Back catalogue: Electro

Review: Acid Sessions Vol. 3 is another white-knuckle journey into the world of acid with five top talents in the field all pushing their own limits. Acidulant opens with "Serpentacid' featuring hypnotic 303 grooves and relentless energy, then Sarufaromeo & Papaverhof deliver 'Acid Nihonshu' which blends atmospheric depth with chaotic acid vibes. G303 takes you beyond with 'Live Long and Prosper,' an interstellar anthem filled with cosmic acid and resonant grooves. Paul Renard closes with 'SO36' which is all about the fat rhythms and powerful dancefloor drive. Long live acid is what we say.

Review: The world of dark disco tech is vast and so covers plenty of niches and nuances with artists all over the world adding their voice to the conversation. Spanish label Waste Editions offers up four more to the mix here with another well-assembled VA. Dark Vektor's 'Amb La Mirada Ens Menjarem' begins with some synth sounds that evoke a horror scene over snappy drums and sleazy guitar riffs. Synth Alien's 'Replica Cosmica' gets a little more loose but still comes with evocative vocal samples and a characterful world of synth sounds, some that fart, some that gurgle, some that amuse. Imiafan's 'Stupaj (Keen K RMX)' is another prying, loopy sound brought to life with myriad effects, textures and vocal snippets and Wardum shuts down with 'Wrambling' which has grinding bass and scuttling effects topped with occult vocals.

Review: Analog Concept Vol. 3 delivers a striking collection of forward-thinking deep techno, blending electro, acid, and sci-fi elements to push boundaries across its four tracks. Fasme opens with 'Crying Robot', a standout acid electro monster that's both raw and energetic, setting the tone with its sharp, robotic intensity. CCO's 'Solar Sail' follows, bringing a darker, sci-fi edge to the mix. Its blend of EBM and new beat creates a timeless, futuristic trip that feels immersive and cinematic. Side-2 kicks off with Unwonted's 'Frontier', a high-energy electro track laced with trance elements, adding a hypnotic, rave-ready vibe. Serge Geyzel closes the compilation with 'Flash', a heavy-hitting deep electro cut that dives into darker, alien soundscapes. Its deep techno undercurrents enhance the track's sense of foreboding and mystery. Overall, Analog Concept Vol. 3 captures a thrilling array of deep, futuristic sounds. Take a journey through techno's more experimental and atmospheric realms with this Russian label. Each track stands strong on its own while contributing to the cohesive, forward-thinking vision of the compilation.

Review: Introducing Wobbly Mob, a new independent label based between Germany and the UK. Their debut release is by rising producer Glockta (aka Popka) from York, who serves up a collection of diverse tracks on WMR001. Detroit meets 2-step on the wondrous opener 'Plastic Fiver' which receives a ravey remix by Shawn Cartier over on the flip later, there's also off-kilter late night mood music on 'No Diamonds' and the rolling low end theory of 'Next Year'.

Review: Bitterfeld continues to blaze its own electro trail with a seventh outing that again its top draw. This one is a various artistic collection under the title For A Bitter Tomorrow: Band 2 and opens up with Salomo's 'Bodytalk', a crisp and ice cold electro rhythm before Interviews bathe you in gloriously deft sci-fi melodies on 'Let Go' and Qwerty's 'Kisela Neman' then brings some madness with crashing hits and molten acid lines. Jonbjorn's 'Chica' closes with similarly high impact electro sounds and raw textures.

Review: Mainrecords returns with the 'Radiation Dance' EP which is the newest outing from co-label owner Matthias Schildger. It opens with the sleek electronic lines and Kraftwerkian hypnosis of 'CH Dance' on icy rhythms and lush synth chords. 'Radiation' is a more rugged techno sound but still artful in its pads and widescreen melodic scope. There is a retro 80s feel to 'Divine Divide' while 'Rzwodzwo's Brain' birds some more buffed metal textures, tripped-out FX and jittery rhythms. Last of all is 'Datapoppers' which is a great blend of analogue kits and drums, retro-future synths and curious cosmic moods.

Review: Shahara-Ja's 1989 killer "I'm An Arabian Knight" was lost in the depths of time before its much needed reissuing back in 2017, and it is still on repeat here at HQ. The news of a series of remixes coming from the legendary Egyptian Lover seems like the most natural thing in the world, but also a sign of a label getting things absolutely right, so hats off to Australia's Left Ear! There's a dub, a vocal, and an instrumental, so all boxes are ticked off by the 808 wizard, and he comes through with his inimitable flair and mystical charm that we all love some much. What a legend. What a remix EP. Recommended!

Review: Sound Synthesis is back on his own new young label Subversive Underground with more atmospheric techno. This is warm, analogue driven tackle for sophisticated floors with opener 'We Are Still Here' sinking you into a world of celestial pads, aqueous chords and dubby, high speed drums. 'Sonic Transmissions' brings more texture to the fore with an edgy sustained synth line and metallic percussion and 'The Untold Story' then hits hard with stumbling kicks and tense pads keeping you on edge. Last of all, 'Above Below' keeps dancers on their toes with more electrifying synth work unfolding over charged-up techno kicks.

