Back catalogue: Minimal House/Tech House

Review: Planet Orange Records' fifth release is a four-tracker from the legendary minds behind Alien Recordings, aka A2 and Stopouts, who take one side each. From the opening moments, the Beyonders EP weaves a thread between the halcyon days of tech and minimal from the 90s but with forward-thinking energy. A²'s 'Glider' is a happy, piano-laced celebration to start with ,then 'Let's Get It Together' cuts loose with lithe pads and more mid-tempo drums. Stopouts steep up for the flip and soon melts the mind with some tightly woven acid and cosmic tech on 'Sin City' and 'Kartwheel' then brings a more freewheeling and loopy groove with some neon colours dripping down its face.

Review: We shall never apologise for our love for the work of Steve O'Sullivan. His contributions to the world of dub techno are second to none. They are also mad consistent both in style and quality which means they never age. Here he steps up to Lempuyang with his Blue Channel alias alongside Jonas Schachner aka Another Channel for more silky smooth fusions of authentic dub culture and Maurizo-style techno deepness. Watery synths, hissing hi-hats with long trails and dub musings all colour these dynamic grooves. They're cavernous and immersive and frankly irresistible and the sort of tracks that need to be played loud in a dark space. In that context, you'll never want them to end.

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: 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.

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.

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: SaPu returns to his Rhythm by Nature label with Tribal Tales EP, a three-track trip that expands his sound into deeper, even more groove-rich territory. The opener 'Pulsar' sets the tone with spacey pads, filtered percussion and a rolling tribal groove perfect for early morning sets. The title track then ups the intensity with warped synths, acid lines and eerie vocals all aimed squarely at peak-time dancefloors. Philadelphia's Snad closes the EP with a dubby, analogue-heavy remix that mixes up breakbeats and hypnotic acid textures for a trippy finale. It's a confident and cohesive collection.

Review: Rominimal stalwart Teo Bajdechi aka Sepp presents the next release on London's Into The Woods. The man from Constanta delivers three wondrous tracks on the About Us EP; the title track is the kind of rolling and hypnotic tackle that you've come to know from the artist that's aimed squarely at the main room dancefloor, before heading to the afterhours on the woozy microhouse of 'Kiss'. Over on the flip, serves up what is probably his most experimental and off-kilter track yet on the playful 'Delta Quadrant'.

Review: Renowned Curacao-born electronic duo Shermanology are back with a new four-tracker on their cutting-edge label, D'EAUPE. Known for their dynamic sound and genre-blending prowess, Shermanology have become a real force in electronic music with infectious beats and soulful vocals that exemplify their ability to unite diverse influences on the dance floor. This EP underscores that with a quartet of fresh final tunes, innovative rhythm and the sort of characterful sound designs that always make their tunes pop out in any setting.

Review: The debut album from Ukrainian collective Noneside unites musicians and visual artists under the inspiring words of poet Taras Shevchenko, who said 'Make love, o dark-browed ones.' Framed by a painting from contemporary artist Iryna Maksymova, the music explores the trance and tech house that is destined to bring souls together on the dancefloor this summer and beyond. Shjva opens with fresh and mashed bass and sleek trance pads that are subtle but effective. Lostlojic layer sup deep, bubbly techno drums and bass with an angelic vocal tone and Saturated Color's 'Trancia' is a speedy, scuffed-up tech groove for late-night cruising. Peshka and Yevhenii Loi offer two more future-facing trance-techno fusions packed with feels.

Review: Choosing favourites among the prodigious creative outpouring of Omar S isn't easy, but this one from 2009 is usually riding high on any list. 'Here With Me' is the one - a twitchy, futuristic house cut with detuned chords tumbling about the mix while a heart-aching vocal from Diviniti rings out with raw soul. Elsewhere is the raw minimalism of 'Three Blind Rats', the deep throb of 'Stop Running Around' and the forlorn synth work of 'Sign & Drive.' A timeless EP for sure.

Review: Chicago born, Detroit-raised Delano Smith is one of the foundational artists of the contemporary house scenes. In 2023, he revealed he was suffering with a rare form of cancer but as this new EP title suggests, he is still here and still crafting high-grade sounds. 'When I Was Young' kicks off with his signature smoky drum loops and train travel sense of hypnosis. 'The Rush' is another heads down jam, this time marbled with eerie pads and wet clicks and claps that oil the groove while 'Rewired' shuts down with real late night delicacy and evocative minimalism.

Review: Detroit veteran Delano Smith returns on his Mixmode imprint for more of his singular style of dubby bass-driven house, with a smattering of innate soulfulness. Three sturdy tracks are featured on the Beneath EP: from the haunting back room dub of 'This Music Here' which is absolutely geared for those heads-down moments, and more basement vibes abound as heard on the hypnotic locomotive stomp of 'The Gutter', while over on the flip things end on a slightly more optimistic note with the swing-fuelled deepness of 'Euphoric'.

