown Disco have been nurturing their own micro scene up in Dundee, bringing a punchy, gnarly strain of electro to the Scottish city and creating a strong community around it. Now that community comes out in force to celebrate five years of the label and club night, presenting a cast of underground operators singing from the same hymn sheet. Whatever stripe of electro you're into, you're sure to find something to sink your gnashers into here. Keep an extra attentive ear out for the opening track from W1BO, the sadly departed Wibo Lammerts, who the five-track release is dedicated to.

Review: Having thrilled dusty-fingered crate diggers with a reissue of Denis Mpunga and Paul K's impossible-to-find mid-'80s cassette album Criola - an unusual but rather fine combination of post-punk and traditional Congolese music - Music from Memory has decided to give some of the tracks the remix treatment. As you'd expect, there's many more hits than misses. Dutch rising star Dazion delivers a wonderfully cosmic revision of "Intermezzo B" full of fluttering new age synth lines and drum machine polyrhythms, while Tolouse Low Trax turns "Veronika" into a woozy and dreamy chunk of dub-flecked, loved-up downtempo bliss. Late night dancefloor thrills are provided by Interstellar Funk's intergalactic tribal techno take on "Intermezzo 2" and Prins Emmanuel's tactile take on "KWEI!", which sits somewhere between dub disco, boogie and proto-house.