Tags: Dub Techno

Review: MCMLXV might be on your radar for its quality output in the realms of dub techno. This time out though it veers more towards club tackle and is less heavy on the dub via the work of label head JS Zeiter. 'Outline' stars in a deep, pensive groove with glistening hi-hats cutting up the smooth bass. 'Taken' is another mid-tempo plodder that comes alive with nice heady synth curlicues that add some scale. 'Navigate' keeps these serene vibes flowing with more deft and wispy pads colouring the rooted beats and 'Resistance' shuts down with more swaggering bass.

Review: Bristol-based Will You (AKA Oleeva label founder Will Spence) is finally ready to make his vinyl bow, with fast-rising Berlin imprint Stolar the lucky label handling the imprint. He begins in predictably confident mood with 'Sante', a deeply swirling, psychedelic and immersive slab of hypno-house wrapped in waves of TB-303 acid insanity, before treating us to the unsettling off-kilter tech-house wonkiness of 'Is It 2 Late?' Over on the reverse side, both cuts are given the remix treatment. Lb Honne re-frames 'Is It 2 Late?' as a smoother and more intergalactic-sounding chunk of deep tech-house, while Orion turns 'Sante' into a field recordings and effects-laden ambient techno shuffler.

Review: Wave Arising is former Spiral Tribe man Sebastian Vaughan with vocalist Kynsie and they are a duo that likes to eplxore body, mind and soul "through intuitive listening of senses and inner energies by means of music , workshops and gatherings." This is their debut album and is an otherworldly mix of deep grooves and occult sonic landscapes. It has been made from various improvisations and avoids there use of sampling and as an album, this is one that feels very much alive. There are cinematic dub techno workouts, cascading synths and alien sound designs, menacing low ends and moments of majestic melodic beauty such as on 'Ronde Cinetique'. A brilliant debut.

Review: Wade Watts and Sir Rizio step up with this standout new EP, their debut for the label after a warmly received appearance on the always interesting Greyscale. They hail from the suburbs of Jo'burg which is where they have cooked up these seriously flavoursome and stripped-back sounds. 'Atlas' kicks off with rolling drums and widescreen dub chords that sink you into a warm world of fluid groove. 'Limitless Progression' keeps the depths coming with rattling and classic dub hits and smoky pads, while an EmmaSoul dub mix on the flip heads into heady territory and 'Innermost Existence' brings some wisps of melodic light to the fore.

Review: Shimpei Watanabe's latest release is a slick blend of acid house and dub, with 'No Cab Around Here' leading the charge. The track serves up a deep, pulsating 303 bassline paired with atmospheric dub chords that anchor its infectious groove. On the flip, 'Yamate Ride' takes a more mellow approach, offering a smooth, rolling rhythm that keeps things groovy without losing energy. The Stikdorn remix of 'No Cab Around Here' adds an extra layer of depth, stripping back some of the original's intensity to reveal its hypnotic core. An engaging exploration of Watanabe's versatile production style.

Review: After an impressive outing on this label last time out with 'Ripples,' the enigmatic Wallace is back with a red hot follow up, 'Papertrip.' This one has club hit written all over it once more and previous tunes of his have been much the same with big plays from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Palms Trax and Hunee. The title track opens up with an ascending lead synth line and old school Chicago house drums. 'Bb' then brings a little infectious garage skip to the dancefloor and on the flip, 'The Function' pairs it back to deft drum loops and smeared pads and an infectious rhythm. 'Backwaters' closes down with some dubby out and float beats run through with fuzzy dub chords and some molten synth melodies.

Review: Waage is a firm favourite amongst dub techno fans. The Icelandic producer has long been turning out icy and atmospheric rollers for the heads and here he works alongside a fresh name, Quantal, who is sure to go on to big things. Here they land on Thule Records, a legendary label in its own right with roots going back to 1995. They kick off with the textured dub of 'WQ1' which has glitchy sounds paying over the rolling drums. 'WQ2' is much more smooth and streamlined, with an underwater current that sweeps you off your feet, then 'WQ3' leans into the wind with hypnotic techno drums and vamping chords that melt the mind. Last of all comes 'WQ4', a timeless dub with infinite horizons and the most frictionless drum loops.

