New releases last four weeks: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Hot Creations has now put out well over 225 records, which is no mean feat, but even more impressive is that it still very much sets the conversation for a certain section of the house world. This new EP pairs off Beltran with Harry Valencia and offers some interesting fusions of tribal, Latin, house and tech. There is a wonky feel to opener 'Origins' (3AM Tusi mix) with its characterful vocal chants and percussive grooves, while Beltran's solo cut 'Tira A Roupa' (feat Mc Jajau - Putaria mix) has a Spanish feel and a fat bass guitar riff that brings rubbery funk to the crisp tech drums. Last of all, Harvy Valencia goes it alone on closer 'Brut' which is more steamy and sweaty and ready for some sun-kissed open-air deployment.

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: Sushitech is back with another of its sublime vinyl-only projects and this one focuses on the work of Dexter. There will be three 12"s in all that draw together some of the producer's finest moments. He is a truly cult figure amongst those who know and he served up a fresh take on tech, acid, dub and house between 1997 and 2004 when these tracks were first made - if you can find any of those original records prepare to pay loads for them, or else dive into Past Moves I. It has a brace of slick, tightly programmed cuts underpinned by rolling pads with lovely lo-fi pads up top. Heady stuff.

Review: Past Moves III is the final instalment of the vinyl-only series served up by Berlin's ever-well-curated and cultured Sushitech label. It is another essential 12' that packs in plenty of heat from the long-time UK favourite. His records are hard to find and expensive when you do and this collection highlights some of his superbly blended acid, dub, tech and house grooves from back between 1997 and 2004. On this one, you will find a pair of weighty, warm, and dubbed out tech cuts with bounce in the drums and Detroit soul in the pads. Timeless stuff.

Review: The second part of Sushitech's three-part vinyl-only series looking at the work of Dexter is another 12" doozy. The UK underground mainstay has been behind many cult and much sought-after records over the years and they all fuse obscure dub and acid tech house in smart ways. They were recorded between 1997-2004 and if you can find any OGs then you will be paying upwards of 100 quid for them. This slab has three driving but deep sounds carefully detailed with wispy pads and filtered vocals for perfect backroom deployment.

Review: Aniara's output has always been brilliantly designed for club deployment but could never really be considered as mere tools. The artists who appear on the Swedish imprint have a cultured sound and a knack for crafting maximum impact from minimal elements. Enter Mattias El Masouri who does just that with the sublime 'Time Dilation In Ultraviolet'. It's a hypnotic deep house cut with real drive that's down to the deft broken kick drum patterns, pulsing synth and heady pads that swirl above. 'Inre Dimension' is a 13-minute plus sonic daydream with paddy drums, drumming pads and perfectly airy hi-hats that anchor you in the heart and now as your mind wanders.

Review: Greyscale unveils its latest endeavour, the Spectrum Series, as a way to continue to evolve its offerings and this time it is with something that makes a vibrant departure from its traditional black-and-white aesthetic. The inaugural release features the iconic Lithuanian dub track 'Kasdienybes Sventykla' by grad_u & Eazystyle MC as a way of commemorating its 15th anniversary. It came as a double CD in 2011 but now gets a first vinyl pressing on a nice 10" slab of wax. The track itself taps into the earliest roots of dub in the 70s and traces a line through the 80s with its heavyweight drums and endlessly echoing bass topped by great mic work. A pared-back instrumental features on the flip of this latest crucial drop from the dub dons at Greyscale

Review: Swiss label Creaked has decided to give over a full 12" to remixes of HRDVISION's 'Captivated Heart' and the results are varied and impressive. It is the cultured electronica of Nathan Fake that kicks things off with some widescreen synth drones, She Spells Doom then brings some twitchy tech house and Shanx goes for something laced with alien effects, gurgling synths and swampy beats. Efemme brings some acid laced minimal funk and Sinistarr brings compelling broken rhythms and icy urban metropolis vibes. HRDVISION himself also steps up with a Hrdvsiovsiivosvsiosvin remix to close out in mad fashion.

Review: The fledgling but already notable UFO Series now looks to Italian producer and prodigious underground innovator Riciar Ghir for a captivating journey through the more energetic house realms, all with an outer space feel. 'Niriba Shuttle' opens with tribal percussion and progressive synths that are coloured by subtle acid lines. 'Silenzio' is slow, heavy and persuasive with its old school piano acting lighting up your soul. There's a twisted tech funk to 'Platter Dreams' that makes it perfect for 2am cruising and 'Bad Egg' sets down with plenty of colour. These cuts will all work several different moments on the dance floor making it a hugely useful 12".

Review: Peach Disc's label head Shanti Celeste welcomes her good friend Saoirse on board to care care of its 20th EP., Adn she does a fine job of keeping it fresh with a varied four tracker that starts with the intense loops and tribal percussion of 'Mangomouse'. Once the thudding kicks arrive and bring a subtle sense of funk to the dubby techno mood things really take off. 'Heated Cloud' is urgent, emotionally intense house a la Floorplan and 'Vampire Heart' pairs eerie synth twangs with an EBM style marching beat but more dubby low ends and 'Catfished' has muscular beats infused with paranoid vocals. 'Driver' is a final heavy but heartfelt cut with a real sense of purpose.

Review: Novi Orbis is a label that has said before it is on a journey into outer space and that sonic mission continues here with a new EP from Elias Sternin. He is a fresh new school soundsmith with who impresses with this one from the off: 'Musica Interminable' is all bendy bass and driving, swampy synths with thudding kicks that sound like a future rave in the stars. 'Magnetismo Inexplicable' is another nice and elastic mix of drums and bass with bright progressive chords and 'Three O'clock' (rework) then gets loose and tripped out. 'Portamento' closes down with a gurgling baseline and snappy drums to get you marching.

Review: The EP is called House of Prince and the Purple One's face is peering back at us from the centre of this new 12" on Tech-Nology which means only one thing - it's tech house music inspired by the legendary funkster. And it is well executed tracker too with vocal samples, trumpet sounds and much more all chuckle into the mix over a range of betas that are playful and party starting but also effective and never kitsch. 'Grindhouz' is our favourite for just how warped and weird it sounds.