Tags: Breakbeat Techno

Review: With a run of knockout singles on XL reaching back to 2016, Tom and Ed Russell finally deliver the album we always knew they had in them. Overmono is a project which happily gorges on the best bits of rave culture and spits back out something fresh, universal and yet still headsy enough to keep the underground faithful happy. Good Lies builds on that promise in every way, threading in anthemic vocal hooks and massive emotive brushstrokes without losing that legit bite which has made them so enduringly popular. 'Is U' has an eye on the charts for sure, with plenty of big festival moments bagged along the way for their live shows and everyone else DJ sets. 'Walk Thru Water' hits a more melancholic note with St. Panther on vocals, but it's still masterfully crafted to bring out joyous escapism with gnarly synth flex on top. Something for everyone, then.

Review: London-based label For Those That Knoe returns with a terrific release by underrated Slovenian producer Vid Vai. He's been slowly yet steadily honing his craft over the last 12 years with releases on respected labels such as Assemble Music, Tvir, Gilesku and Oskar Offermann's White to name but a few. Laminar Flow also happens to be his first full-length, taking in a wide variety of moods and grooves along the way. From the evocative and acid-laced flow of 'Incubation Theory', the sci-fi electro of 'Oort Cloud' to the sublime ambient offering 'Dusk By The Bay' and the saucer-eyed sunrise breaks of 'Shifting Sands' - the result is a timeless piece of liquid-smooth sonic art.

Review: Overmono have become real techno darlings in the last two years. And rightly so - they have served up a fine run of EPs in that time which now brings us to their debut album Good Lies. They are also an award-winning live act who have brought new energy and invention to techno as well as a next level grasp of sound design. As such the pair are two of the most revered artists in the UK with a hardcore fan base who pack out their every gig. They will find plenty to love here on an adventurous record that features all the hallmarks you would expect of this duo as well as plenty of freshness.

Review: During the early-to-mid 1990s, Nurmad Jusat released a string of now sought-after singles on Likemind that showcased an emotive, far-sighted take on techno that still sounds timeless all these years on. This fine collection features various recordings he made - but never released - as Nuron and Fuge back in 1993 and '94. As inspired by the techno sounds of his native UK as the far-sighted brilliance of purist Detroit techno and the dreamy soundscapes of Larry Heard, it's a genuinely brilliant collection of long-lost gems. Our picks include the subtly clonk-influenced opener 'The Coded Message', the skewed deep electro shuffle of 'Another Way', the sci-fi techno brilliance of 'Contrapoin (First Version)' and the out-there ambient soundscape that is 'Dialectic Confusion'.

Review: Fresh, cruddy electro dreamatics from mysterious production outfit Lazer Worshippers here, joining the Atmosphere label to stake their claim to their very own 'theme'. A name like Lazer Worshippers gives off vibes of a apparent machine cult with a penchant for building sonic monuments to our AI-mech overlords. The music is similarly vaunting and numinous, with its synthetic choirs and trilling arps dancing between the left and rights like heavenly visions of a mechanized future. B-siders 'On A Rise' and 'Free Flight' are just as teary-eyed, yet bleepy, recalling the entrancing, oldskool breaksy trance work of Spooky or Digital Justice.

Review: It comes as a surprise that brothers Tom and Ed Russell - Tessela and Truss, together known as Overmono - are set to release their debut album. That's because their names are synonymous with a certain bleak UK techno sound, following the trend of imagery associated with the likes of St. Etienne, Mt. Kimbie or Real Lies, plus their music and live sets have seen to a wealth of stonking tracks over the years. They're arguably the popularisers of live techno for the next generation, so in 2023, we're floored by the Mandela-effecting notion that they haven't put out an album before. Thankfully, 'Good Lies' is their magnum opus, blending elements from emotive UK soul (the St. Panther feature on 'Walk Thru Water'), future garage (spot the Tirzah samples on 'Is U'), and pirate radio chatter and crud (basically every other track). Nu-school ravers rejoice; this is your defining album.

Review: Following his recent impressive release for Animals On Psychedelics,2 is the second appearance of rising Ukrainian talent Volodymyr Gnatenko on Treviso, Italy's Where We Met. It opens with the moving twilight breaks of 'Een' on the A-side, followed by the evocative slo-mo beats of 'Twee'. Over on the flip, Gnatenko finally ups the tempo on the tranced-out euphoria of 'Drie', with 'Vier' following in equally elevating and psychedelic fashion that will have you reaching for the lasers.

Review: The KMA60 Rezpektiva label is dedicated to dreamy electro and techno made on machines and headed for the stars. After past voyages from the likes of Opik, Denia and The Necromorph, it's the turn of Quaid to plot the course and he does so in fine style with some achingly beautiful synth work and crisp beat constructions. Just listen to the celestial arps and hi-tech jazz pads of 'Fusbares', all carried aloft by a dexterous bit of breakbeat programming. 'Cascade' meanwhile is a perfect counterpoint full of cascading bleeps and intricately criss-crossing patterns which serve as a true feast for the ears. If you love that early 90s backroom techno sound, you're going to love this record.

Review: Amazing! has put together a very specific and worthwhile compilation here with Music For The Radical Xenomaniac Vol 1: Hedonistic Highlights From The Lowlands 1990-1999 offering up a wealth of zoned out and dreamy electric gems from lesser known artists. everything from house to trance, ambient to downtempo to progressive all comes through from these tunes which are unified by their subtle sense of uplifting joy and hopeful melodies. Dream Company's breaks-lead 'Space Page' is one standout as is Ramon & Theo's lush and percussive 'A Quest Of Thousands.'

Review: Dutch label Amazing! has been hard at work on a pretty sizeable project that now finally sees the light of day. Music For The Radical Xenomaniac: Hedonistic Highlights From The Lowlands 1990-1999 is a three-part series with each one offering up four sides of lush post-rave electronics that dips into influences from techno, electro, progressive, dance, pop and downtempo. Plenty of these artists are new names to us but the music is quality - from the lush deep house of The Connection Machine's opener 'Echoes From Tau Ceti' to the slick and emotive tech of 2000 & One's closing cut 'Crystal.'

Review: Initially released earlier in the year to great acclaim, and here presented in a Japanese edition that boasts additional cut 'Dampha', Overmono's debut full-length Good Lies looks set to be one of the electronic albums of 2023. Consciously building to their brilliant breakthrough single 'U Kno' and beyond, the album offers a masterful exploration of their hard to pigeonhole trademark sound - a sub-heavy distillation of UK bass rhythms and references (two-step garage, dubstep, 140 and polyrhythmic techno can all be heard within the Russell brothers' potent sonic stew) fused with pitched-up r&b vocals, picturesque electronics, rave-igniting riffs and dirt-encrusted aural textures. A genuine triumph that will only enhance their already sky-high reputation.