Review: Waage is at the heart of the contemporary dub techno scene and makes another fine statement with this outing on Icelandic titan Exos's X/OZ Music. This is his fourth outing and it could be his best: 'W9' rolls with great depth and grainy dub textures that speak of a subterranean world. 'W10' is more dark and heavy like it's soundtracking a dirty factory after dark. 'W11 (feat Cold)' layers in some psychedelic swirls to frictionless beats that could roll for days and never get old. 'W12 (feat Exos)' is lighter and more airy with a playful bounce in the drums.

Review: Greek producer Stelios Vassiloudid has been making techno moves since the turn of the millennium under a range of different aliases. Here he appears as himself with four supercharged dub techno cuts for Dubwax. 'Lie In Wait' is a really tight, taught affair with pinging kicks and icy hi-hat ringlets. 'MIA' is more warm and vibes with a soulful core and underlapping bass waves. There is a more minimal and abstract sound to the curious dub bumps of 'Reverse Engineer' that encourage you to be at your most fluid. 'Grains' shuts down with grainy lo-fi pads, vinyl crackle and sparse kick that soundtrack an underwater jaunt. There is plenty of subtle variation to these rhythms which makes it a dead handy dub EP.

Review: This compilation features music from artists who perform regularly at the Diane's Hunting Club annual gatherings. Heavily inspired by and indebted to the influence of the natural world and open spaces, this is music for motivation, movement, and meditation. Conoley Ospovat (Kimochi Sound) begins with a breezy slow-house theme, followed by some similarly slow but a much more tangled webs by sug (Hausu Mountain). Lokua contributes a melodic deep-space techno roller, Area (Kimochi Sound) offers gentle ambient rhythms, Mukqs (Hausu Mountain) produces a shimmering sunshine beat, and K-rAd closes out with an vast dub house journey. Enter the zone.

Review: Efficient Space's latest essential release sees Andras and Instant Peterson take a trawl through the darker, lesser-visited corners of Australian electronic music. According to the label, the pair lifted material from "local 12" singles, CD-Rs and the archives of community radio station 3RRR FM". Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the acid-flecked, "Nude Photo" style Detroit fun of FSOM's "Resist The Beat" and chiming, trumpet-laden bliss of Ian Eccles-Smith's "The Slaughtering Eye", to the jaunty, mid-90s New York style bounce of Blimp's "Yellowgold" and the ultra-deep ambient techno pulse of Tetrphnm's "Track 11". Check, too, the enveloping dreaminess of Screensaver's drifting ambient closer, and the jazzy dancefloor depth of Inner Harmomy's "Da Lub Club".

Review: Seven years after Superlongevity Five, Zip and Marcus Nicolai's Perlon ushers in its 20th anniversary celebrations with the long-awaited follow up. 18 exclusive cuts from label family and firm friends old and new, Perlon's whole range is on display; from the pensive, restrained and dense house music of Baby Ford right through to the cosmic p-funk of Kalabrese, every Perlon shade and hue is on display. Highlights across the deep, widescreen trip include Villalobos's freaky "Gonzo Funk", the planet-leaping jacks of Spacetravel's "No More" and the late night trooping power of International Anything's "When It's Dark". Super.

Review: Brixia Sonora is a musical tribute to the Brescian scene, featuring 12 tracks by various artists who explore different genres and styles. The album is part of the 2023 annus mirabilis of Brescia-Bergamo, designated Capitals of Culture in Italy. The album showcases the creativity and energy of the local musicians, who blend rhythm, melody, empathy and telluric motions into a vibrant sonic collage. Brixia Sonora is a Rebirth Records project that celebrates the diversity and identity of a city and its atmosphere.

