Back catalogue: Minimal House/Tech House

Review: Acid tests, in a scientific context, refer to metallurgic processes whereby the chemical composition of metals are analysed in order to determine their makeup. We can't place exactly when the term was co-opted by artists of the acid techno movement, but we can certainly attest to this acid test's besting of several other lesser litmuses in the micro-genre. ITWS have found a gem in Ilario Liburni, a mainstay of the Italian audio-alchemic underground: 'I Don't Tip' and 'The Acid Test' provide twin minimal acid, with psychedelic ad-libs sure to make even Timothy Leary blush, while isotopes from TIJN and The Wizzard heighten the base compounds' corrosive intensities. A well assayed assault on the ears, well suited for those hazarding another lysergic dabble.

Review: Sometime Trauma Tribe and Spy vs Spy member Christian "Chris" Lloris is now two decades into his production career, though remarkably it has been 12 years since he last released a solo EP on vinyl. 'Echo Ridge', which also marks his debut on Lisbon label Satya, is therefore a long-awaited return to wax. He begins in confident mood with 'Ministrone', a fine fusion of lolloping tech-house grooves, spacey electronics and deep house flourishes, before delivering a chunkier and more bass-heavy slab of trippy tech-house with oddball samples aplenty ('Echo Ridge'). Over on side B, 'Mod Squad' is smooth, squelchy, quietly funky and delightfully off-kilter, while 'Snares Don't Care' is a more hypnotic, spaced-out and bass-heavy affair that's perfect for those "locked in" early morning moments.

Review: Future garage via techno excursivenesses by new producer Loopdeville, whose name sure does sound like a place we'd like to live, London having failed us as of late! On deep purple vinyl first comes 'Celestial Quest', an interstellar undertaking handled with remarkable ease, with little so much as a flickery garage beat and ruminant chords making mellow light of light years. Mihai Pol amps up the danger factor with rogue chord asteroids threatening to pierce the hull; and B-siders 'Nosy Fella' and 'Moonlight' both swerve tactile, with their concussive percussions and vocal murmurations, resounding like unconscious inner workings of the spacefaring mind.

Review: Belgian label Music Man Records continues its deep dive into local club history with a standout 12" drawn from a wider retrospective on Destelbergen's legendary Boccaccio club. This release centres on the early house and techno that defined its Sundays-an alternative narrative to the better-known New Beat story. The A-side opens with Steve Poindexter's 'Computer Madness', all skeletal drum patterns and jacking minimalism, before UK crew Age Of Chance explode with 'Time's Up (Timeless)', a proto-rave anthem remixed into cut-and-paste chaos. On the flip, LFO's self-titled 'Leeds Warehouse Mix' drops like a techno blueprint-bleep-heavy, bold, and unmistakably northern. Closing the set is Alice D In Wonderland's 'Time Problem (Techno Speed Work)', a hyper, squiggly take on acid techno that feels like a high-speed trip through late-80s futurism. With selections curated by Olivier Pieters and Stefaan Vandenberghe, this 12" captures the rawness, friction, and thrill of a scene that still resonates across Europe's underground.

Review: With Pattern Gardening, London-after-Leeds imprint Wisdom Teeth yank out an extra gnasher we didn't know we had. As has always been the case, label heads Facta and K-Lone could be said to have curated and curetted a new compilation from the joint dentist's chair, exacting a 22-track root canal with periodontal precision, nearly doubling the size of their V/A ambit since 2024's Club Moss. But on this selective six-track sampler for wax, we've only a further sanding down of a much larger minimal, micro and tech house selection; here's gummy textures and maxillary moods by Polygonia, rRoxymore, Lurka, Sub Basics, and newcomer Jichael Mackson. Clarity and sound design are top priorities, as is the ideal of whitened teeth flashed by the poolside. Snappy, Rhodesy, watery.

Review: Belgian label Music Man Records has assembled Boccaccio Life 1987-1993, a 40-track compilation honouring the legendary Destelbergen club that helped shape Europe's electronic underground. Far more than just the birthplace of New Beat, Boccaccio championed raw, futuristic house and techno long before the genres went mainstream. Curated by resident DJ Olivier Pieters and regular Stefaan Vandenberghe, the collection features classy cuts that are also being served up on a series of VA EPs. This one hits hard with jams from QX-1, Fred Brown, Mr. Fingers and Laurent X all going dark, deep and moody.

Review: We're told that this EP is an archive of encoded human memories made to "survive the AI's purge." Anyone listening back to this years from now will be sure we had a good old time, because it's slick and charming, minimal and tech with real soul. Sweater's 'Front Street Strut' is a kaleidoscope of colours, Reyer's- 'Martian Law' brings some stripped-back but bubbly and rubbery funk and Poten's 'Coming Or Going' layers up whirring machines and pixelated synth sequences into something zoned out and warm. Lukey shuts down with the snappy broken beat tech of 'Spectrum' with its bright, singing leads.