Back catalogue: Minimal House/Tech House

Review: .Zurich has a small but well formed scene that now bears fruit in the form of this new label, alt?r:alt?r. Zefzeed takes the reins of the first sonic statement with four tracks of sophisticated and deep house and tech. 'A Well Watered Fern' is brain cleansingly smooth with buffed metal synths and liquid grooves. There is a darker minimal march to 'Save The Day' that reminds of Melchior and a sweaty pump to 'Farm That Face' that makes it a standout. 'Fishbed Touring' swings low with tripped-out designs and melted synths.

Review: Zendid takes the reins of this Romanian label's talents and shows plenty of studio guile and versatility. There's a nice breezy quality to opener 'Fradpause' thanks to the way the pads swirl around so expansively while the nice mid-tempo drums move onwards. 'Panama Panthers' then ups the ante a little more pressure in the drums but still a nice heady feel to the roomy pads. Last but not least, 'Nature Peinture' takes on a menacing edge with the snippets of vocals that pan about the mix amongst eerie pads and groaning sound effects. Splendid, or should we say Zendid, stuff.

Review: ZKY who minimal fans will know as one half of Cab Drivers now finds himself on fine French label Phonogramme with a new EP that offers up his lovely and warm analogue house jams. 'Love Train' kicks off with a nagging, wobbly baseline between silvery drum loops and fleshy bass. 'Instant Delight' has the sort of synths that bring to mind deep Detroit techno and they're paired with over sized hi hats and a serene sense of futurism. Last of all is the most playful - 'Punky Music' with James Brown samples, smeared chords and steamy vocals.

Review: This is Ukrainian artist Zola's first EP since the war began back home so we shouldn;t be surprised that it's one of resolve and survival. The five tracker explores the tension between peace and conflict and notes the forest as a sanctuary for strength and reflection, somewhere to find respite from the chaos. The tunes shift between moments of quiet introspection and raw confrontation by layering delicate melodies with haunting textures. Personal and cathartic, it reflects the resilience and the importance of sanctuaries and is a great reminder of the spaces that ground and sustain us.

Review: Zon Records has released music digitally before, though this is the first time the wilfully eclectic Belgian label - and the producers behind the label, also called Zon - has made it onto wax. As vinyl debuts go, it's pretty good. They set their stall out with title track 'Keys For Days', a warming and sun-splashed slab of tech-tinged deep house peppered with warming chords, jazzy synth-bass and subtle TB-303 motifs, before diving into deeper, more immersive territory on the gorgeous, sunrise-ready 'Spring Break' (featuring vocalisations from Lotte Sarembe). Over on the reverse, 'Upon Us' is an analogue-rich chunk of deep tech-house, while Ukrainian producer Kirik's remix of the same track is a far more bass-heavy, tactile and otherworldly affair.

Review: Zoo Brazil follows up the digital release of 'Stand Alone' with a fresh new wax edition on Housewax. Bringing together spitting snares, illiquid FM basses and shimmyingly panned plucks, 'Faceless' moves like a cyclical upward ascent to heaven, yet the movement is still towards a set of pearly gates that we can never quite reach. Then comes the spiritually dragged disco-drive of 'It's You', which assures us of our importance as we gaze into a future soothsaying font, the track's asynchronous voice calling out to us from without. Finally, 'The Night' brings an ultra-clip-distorted experiment to our ears, in true curveball fashion, an unusual bucking of the trends of the minimal techno world.

Review: PMLD Records describe Zorak as a 'ghost producer', though what they exactly mean by this is up in the air. But this, of course, lends to the mystery. Does Zorak work nights as a hack hand for stadium-packing EDM artists, or are they (the likelier scenario) simply an enigmatic name on the much vaunted international disco edits scene? Whatever the case, we buy the hype. Our psychic investment is certainly helped along by the content of this slick blue-vinyl variety-hour; A-sider 'Jackie' channels a dubby boogie-house temperament, risers and eighthy vocal gates aplenty, while 'Mystery' pulls no punches in working the odd amen break hit between each kick and clap.

Review: Carebears have been issuing sublime, deep diving 4/4 gear for some five years on their self-titled label now. The quality richens with every release, and now they're notching up a drop on Irenic which takes things even further out to sea with the gorgeously hypnotic 'Auri'. The beat is steady, shuffling but overall subtle, while the pads have a barely-there quality which actually draws you deeper into the track. By way of contrast 'Tame' lets the beats bounce a little further forwards in the mix, but overall this is still stealth mode tech house for those who favour the deeper path.

Review: Amsterdam-based record label and community Pintai returns with a deeply textured EP from local producer and live artist Hame, who's adept at blending emotional depth with dancefloor energy. Here he delivers a more club-focused offering packed with rich pads, driving grooves and warm low-end textures. The EP opens with the dreamy 'Dear Sammy' followed by the dub-inflected title track 'Set Me Free.' On the B-side, 'Love Touch' explores hazier, deeper terrain while 'Take Your Time' closes with swirling synths, organic percussion and a hypnotic arpeggiated bassline. It's a cohesive and atmospheric release designed for immersive dancefloor moments that once again shows Pintai is one to watch.

Review: Known for his hypnotic dance music, Southern Italy's Lomonte delivers three tracks rich in deep disco soul and tinged with a psychedelic shimmerisounds that have already caught the attention of dancefloor icons like Ricardo Villalobos. Attitude Records is his new label and the 'Attitudes' EP, a record that sidesteps passing trends in favour of crafting music with true staying power is it's first release. Opening the Side-A, the title track 'Attitudes' highlights Lomonte's remarkable touch for layering dynamic, textured rhythms into a groove that unfolds naturally, pulling the listener deeper with every bar. Over on the Side-B, 'Can't Get Enough' and 'Summer Vibes' reflect his talent for channeling uplifting moods without ever losing the music's subtle complexity. Rather than chasing ephemeral sounds, Lomonte commits to an honest emotional resonanceihis work feels timeless, not tied to any particular moment or movement. With nearly 20 EPs already under his belt, he demonstrates here why he's become such a respected name: each track glows with warmth, soul and an understated finesse.

Review: It has been some years now since Nail came back from the wilderness after one of his early EPs was re-released by Fear of Flying. Since then he has turned out plenty of new material as well as digging deep into his vast and vital vaults to serve up the sort of lo-fi but kicking house sounds that made him and his Nottingham crew such a driving force back in the 90s. And that's what we get here on For Those That Knoe - no fewer than eight masterfully stripped-back cuts of deep house. Some are laced with dreamy melodies, some roll deep for days, some are raw and textured pumpers and some are jazzed-up bangers with charm to spare. Essential stuff.

Review: Cabale Records is a Parisian label that has, for the last few years been exploring the minimal techno world. It now branches out with its first various artist release featuring some tasteful tune makers starting with Pheek. He brings some loose percussive energy and wonky drum funk to his opener then Mod303 layers in dreamy and immersive pad work to deft, subtle drums on 'Paris City Zoo.' Night No Tori Vs Hubble keeps it deep and dubby with the late-night introspection of 'Deja Vu' then Sten's 'Slope' is a trippy afterhours sound with tumbling synth smears and percolating dub tech beats.