Review: We're told that inspiration for this bumper new double album of super fresh techno from the young New Palm label came in 2023 when the artists met up on the LA River armed with "a couple of generators, a Klipsch system, turntables, and a modular rig, for a day into night of music centred around various forms of dub." The results are superb, with Charles Edward opening up with the sparse, laid-back dub of 'Bogus August', Lena Deen keeping it deft with the ambient soundscapes of 'Either Ore' and Berndt's 'Solstice' exploring widescreen minimalism dub, with plenty more to love in between.

Review: The Valley and the Mountain aka TVTM aka Josh Dahlberg makes a bold return with 'A Number of Northwests', an EP which tells the tale of an artist in transition. Quite literally, that is, as he moved from Detroit's westside to the very far edges of the Pacific Northwest. Musical this is a stylistically diverse offering with four cuts starting with the mid-tempo smooth grooves of 'Bretton Drive' and glistening synths and pads of the cosmically minded 'Grand River Slide'. The chugging 'Ramps to Nowhere' is a dubbed out afters classic and then the one and only dusty deep house don DJ Aakmael remixes it into another cuddly classic.

Review: Ukrainian producer Vakula makes a swift return to the always reliable Phonogramme label from Paris with a superb follow-up to his recent Dinsync collaboration. Deep, nocturnally charged and gorgeously atmospheric, the EP opens with the brooding acid of 'Quantum Voyage', where foggy pads drift over bubbling 303 and jagged machine hits. 'Skys Whisper' blends emotive synth waves with growling bass and crisp drums, with its bittersweet topline gliding over sumptuous harmonics, while 'Sunny Konotop' maintains a similar trajectory, with misty-eyed synth work dancing over low-slung bass and swung beats. Magnificent work.

Review: User.Exp's first release on Greyscale Recordings provides a thoughtful sonic exploration, made up of field recordings, contact and hydrophone mic sessions and shortwave transmissions (either generated from scratch or really recorded). Artist and label are met with serendipity and ease here; though many releases have hit the Greyscale stocks - all working well within their trademark sonic and visual monochrome - User.Exp's latest is an especially congruent record, bringing crackly burrs and earthen movements to an album that feels large in scope and difficult to pigeonhole, yet intuitively felt. As if to describe a set of 12 different microbiomes - all besieged by a black-and-white, ecosystemic blight - the likes of 'Pollution', 'Erosion' and 'Wind' provide indications enough as to the set of ideas going in here. A deeply calming release, full of textural intricacies and yet not without a creeping sense of unbalance too.

Review: Premade heavyweight Obscure Shape and classically trained musician Conrad team up; Berg Audio proudly welcome them as a new duo addition to their roster, together under the name Urban CC. Throwing back to real-deal minimal-ambient techno of a steezy kind, something between Maurizio, Move D and Ghost, 'Pegasus' and 'Marly' cycle through fluttering dub techno and 1-2-step garage respectively, the latter bringing an eyebrow raising combo of yearnsome garge vocal science and pulsewidth techno shots, post-drop. 'Hadban' sneaks a cheeky drum & bass bullet train onto an otherwise techno-centric platform, marking Sleepnet-style vocal etherics and sold-on-us liquid. 'Shagya' finally restricts the mix, with a dubtech-house full of beeping, filtered vocal shouts; a Strictly Rhythm-meets-Chain Reaction contraction.

Review: Passing Currents aims to stand out from the predictable by offering a deeply human touch in its music. This five-tracker backs that up by melding academic expertise with dancefloor intuition and the A-side features txted by Phil Moffa remixed by Yamaha DSP coder okpk after they met during doctoral studies, they flip technical mastery into bass-driven energy while Atrevido' fuses California warmth with analogue electro, Josh Dahlberg's rediscovered 2009 electro gem, 'Ass On The Floor', still bangs and Detroit's Kevin Reynolds delivers hypnotic grooves before Hazmat Live pushes boundaries with a sound rooted in soulful, experimental innovation.

