Review: Planka Records continues to solidify its underground credibility with its third release which offers up a group of international producers. The EP dives into electro grooves and stripped-back, hypnotic rhythms designed for the raw, gritty corners of the club and Aka Juanjo kicks off with the neck-snapping pressure of 'Modo Electro.' Jesse You brings some proto-trance synth work then Stefano Andriezzi gets freaky with ice-cold drum machines and --burrowing basslines on 'Teknica'.
Review: Following Ohm Hourani's infectious 'Barbara' featuring remixes by Ricardo Villalobos and Amir Javasoul, We R The Aliens presents a standout various artists compilation with an all-star lineup of Boronas & Snad, Bartaub, Mountain People, and Nesta. Boronas & Snad's 'Affliction' is rich with haunting synths, rolling MPC percussion, and mind-bending delays. Istanbul's Bartaub pays homage to the '90s with 'Orbit The Dance Planet' which blends bumpy breaks, robotic voices, and ghastly chords. On the flip, Mountain People delivers 'I Am The Void,' featuring shuffled drums and dubby stabs. Finally, Beirut's Nesta closes with 'Tarte Citron' a late '90s tech house track with crisp percussion and catchy vocals.
Review: In the summer of 2023, Upgrade Records launched via a nostalgic, party-starting EP from the previously unheard artist In 5 D (likely an alias for someone a bit better known, but don't quote us on that). For the label's return, long-serving DJ/producer Buckley Boland (best known for his releases on Made To Play, Black Riot and One Records) is the man at the controls. What he's delivered is a nostalgic, sample-rich affair that combines the angular wonkiness and mind-mangling noises of early-to-mid-2000s tech-house with nods towards vintage acid house, electro-house and the hard-to-pigeonhole house filth of the (long gone) Music For Freaks label. Basically, it's all fun-time, party-starting fare, with the bump-and-squelch of 'Daft Sandwich', the bustling brilliance of 'Nude Night' and the break-sporting hustle of 'S/A/M Real Man' standing out.
Santonio Echols - "Piano In The Light" (Emanuell Echols mix)
Brian Kage - "This Saturday Night"
Ryan Sadorus - "Down Below"
Review: Upstairs Asylum is kicking off the year in some style with a couple of killer new EPs. This one is the first in what is presumably a new series to showcase the talents of the Motor City. Mike Clark & Marcus Harris get things underway with 'Hey' which has a subtly uplifting feel thanks to the bright, sustained chords and cuddly drums. Santonio Echols's 'Piano In The Light' (DJ Emanuell Echols mix) is laidback, playful deep house with magical chord work and Brian Kage brings his classy depths to the smooth grooves of 'This Saturday Night.' Ryan Sadorus brings things to a close with the smoky 'Down Below.'
Review: Adam Collins has proven his mettle with his work for Omni A.M. and Euphoria Records but now he branches out once more with the new label Aquarius Rising. It kicks off with a four-track various artists EP of next-gen talents Cromie, Dylan Payne, Sasha Zlykh, and Collins himself. 'The Knuckle' opens up with a bouncy and dense house sound that's got a sweet garage shuffle to it. Volume Channel's 'Tony Jacal' is a stripped-back and minimal sound with dubby drums, Sasha Zlykh's contribution gets more raw and abstract with whirring machine sounds and Collins shuts down with 'Andrea 3' complete with warped vocal stabs and high-speed drum funk.
Br Beta - "Man Of The World" (feat Luke Eargoggle) (3:01)
Guttan - "Bambakaos" (6:28)
Kenneth X - "Mixed Emotions" (4:02)
Kan3da - "GBG Electro CIty" (5:45)
Singularity Club - "Intercon" (2:28)
Review: Gothenburg Electro City 3 is a third episode in this superb new various artists series. Stilleben label head Luke Eargoggle says that three generations of Scandinavian electro sounds feature on the six track record. It comes from producers based only in Gothenburg which is the capital of electro in Sweden as well as being the capital of the Vastra Gotaland county. From the high energy and hard-hitting electro-funk of Dataintrang's opener to Guttan's more cinematic but no less caustic 'Bambakaos', all shades are explored here with compelling results.
