Repetitive Rhythm Research Vinilo y CD

Review: You can always count on Clone's Repetitive Rhythm Research label to bring a proper, hard-edged strain of techno that matches brawn with brains. Next up on the label after a knockout record from Frequency is The Exaltics, tailoring their signature electro style to a blown-out 4/4 sound to incite a thousand sweatboxes. 'It Never Ends' is brilliantly jacking, with deep space synths on top, and 'Hammerheads From Outta Space' doubles down on brute-force kicks and dirtbag leads. 'Corroded From The Future' dips into dystopian acid from the depths, and 'Dumb MST Digital' caps the record off with a stripped back 303 workout for those who carry a torch for the glory days of Bunker Records.

Review: Electro don Robert Heise turns his attention back to The Exaltics project for a new EP on his steady label home Repetitive Rhythm Research. Forgetting the proverbial "house" that birthed the song, Heise borrows the canonic title and lends it a certain force majeure, in the vein of bristly "helicopter blade" synths and classic techno drum machine furrow. Best on this fearsome crock is 'Parallel Reality', whose impressively miscible cuckoo-clock offbeats and sneak-up, reverse-worked, burring lead line have yet to meet their match this year. ORX's opening edit is the most expulsive, firing off a grunting artillery of monstrously low synths and brusque cymbal crashes in enfilade.

Review: Jodey Kendrick won't necessarily be familiar to you as he is someone who rather goes under the radar, but now you know. This EP proves his unique type of production genius across a bunch of mind-warping techno cuts that fuse Detroit, 90s UK styles and brain dance into glistening and physical workouts. The future rave kicks off with the high-pressure 'Changes' and then takes in the sludgy stomper 'Malfunction All Levels' and the caustic and high-tempo industrial urgency of 'The Metal Planet'. 'Organic Matter Detected' closes down with a more cerebral and sparse vibe designed to keep you on edge.

Review: Deus Ex Machina is a narrative device that allows an unlikely event to interrupt proceedings in order to provide a swift conclusion to a story. Notes with this EP say simply, "Unexpected intervention from the machine," and there sure is a lot of great hardware at work. 'First Act' is a deft techno sound that is on its toes and not keen to linger. 'Second Act' is a heady one with deep space synth motifs and liner beats. 'Third Act' is another dead-of-night, deep-as-you-like bit of classic techno minimalism and a Force Reaction remix brings more skeletal sound designs and rhythms to an ice-cold groove.