Review: Tornado Wallace & Jamie Tiller's Basic Spirit (named after their popular party series in Berlin) returns with its sophomore effort, with Wallace flying solo on this one titled 'Dream Corner'. The title track is an absolutely euphoric offering, featuring emotive vocals, pan-pipes and contrasted by a sinister and lurking bassline. The hyperaware energy of the Speed Bump mix follows, while the loved-up sunrise breaks of B-side cut 'Sea Translation' comes with an ambient version.

Review: Sub Basics is back on his own fledgling label Temple of Sound - but under a new alias. As Tommy Basics he leads into a fresh house sound but still serves it up with plenty of his textbook bass-heavy low ends. 'Latitude' is a bubbly groover with dusty drums and fleshy basslines that get you moving and warmed up. 'Longitude' is even deeper, with smeared dub chords and woody percussive hits peppering the laid-back and inviting groove. Two stylish sounds from this versatile producer.

Review: Hailing from Tokyo, Satoshi Tomiie emerged in the New York scene after Frankie Knuckles discovered him and his debut record, 'Tears' in 1989, was co-produced with Knuckles and featured Robert Owens. It is a dance music classic and as part of Def Mix Productions with David Morales, Satoshi crafted iconic 1990s remixes for artists like Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Inner City. Here collaborating with Ibiza's Tuccillo, Satoshi created 'Delta Dubs', a live, one-take dub house project recorded on a Soundcraft Delta desk. This tribute to dub's pioneers reimagines the essence of dub with a futuristic twist that lands courtesy of 20/20 Vision.

Review: Deep Site Vinylised's seventh release comes from veteran German duo Tojami Sessions, a collaboration between Michel Niepenberg, Tom Bucher and Jacek Darnowski. 'Falling' is the same kind of proper late night mood music that you've heard the trio put out previously, on respected imprints like Dessous and Plastic City and comes with some equally impressive remixes. Manuel's sensual rework stays true to the original, while Kessidis' moody dub techno influenced perspective makes for something altogether different. Over on the flip, the sexy 'What Is Love' keeps it deep, just as you like it, plus remixes from Deep Spelle and Funtom.

Review: The second Soulful Dubs outing is full of a load more of just that. It's a various artists affair with Tm Shuffle, Monoder & Tapani Rinne hooking up for the opener which comes dubbed out by Tm Shuffle. It is gorgeously evocative and subtle with organic, wooden hits and synths floating up top while steamy sax adds the romance. The original is a minimal and slow-motion dub cut that rides a nice broken beat. Aleksi Myllykoski steps up on flip for 'Slowburn' (feat Tapani Rinne) which is more paced but no less deep. Last of all comes the Tm Shuffle Distant dub for more heady and zoned-out vibes.

Review: The second instalment from this young but already cultured label delivers another round of superb dub tracks and they come on a cool eco-vinyl pressing. The release starts off with a collaboration between Tm Shuffle, Monoder and Tapani Rinne. Tm Shuffle's dub version sets a subtly evocative mood with wooden hits and a steamy sax adding a loved-up feel. The original version is a minimal, slow-motion dub with a broken beat then Aleksi Myllykoski contributes a deeper, more propulsive track and closing is Tm Shuffle's final dub to offer some more warmth to sink right into.

Review: Matt Thibideau, a seasoned producer with over 30 years in the industry, presents Subduction & Shadows, his latest venture into the dub techno genre under Kontakt Germany. On Side-1, 'Subduction' sets the tone with uptempo dub techno beats that exude a positive vibe, making it a standout track for the dancefloor. Thibideau's strong programming skills are evident, ensuring a smooth and engaging flow. Flipping to Side-2, 'Glow' transports listeners with Detroit-inspired 90s chords and an elegant production style. The track's epic strings add a hypnotic layer, enriching the overall experience. Closing the EP is 'Shadow,' a deep and driving dub techno piece that feature a smooth melody that concludes the EP on a high note. Subduction & Shadows showcases Thibideau's ability to make some of the best dub techno around. He continues to impress each time.