Review: Background is a Rimini-based label which specialises in slinky, playful strains of minimal tech house from some emergent names well worth keeping tabs on. Alex Dima has certainly earned his stripes as a name to get you checking the record, and his opening track 'Twisted' offers the mysterious synth touches and boxy drum machines beats we've come to expect, while Luca Piermattei lays down some seriously satisfying trance-minded melodic lines to loosen the crowd up good and proper. Munir Nadir is in an equally artful, inquisitive mood as he fires off the interlocking riffs and licks of 'Guinea' and then Smoud Beats completes the picture with a diversion into shaky, 90s-styled acid for the jacker in your life.
Review: Novaj Records presents its second vinyl release - 'Space Energy', an electrifying compilation EP inviting listeners on an interstellar journey through a wide array of sonic cosmologies, in good stead with the nascent trend of space-age acid house emergent of late. Lauching into the boundless realms of space, the likes of Donnie Cosmo's 'Venus Transit', MLink's 'Frequencia' and Sunaas' 'Flash Dancer' are all as enchanting as they are out-of-body-experience-inducing.
Review: Berlin producer Ede returns after their 2023 Innervisions debut 'Poptroit', this time for another melodic techno forward-facer. With a papillary front cover - resembling the suckers of an octopus or the polyps of a fantasy coral - we doubt the trypophobics out there will be at ease with this one. That is, at least until they hear the soothing progressives of 'I Am Wavy' and 'Odyssey', which build through and cleanse classic acid, rave and bleep motifs. The latter track has an incredible vocal breakdown, saturating and processing its stabs and chirp-hits just right.
Roman Flugel - "More Is Not Enough (Heaven Or Hell?)"
Lauer - "Hector"
San Laurentino - "Final Landing"
Tuff City Kids - "People Is A Crackhead" (Tuff Hamlet riddim)
Review: Established as a record label some four years ago, Live At Robert Johnson have really come to the fore as representing the best of contemporary European deep house alongside the likes of Dial and Running Back. Here, the Frankfurt institution returns to their recent triumphant Lifesaver compilation with this addendum 12" release featuring the productions from Roman Flugel, Lauer, San Laurentino and Tuff City Kids. Flugel opens proceedings with the rough and moody "More Is Not Enough" which brandishes a beat that can't help but get in your face. This is complemented by the calmer, sumptuous New Beat stylings of Lauer's "Hector" and the richly colourful "Final Landing" from San Laurentino. "People Is A Crackhead (Tuff Hamlet Riddim)" is not only the best track title in a hot minute but yet another original dancefloor slayer from Gerd Janson and Lauer's Tuff City Kids, opting for the Germanic digi dub meets tuff house route.
Review: Sydney label Club Sweat deals in big, accessible, effective house tunes that are designed to bring a smile to your face. The latest in a long line of such tunes is from Hot Creations man Lee Foss and Franky Wah. Their superb 'Name Of Love' has it all - effortlessly smooth and rolling house drums, the sound of chanting children and silky pad work. Finishing it off is a carefree vocal from SPNCR and the whole thing is just divine. The Torren Foot remix is much more angsty and edgy, with big percussive energy, sizeable drops and rock solid, kicks for teeth-gritted late night dancing.
Review: Fresh French label Attention Spin! flaunts the talents of the Parisian underground in its freshest incarnation. Currently turning their focus towards cosmic house music with hints of Italo and new beat, as well as aiming to prioritize dance music that uses vocals as an instrument, their first release here is a four-track EP from rising star DJ Dawidu. The likes of 'Une Nuit A Paris' and 'Mad Game' detail the wilder, undergrounder ends of after-hours nightlife in the Capitale de la Mode. 'Half On A Room', meanwhile, spans dub- and hip-house, while 'Lil'Drama' is the most vocal and catwalk-worthy of the bunch.
Review: Minibar's endless quest for the freshest kinds of minimal continues with this collaboration from emergent partnership Max Jacobson & Snad. You would have previously spotted the pair on Lowris' AEternum Music in 2021, and they're continuing to come up with the goods on this crisp and classy four-tracker. 'Mohugan' thrives on the knotty, tracky grooves you expect at least somewhere on a Minibar release, while 'Br2' cools things out with some elegant pad tones atop those snappy beat patterns. 'Truthers' takes things even deeper down with its whispers of melody, while 'Morning Du' gets back to business good and proper with a freaky after hours workout that will never let you down.