Review: Coming off a successful transatlantic exchange, Brian Kage and his Michigander label keep the momentum, and the collaborative spirit, moving with an EP that hits closer to home. For any Detroit artist, working with Delano Smith would be on the bucket list, as one of the city's original, more influential DJs - before the D developed any of its "waves" - who would come into his own as a producer later to, once again, help mold the Techno City's sound. Make no mistakes about it, this tastemaker had a ripple effect back before techno even had a name, when it was just "progressive" music and mixing. The thing is, the feeling of admiration and respect here is mutual, from the moment Smith first stumbled across one of Kage's records and had to know who was making these sounds. This meeting of the minds happened organically and timely, with Keep 'em Movin' as the result.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: As Soul Capsule, Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior made some of minimal techno's most accomplished records. It has been many years since they stopped turning out new material - sadly - but their archive tracks are still in hot demand and undeniably relevant. While 1999's 'Lady Science' might be their most famous offering, this EP from 2001 on Aspect Music is no less vital and it will currently cost you well over L250 on second-hand markets. It is Ford's Trelik label who reissues it here in all its glory: the entirety of the a-side is taken up with 'Law Of Grace,' a delightfully deep and breezy minimal dub house roller with pensive chords draped over the frictionless drums. 'Meltdown' has a more experimental feel with brushed metal drums beneath a wordless vocal musing. The cult 'Lady Science' (Tek Mix) is also inched with the whole package being remastered by D&M to make this one utterly essential.

Review: Swung Selections is back with a second volume of club ready tech house bangers. There is a great blend of retro nostalgia and fresh and forward-facing sound designs across the four-track selection. Soulfreq's 'Holiday Break' begins with twisted old shock bass and slapping hits. Retrospect then keeps it smooth with the nice cool tech bubbler 'Pickled Moose,' No Results Found wigs out the floor with the wriggling synth madness and electro rhythms of 'Tackle Maestro' then Harrison BDP shuts down with the thumping house of 'Buggin Out.'

Review: The eponymous Soultape keeps their label moving nicely in its early days with another colourful offering of minimal and stylish techno. It is an alias of Denis Kondraschenko, who has been producing for almost 20 years, and shows his class on the hooky melodies, zippy leads and well designed sounds that bring such life to 'Plastic Pop Memories'. 'Body Control' is more dark and unsettling for those trippy back rooms and 'Tounan City Breakers' rides on an impossibly deft, funky rhythm with neon pads and a gurgling bassline. Last of all is the glitchy, dubby tech house of 'Not My House' which has real force in its drums.

Review: The mysterious STAXX label kicks on with a third outing here, all under the same eponymous artist's name. All three of these nameless tracks explore different deep house vibes, starting with some dusty hi-hats and lazy claps on Track 1, which is embellished with some sweet melodic curlicues. 'Track 2' then hits with a little more of a bump 'n' grind feel and some muttered spoken words for extra atmosphere. 'Track 3' shuts down with a final irresistible house groove that is perfectly undercooked, detailed with just about melody and sure to prove timeless as the years pass.

Review: Hamburg's Martin Stimming resurfaces with his first 12" in some two years, aligning with Koze's well respected Pampa Records for a two track release that "magnify the opposing sides of his studio psyche". Given Stimming has graced the likes of liebe*detail, Terminal M and Diynamic with his considered grasp of dancefloor dynamics, this Pampa debut is a smart move and shows he's lost none of his production panache despite the aforementioned absence. Lead track "China Tree" betrays a spikiness that will suit the dancefloor perfectly, with the primal bassline and raw, unpredictable drums really getting a grip on your attention. Those seeking some melodic sweetness from Stimming will be all over the B Side "Southern Sun" where Piper Davis's subtly affected vocals are woven into the very fabric of a woozy, kaleidoscopic production.

Review: Following the Bowery EP from DubTape, Skip Audio returns to its various artists format with a tidy four-tracker taking an extended journey into the realms of psychedelic house music. Sublee leads the way with the smoky, subliminal sound of 'Shuffle Kings' before DubTape offers up a subtly crooked beat to carry the whispers of pad and errant machine bleeps of 'Ziggurat'. Cosmjn keeps things steady and seductive with the late night tones of 'Grun', and Andy Catana's 'Everybody Dance' toys with broken beats and acid tweaking to get limbs all juicy when you up to your neck in heady party people wanting to get deeper on the dancefloor.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: It's reissue time for one of the most in demand records from the Trelik catalogue, featuring Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior under their Sunpeople alias. The flip side's opening track 'Check Your Buddah' is probably the best known of the four tracks here, with its spacious echoes, mantra-like voices and heads down beats, but there's plenty to be said for the other three. 'Lovers Eyes' is an equally dubby techno affair, but pinned down by sturdy, infectious beats, 'Sungods Wedding' is blessed with churning, warm bass action and just a smidge of cowbell and 'Make It Right' is properly hypnotic 3am gear that's a dream to mix and draws in the listener with its imperceptible builds and three note bleep magic. Worship the Sun!

Review: Mystique is a brand new label out of the always fertile Dutch scene and it opens its account with a no holds-barred EP from Sylvester Javier, aka Stefano Curti of Vibraphone fame. He offers three originals and two versions starting with 'Secret Ceremonies' (Italo Disco mix) which is a pulsating house cut awash with plenty of across textures and percussion. The Cocorico mix has shimmering vocal sounds stitched into the arrangement and the original has a spooky, rather eerie feel with its hurried drums and squirrelling synths. 'Lost In 1st Avenue Loop' is a gritty Detroit house cut with heart of the dance floor intensity and 'Microdot' gets as twisted as you would expect of such a track title. A fine debut EP overall.

Review: New Interplanetary Melodies is a great name for a label and it also sums up the sounds of this new album from Sindaco. It's a beautiful mix of exploratory soundscapes, organic percussion and lush melody that unfolds in charming and captivating ways. Found sounds add more real world details to these tracks which range from lazy downbeat jaunts on a wide open savanna to more dynamic deep house trips through the cosmos. Worldly percussion, exotic melodies and unique instruments are all deployed to mark for multi-layered tracks that work equally on brain and body. It makes for a triumph of a record that is experimental yet aborsbing and packed with great detail.