Review: As well as a nice yellow pressing of this new EP from veteran producer Matt Thibideau, Kontakt is serving it up on good old-fashioned black wax. He has over 30 years of experience and his latest dub techno outing, Subduction & Shadows, is up there with the best of them. The first side features 'Subduction,' a vibrant track with uptempo dub techno beats perfect for the dancefloor while 'Glow' on the flip enchants with Detroit-inspired '90s chords and refined production enhanced by epic strings for a hypnotic touch. The EP closes with 'Shadow,' a deep, driving dub techno piece that wraps up with a smooth melody that means this artist continues to impress with his innovative sound.

Review: Shut Off Notice welcomes Teakup - a local Columbus, Ohio DJ and producer born Lauri Reponen and known for his stylish techno - for a second outing on the label. 'Forest Bed Moss' kicks off with dusty mid-tempo breaks and deep basslines full of soul, while 'Mhm' is a mechanical groove with dubby undertones and nice chopped vocals. 'Rain Groove Revisit' is a deep, percolating and stumbling rhythm with a smattering of percussion and bubbly feel infused with cooing female vocals. Finally, Teakup remixes Rew's 'Fragile Abundance' into a deft and lithe minimal dub for the small hours. Sophisticated stuff once more from Teakup.

Review: Blackmarket is a New York party that has always led from the front and been a rare underground haven for threads. The label reflects that similar mindset and here label boss Taimur and long-time Costa Rican friend Artro link up for a four-track techno trip. 'Know Your Friends (Vox)' is a percussive workout with sinewy synths reaching into the cosmos. There is more low-end heft to 'Machina' which is weighty and dubby. A second version of 'Know Your Friends' is surging and metallic and last of all 'Elements' brings a touch of high-speed funk to a techno framework.

Review: Swayzak's role in establishing minimal makes them one of the scene's greats. Their meticulously compiled discography has many treasures, and plenty of them are hard to find and expensive. That has long been the case with this EP, originally from 1998, but now reissued by the back-cat boffins at Rawax. 'Lokal' has it all across 11 immersive minutes, from the deft, loopy drum programming that floats above the floor to the wispy and synthetic melodies and churning synth hooks. 'Yardarm' is another majestic minimal symphony, though this one hits a little harder and might well be the best of the two because of it. It's a perfect mix of dreamy mental escape and irresistible body music for the wee-small hours.

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: A compelling journey through minimal and tech house, delivering groove-driven, melodic tracks. Sublee's 'Aeki' opens with a Detroit-inspired energy, blending minimal pacing with an addictive high-tempo rhythm and atmospheric melodies. Petit Batou's 'Chorganic' follows, offering smooth, bubbling basslines and warm, textured chords that are great for the DJ to mix in. On Side-2, Dust Yard's 'Opium' stands out with its spacey, dreamy vibe, perfectly balancing uptempo rhythms with techy, melodic elements that create a lush sonic landscape. Shyam's 'Atmo' closes the record with a darker, deeper groove, its ominous tone providing a brooding yet hypnotic finale. This release showcases the diversity and finesse of minimal and tech house, making it a must-listen for fans of the genre who appreciate intricate production and evocative atmospheres.

Review: Dub techno don Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic label is back with a new dubs series and vol 1 kicks things off with a real doozy on lovely red wax. The boss himself offers up a Bluetrain special edition dub of Hidden Sequence's 'Synapse' which is all icy lines and liquid rhythms which make you think of some frozen lake on a misty morning. Sub Basics (Temple of Sound, Lion Charge Records) opens up with a fresh dub laden track with rippling chords, tons of echo and rolling drums on 'Quarters.' Both are timeless dub outings, as you would expect from this label.

Review: Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic label is back with a second volume of its dubs series, this time on nice yellow vinyl with Sub Basics and Fletcher given one side each to shine. Sub Basics goes first with 'Mediterranean', a lovely liquid dub with bottomless depths and perfectly smooth, frictionless drums. Lovely soft melodies drift in and out as the echoing hits and icy hi-hats help oil this most heady of grooves. On the flip, Fletcher offers up 'Sludge' which is a little more tense and menacing, with darker bass and more texture as well as distant groaning pads that keep you guessing and on edge.