Review: Japan's Thinner Groove flesh out their distinctive aesthetic with every new release. This time around, they welcome none other than Lemmi Ash, KOOLMFL and Sonic Weapon for a collaborative three-track EP of lowercase minimal tech and textural vignettes. The aim of the game is best encapsulated in the label's commentary: "each track can add a distinctive touch to the night, as like completing your cocktail with lemon and/or lime". Each track indeed sounds to the ear akin to how a fruity garnish tastes, with Ash's 'Presence' bringing tart citrine breaks notes to a gracefully held glass vessel. KOOLMFL's 'Atonbow' is drier bitters, barely availing itself of its trembling chords and sampled vox after an ultra-snappy initiation featuring a mere bass and kick-clap. Thinner Groove know all too well that good music is like an excitation of the flavour palate, and that minimality is the thing that lets such flavours sit.
Review: The debut release on the all-new Theresipolis label comes with a cryptic note that "Obscurity is giving way to visibility. Amidst the human dissonance, those who hear will follow the beckoning sounds of Theresiopolis." Make of that what you will, or simply skip to the sounds. Lowres opens up with 'Otpusk' which is a mix of sharp, bright, futurist synth lines and dusty, low-key house drums. TipToes locks you into a nicely intertwined blend of congas, chords and drums on 'Same Old Sausage Chicken' and on the flip Swales keeps it dynamic but loose with the acid-laced space tech of 'Release. Armless Kid's 'Oui Oui La France' has jostling breaks urging you to get stuck in.
This Thing (feat Robert Owens - Mr Fingers Tribute mix) (5:00)
This Thing (feat Robert Owens - Chez Morning After mix) (6:32)
This Thing (feat Robert Owens - LL Smoov mix) (4:26)
Review: Some real house legends come together on this This Thing EP by Lukas Lyrestam & Simoncino, with the added bonus of the iconic Robert Owens bringing his signature smoky vocals. This package highlights the exceptional talents of Lyrestam and Italian Simoncino, while remixes by house legends Mr. Fingers and Chez Damier elevate the project even further. The original track is full of Owens' soulful vocals and sets the stage for a timeless house sound that is steeped in class and always going to make a mark.
Elaine Mai, MuRli Vs Dave Spoon & Nick Reach Up - "Ready" (Mark Knight remix) (6:54)
CASSIMM - "Wanna Feel Something" (5:27)
Superchumbo & Victoria Wilson James - "Revolution" (Crusy remix) (6:07)
Arthur Baker & James Hurr - "Powder In The Nose" (5:12)
Review: Here's a heavyweight suite of club cuts from the Toolroom Trax stable, featuring a whole squad of names linking up for some big room belters that should go down very nicely indeed with any medium-to-megasized party experience. Mark Knight's extended mix of 'Ready' is a proper epic, not least when the 'Insomnia'-esque stabs kick in. CASSIMM's 'Wanna Feel Something' is a heads-down sexy workout, while Superchumbo and Victoria Wilson James get remixed by Crusy for an equally brooding, high-end production. James Hurr and Arthur Baker round things off with chunky monkey 'Powder In The Nose', which teases a whole lot and then delivers even more on the drop.
Review: This record delivers a single-track statement with the formidable 'Colossal', a dark and dramatic techno anthem tailored for peak-time festival moments. The track lives up to its name with heavy, pounding rhythms that ripple with an epic intensity, drawing listeners into its brooding atmosphere. Layered with cinematic tension, 'Colossal' balances a relentless driving drive with intricate textures, creating a hypnotic interplay between shadowy undertones and electrifying crescendos. The meticulous production ensures every beat lands with seismic impact, making it a great weapon for use on large scale sound systems.
Review: Following close behind Macarie's Out Of Streets EP, Verum returns with a further expansion of its sound as a new label in the minimal tech house scene. Olivian Nour sets the mood in compelling style with the subtle jazz guitar licks hovering over brooding twilight cut 'Collateral Damage', while Dorothy's Dream explores skittering, modulated forms on psychedelic workout 'Ten Colours'. Swoy leads on the B-side with the snaking, subliminal mastery of 'Tosmur' and Vern completes the picture with the slinky groove of 'Breath', making this another classy turn for Verum and the assembled artists alike.
Review: Celestial Voyage on White Lunar delivers four distinct tracks that fuse futuristic techno and trance for a cosmic journey. Side-1 opens with Oho's 'Endless Coordination', a mysterious, futuristic techno track with a touch of psy-trance, creating an otherworldly vibe. Ffrvnco follows with 'Late Day', a high-energy 90s-inspired techno-trance hybrid. Its acid line meshes perfectly with melodic elements, offering a sci-fi-tinged experience. Side-2 kicks off with Stefano Andriezzi's 'Dos En Uno', a fast-paced, fun techno track designed to move the dancefloor with its addictive energy. 'Anti Entertainment' by Jucid closes the EP, bringing the tempo down with a moody, low-tempo trance cut. Mysterious and alien in tone, it's a perfect end to this celestial voyage. A futuristic and diverse selection for techno and trance fans that have a minimal techno production technique.
