Minimal House/Tech House charts

Review: Thomas Melchior's take on minimalist house and techno - wonky and off-kilter, but surprisingly funky, far-sighted and pleasingly atmospheric - is amongst the most accessible and ear-catching around. It's a sound that works as well on albums as it does on singles and EPs, so it's somewhat surprising to discover that Vulnerabilities is his first full-length as Melchior Productions since 2007. It's been worth the wait though, with the veteran producer offering up tracks that combine brilliantly programmed, often off-kilter drums with smooth but druggy basslines, tactile chords, addictive melodic refrains and his usual subtle (and occasional not to subtle) nods towards deep house, dub techno, two-step garage, trippy ambient and the quirky, funk-fuelled eccentricity of Ricardo Villalobos productions.

Review: Under the Melchior Productions name, German producer Thomas Melchior has committed some of his finest material to wax in the name of Zip and Markus Nikolai's seminal Perlon imprint. After an absence of some three years, Melchior's name is back on one of those distinctive Perlon 12"s with the first of two planned records under the Meditations banner. Don't get confused by the name though, the three "Meditations" are in no way meditative! Instead this is a record that finds Melchior fully channelling that classic Perlon vibe with the rowdy "Meditation 2" the pick of the bunch.

Review: And so the Perlon Meditations continue... Late last year German producer Thomas Melchior made his first appearance on Perlon in some three years with the exquisite Meditations 1-3, which naturally channelled the iconic label's vibe perfectly. The first Perlon release of 2015 presents a further three Melchior produced Meditations, 4-6, with the opening track something of an understated epic. At 12 minutes long, "Meditation 4" demonstrates Melchior's craft for slowly building a groove, adding elements in a fashion that sounds subtle on headphones and deadly on a soundsystem. Face down, the 5th Meditation is an infectious little house groover, with hi hats and vocal samples jousting playfully whilst the closing track is a sub heavy number rich in vocal abstraction.

Review: It's been over ten years since Thomas Melchior made his bow on Perlon, and the house and techno fusionist has released most of his best work on the imprint since. Here he returns to the acclaimed German label with a series of six "meditations" - long, drawn out compositions that variously doff a cap to hypnotic tech-house (see the excellent, jazz-flecked "Meditation 5"), tribal-influenced, spaced-out grooves ("Meditation 6") and woozy, evocative deep house ("Meditation 3"). Best of all, though, are the album's more melodious moments, with opener "Meditation 1" - a loopy, picturesque concoction that sounds like an unlikely collaboration between Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Ricardo Villalobos.

Review: ReSolute sublabel DisDat has become an essential checkpoint for anyone hunting out fresh goods in the broader minimal tech house scene. The label seems to have some clout when it comes to signing releases, and so we get this smoking hot combo of Melchior Productions Ltd and Chez Damier laying down a standout piece of deep house that champions the two legends' considerable gifts. A true release for the DJs, this is a double pack with some choice alternative mixes giving you the chance to have fun flipping between versions in the mix to keep a crowd on their toes. Pick your path and let it rip - the results are guaranteed to be magical.

Review: Melchior Productions has long since perfected the stripped down tech and minimal sound but no matter how many times he does it we still can't get enough. Now back on his own My King Is Light label he has us immediately locked in with 'Feeling', which is loopy and seductive, trippy in a subtle sense and all about the smooth interaction of drums and swirling pads. 'Sentinel Enigma' then gets more weird with its flappy drums and hits, spoken word samples and wispy cosmic pads all dragon you into a dreamy late night world of psychedelic charm.

Review: Weirdo minimal tech soul, anyone? Any takers should be directed towards this oddball release from Melchior Productions and Paul Walter. Two tracks of serious strangeness: timestretched vocals and repetitious yeahs blossom between the beat-thickets of Melchior's 'Yeah X 3', while many more percussive hits and cuts and clicks and pops and booms come courtesy of Walter's B-side, 'Xvive'. It's an impressive first foray for Maria Newyen's new imprint Scious; let's hope future 12"s stay just as weird.