Review: Electro has so much representation already that we'd have hardly imagined it needed a Coalition, but colour us mistaken, of course. Presumably functioning both as intergalactic senate and record label, here, on 'Robot Connection 001', the Electro Coalition commission four delegates to lay down one lengthy sonic deposition each. Sound Synthesis kicks things off with a moving acid purging, with soaring cutoff filters aplenty, setting the diplomatic record straight with a grand metaphysical treatise - 'Physical Terrain' - on the cosmopolitical terrain thus faced. Then Arsonist Recorder objects by way of a pure immaterial antithesis, with 'T & A' locking in heavy freq-layered constrictions between an accursed beat; then Neonicle's 'Combination' and Sinitsin's 'People Are Aliens', finally, form a worthy synthesis and thesis-return respectively, ending on a suspension of humanly intelligible feeling, in favour of a bellicist's power fantasy in harsh snap-breaks and chromatic arp-arcs.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


'Lords Of Miami' is a fantastic name for this new one from Domesticated, a label run by one of Berlin's best electro aficionados, Robyrt Hecht. Sshadess, The Coomers, Girlcop and Emscho Shoshe each contribute original cuts ranging from the janky to the smooth, with choice bits like 'Carbonara' remaining unpretentious and not-too-produced, yet also peppery on the glitches. Shoshe's 'Give Up' lends an experiment to vocal booty house too, adding an extra creep factor to the genre with freq-scooping phasers on the sample.

Review: NC4K's second hand-stamped 12" is more irresistible garage business from Stones Taro. 'Anywhere' (dub) has lovely warm woodblock hits and oscillating low ends with minimal drums and an aching r&b sample that brings the soul and draws you into the skeletal rhythm. Flip it over and you get something more fleshy and fulsome with 'Finally' (dub). Here the drums have more snap and are more prominent with a corrugated bassline down low and a heavily treated classic vocal sample the hook up top. Two killers that mix the old school and the new school in style.

Review: Sumerian Fleet is a collaborative project from Mr. Pauli and Alden Tyrell, and alongside their couple of excellent albums on Dark Entries these dark side synth wave devotees also delivered a coveted record to Clone's West Coast Series back in 2010. Finally, that record is getting a repress to thwart the sharks and get grimy, gothic electro back in the hands of the real fans. Every track is a masterpiece, but one of our personal favourites is the rubbery nightmare funk of 'Blech Erkrankung', which comes on like Joy Division and Front 242 getting in a fight and falling down the stairs together.

Review: Elements Electric is a brand new label out of Dublin that kicks off with revered local talent Peter Sweeney who has also worked as Rustal on labels such as 393 Records and Diffuse Reality. His delightful electro, techno and house fusion sound brings plenty of key Detroit references with it and opener 'Celestial Flame' features pitch-bent acid streaks over kinetic drums. 'Love Not Lost' is another one laced with the sound of the 303 and has glistening celestial melodic details over deep drums. 'Motor City Man' is a classic Mid-Western cut with turbocharged drums and future synth soul while 'Aurora Lake' shows a more melodic side with nostalgic synths intertwining with each other over jacked up beats.

Review: Synapse's Get The Freaks And Get Some is an acid, electro and techno classic from 1996. The pair behind it - Jason Szostek and John Selway - dropped only a couple of EPs in the mid-noughties, then a couple more around five years ago, and this was their standout. Opener 'Get Some' is tense, electrifying stuff with lively synths, crunchy drums and pummelling bass. 'The Freak' is another edgy and hard hitting cut with frosty Detroit electro overtones and 'Set It Off' then slowing down to mangle your brain. 'Cosmic Connection' closes out with a deeper more astral exploration.

Review: Electro labels don't come much more revered than Bunker outta the Netherlands. This latest 12" missive from the hallowed underground hideout is a face off between Manasyt and Sam Lowry across nine visceral cuts. This sound clash brings plenty of fresh perspective from the Bulgaria and China based artists. There are dark and jacking cuts with eerie sci-fi edginess as well as future horror-movie style sounds and experimental, unsettling electro sketches. Essential stuff.

Review: A poignant and triumphant new chapter for the legendary Brum techno icons, hot on the heels of the reissue of their seminal 2010 album Feed Forward and a year of live shows and archival releases. Its creation is rooted in the tragic passing of Juan Mendez, aka Silent Servant, in early 2024. A founding member and visual artist for the group, Mendez's influence resonates throughout the record, with the title End Beginnings serving as a tribute to his enduring legacy. The eight-track album, crafted by Regis and Function alongside collaborators like Rrose, Rivet, Simon Shreeve and Sarah Wreath, embodies a balance of cinematic depth and dancefloor impact. Tracks like 'Dreaming' weave layered rhythms with atmospheric melodies and elastic vocals, while organic elements peek through Sandwell's signature grit. Rrose's contribution to 'Self-Initiate' amplifies this intensity, with low sirens and urgent percussion creating a bubbling, hypnotic effect. 'Hidden,' is a warehouse anthem, drenched in acid-drenched lines and crisp, menacing percussion. Its dark energy and meticulously fine-tuned production signal the collective's evolved direction while honoring the spirit of innovation and rebellion central to their ethos. End Beginnings is more than an album; it's a moving tribute to Mendez and a new start to Sandwell District's enduring commitment to techno as both an art form and a source of joy.

Review: 'The Cosmic Memoirs Of The Late Great Rupert J Rosinthrope' is an obscure rarity by a short-lived alias of Drexciya member James Stinson, Shifted Phases, which is now getting the full, refocused reissue treatment by German clubbing giant Tresor. Having remained out of print since its initially tiny release for over two decades, this bubbly yet grim electro album reflects an epistolary concept expressed musically rather than in written form. Rupert J. Rosinthrope is a mysterious character, but these cosmic memoirs hopefully shed at least some light on "his" misunderstood memory.