Review: This compilation is a sonic tapestry woven from the threads of diverse electronic soundscapes, each track carefully crafted to evoke the liminal space between dreams and reality. It's an invitation to immerse oneself in a world of intricate textures, hypnotic rhythms, and evocative melodies, where the boundaries between genres blur and the music takes on a life of its own. Jonny Rock's 'Legenda' sets the tone with its purposeful groove, its driving energy balanced by a sense of introspective depth. Thanksmate's 'Take A Chance' adds a meditative touch, its gentle melodies and atmospheric textures inviting contemplation and reflection. Dobao's 'Oceano' plunges into a deep, liquid dimension, its swirling synths and hypnotic rhythms creating a sense of weightless immersion. Giammarco Orsini's 'Whirlwind' picks up the pace, its pulsating energy and infectious groove propelling the listener forward. Hiver's 'The Frontier' explores the tension and release of electronic landscapes, its dynamic shifts and evolving textures keeping the listener on the edge of their seat. Sam Goku's 'Lucid Oscillation' closes the compilation with a sense of ethereal beauty, its airy melodies and floating notes leaving a lingering sense of wonder.
Review: After a near two-year break, the shadowy CUE Point label - an imprint based in Valencia, Spain - returns to stores. To reintroduce itself, the imprint has decided to offer-up a multi-artist EP featuring cuts from new signings, old heads and friends of the label. Pad Union kicks things off with the deep, dusty and gently jazzy 'Holodnaya Para' - all rich Rhodes chords, languid bass guitar and crunchy drum machine beats - before storied producer ScruScru joins forces with Guydee on the acid-fired, funk bass-propelled house bounce of 'Nesting Down'. Over on side T, Negroove's ghostly, slipped tech-house jam 'Smoked Jazz' (a track blessed with Villalobos-influenced percussion programming) is paired with EP highlight 'Grisha (Soe)', a chunky and organ-rich slab of peak-time tech-house by label regular Heavenchord.
Review: France has always had a distinct time take on deep house ever since the 90s and greats like DJ Gregory, Alan Braxe and co. It remains a fertile scene, too, with several new artists and labels always coming through and the latest is Capybara which kicks off with this fresh new various artists EP. Sasha Pervukhin opens up with 'Oh No!' which brings jacked up drums and frazzled pads. Amadeo Savio then brings some nice acid mutations on 'Faces' and Varhat kicks off the flip with 'Alright' which is a loose, rickety house cut with balmy pads. Salmanazar shuts down with a slinky and loopy offering in the form of 'Last Night.'
Flare's Grip - Prism Remix (Herbert's Make It Right dub) (6:39)
Vol 03 - 02 (6:16)
Review: Remastered rarities by the late Susumu Yokota under his 246 and Prism monikers. Go Up was originally a defective release which has since been corrected and remastered and Vol 3 - 02 was not released. It also features a megamix of Ambient Love and Squeeze Up (which feature on Cosmic Soup 005) by Gene On Earth and a remix of Flare's Grip - Prism Remix by Matthew Herbert titled "Herbert's Make It Right Dub". Three legends on this EP. Superbly remastered and cut by Mike Grinser at Manmade in Berlin. Artwork by John Williams.
Radical Chic - "In Da Shadows" (Terry Francis remix) (7:31)
Space Bunny - "The Key" (Wax Trax remix) (6:37)
Review: Gems, a new label with a nose for unearthing dusty relics of the UK tech-house scene, kicks off with a double shot of pure 90s dynamite. Label boss Paul Still, Croydon luminary and veteran crate-digger, has dusted off these two bangers, ready to reignite dancefloors. First up, Terry Francis unleashes a remix of Radical Chic's 'In Da Shadows' that'll have you reaching for the lasers and sweating buckets. This ain't no polite shuffle - it's a full-on assault of pulsating basslines, swirling synths and big energy. Francis, a master of his craft, layers textures and effects like a sonic sorcerer, conjuring a tapestry of sound that's both intricate and exhilarating. Flip the wax and Space Bunny's 'The Key' unlocks a different kind of chaos. This infectious groove, built on chunky drums and a hypnotic bassline, is pure, unadulterated dancefloor hedonism. But it's the vocal snippets and playful synth stabs that truly elevate it to legendary status. The Wax Trax remix adds a contemporary twist, injecting a fresh dose of energy while retaining the original's undeniable swagger. If you're craving the authentic sounds of early tech-house, Gems is your new dealer. These aren't just reissues; they're sonic time capsules, transporting you back to a time when the dancefloor was a sweaty, euphoric escape from reality.
Review: The FUSE London crew are back everyone, look out! Bringing the sound of their legendary daytime raves to us again and getting straight down to business on Enzo Siragusa's third edition of 5 are label mainstays Rich NxT (with the rolling and adrenalised "Badass") and the always impressive OdD aka Damian Daley & Danny Dixon joined by newcomer Rossko (making his production debut) on the rolling hypnotism of "Jabba The Hut". On the flip is Moscow Records boss Archie Hamilton (another mainstay of the label) with the woozy and tripped out after hours deepness of "Cirrus" and the Deep End Soundsystem affiliated Sam Bellis with the gutsy acid driven "Solstrole".
Review: Detroit-raised, London-based Demi Riquisimo assembles a dynamic mix of label favourites and fresh talent on Love State, the 22nd release from his Semi Delicious imprint. This six-track V/A hears offerings from Demi himself alongside Clint, Swoose, Lulah Francs, Dukwa, Anastasia Zem & Asa Tate, blending club modernity with classic analogue dance influences, sampling every sonic cate from Italo to tech house. Best among the bunch has to be Swoose's 'Re/Vision' and Anastasia Zems' 'Eternal Beauty', which bring together wasted electro, Italian new beat and trance for well-measured tinctures of dreaminess.
Review: The debut EP from The Set Records arrives as a vinyl-only offering, shunning digital realms in favour of pure analogue sound. This limited edition record shines a light on six standout artists - five from the UK and one Dutch - who've carved out their own corners of the deeper house spectrum. From the first groove, TSR001 pulls listeners into a nuanced exploration of house music's more intricate layers. Garage rhythms hum next to progressive beats, with each track offering its own distinct energy. It feels like a journey into the heart of a dancefloor before the lights come up - familiar yet full of surprises. What makes TSR001 especially exciting is how each artist brings something different to the table. There's a sense of variety that never strays too far from the EP's overarching vibe, which is smooth, sophisticated, and unmistakably underground. These are tracks for the heads, the DJs and anyone who knows the satisfaction of holding something rare and tangible in a digital world. The lack of digital presence ensures this isn't just a release but a coveted collectible. Collectors, be warned - missing this means missing out completely. V.A. TSR001 is here, it's elusive, and it's gone before you can press play twice.
Review: Sakro's sound has always been expertly designed a perfect blend of form and function. Now in collaboration with Max Jacobson the same can still be said on the evidence of this new three-track offering on Germany's constantly excellent Raw imprint. It kicks off with 'Walking Into Mirrors' which is a full-throttle tech house cut with nice rubbery kicks and busy melodic patterns swirling about the mix. 'Planet Arium' sinks into a deeper, more heady atmosphere with the kicks still driving but the synth work here is more muted and late night. 'Chapter 16 - Remember To Go Home' is an almost ten minute B-side trip to the stars.
Review: Marking the sixth release on Big Saldo's Chunkers label (BSC), Sally C and Eliza Rose team up for a delightfully heavy garage house-ish EP, topped off by a fresh remix from resident Blitz Munich DJ, Bashkka. Riffing on the raw tech house flavours emergent from cities like New York in the early 2000s, it brims with the kind of street-level grit and sass one might expect from such metropoli. Through vocal one-shots such as "I got the goodies" and "I love the way you move on the dance-flow", the inflection is one of verve and style, yet this is a finesse that comes caked in mud and bitumen, harnessing the chunky cacophony of traffic outside.
Review: Chris Stussy's Up The Stuss is a label very much defining the underground house sound of now. It's 19th EP comes from the accomplished SAM who bring hardcore deep house and space tech vibes to four new tracks. 'Check It Out' is packed with pent-up energy and high-speed drum patterns that are topped with a warped vocal. 'Race To Lose' cuts a more loo-embed rhythm with smeared pads, wet claps and great bell melodies. 'Tiger Balm' is physical, driving deep house at its best and 'Forever Rhodes' celebrates the sound of the famous piano by building warm house grooves around lush chords.
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