Review: Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1 and Freiland are landmark examples of 1990s minimalist concept techno. Studio 1 defined a stripped-down, hypnotic approach, while Freiland explored a more experimental, textured sound. This release features two discs with each of those differing approaches served up, but the second compiles the best of Freiland into a continuous set. Both showcase Voigt's pioneering vision and knack for marrying great precision with an absorbing atmosphere in a way that remains influential today. Essential listening for techno-purists and fans of the avant-garde.

Review: Studio 1's 'Schwarz' EP, brought to life by minimalist maestro Wolfgang Voigt, embodies the essence of 90s minimal techno. Originally crafted in 1997 but released only in 2019, it features three entrancing cuts: 'Schwarz 1,' 'Schwarz 2,' and 'Schwarz 3.' The Studio 1 series, starting in 1995, made waves for its unique formula of monochromatic sleeves and no-nonsense, untitled tracks. This aesthetic not only refined the genre's visual identity but also its sonic minimalism. 'Schwarz' remains a masterclass in stripped-down techno.

Review: Stiroll's Sofia marks the Ukrainian artist's return to Greyscale Records with his first full-length album, painting a sonic portrait of a day in the life of a suburban area. The album invites listeners to experience the subtle intricacies and layered sounds of a community awakening, bustling, and finally resting as night falls. The journey begins with 'Intro - Dusk,' a brisk and atmospheric opener that evokes the early morning stillness before a city stirs to life. The full chord remnants and distant echoes set the stage for the day ahead, capturing the anticipation of the morning. 'Standbye' follows, offering a more airy and purposeful vibe, moving away from minimalism to suggest the first signs of activity, as if the world is slowly beginning to wake. 'Foundamental' continues this progression, riding along with gentle sounds punctuated by flares of static, hinting at the humidity and energy building in the air. The track flows effortlessly, mirroring the natural rhythm of a day gaining momentum. As the day matures, 'Sequence To None' introduces more serious, conflicting chords, perhaps reflecting the push and pull of daily routines and interactions. The crisp production and deep bassline ground the track, offering a sense of structure and direction. Midday arrives with 'Vidlunnia,' a sparse, downtempo piece that feels like basking in the warmth of the sun. The chords wash over the listener like rays, creating a relaxing, chill-out atmosphere with a broken rhythm that invites reflection. The pace slows with 'Interlude - Fall Moon,' where a churning, almost mechanical heartbeat drives the track forward, building tension as the day begins to wane. The ominous mood that emerges in the second half hints at the challenges that often accompany the close of a day. 'Nulle Part' shifts the mood with a more pronounced beat, offering a straightforward yet catchy rhythm that feels both harmonious and conflicted. The hypnotic quality draws you in as it moves toward a positive, yet complex resolution. 'Fall Control' then soothes with heavily processed sounds, offering a brief moment of respite before the album's closing tracks. 'Hope' stands out as the most original dub track on the album, blending strings with a lofty melody that soars before plunging into deeper, more uncertain territory. The track feels otherworldly, capturing the complexities and contradictions of hope itselfia fitting theme as the day begins to wind down. Finally, 'Outro - Dawn' signals the end of the day and the album, with ambient washes that gently alert like a clock, leaving the listener with a sense that it is time to close. Sofia is a meticulously crafted album that encapsulates the ebb and flow of daily life in a suburb, bringing together the sounds of different people and languages into a unified, sonic narrative.

Review: Stefano Chesti aka Stephno has been hella busy this year as this is already his fifth release of 2025. His sound is rooted in techno but with hints of jacked up early Chicago and that's clear again here. 'The Intermittent' is a raw roller with vamping chord stabs to keep you locked. 'Dritto E Tondo' has some brilliantly succulent and pining kick drums powering it along with raw-as-you-like hits and trippy synths and 'Romantic Dub' is just that - warm, zoned out, cavernous dub for late night love-ins. 'Sieben Null Sieben' brings analogue drum sounds and Windy City realness to the fore to close.

Review: Etymology is the study of the history and formation of words in language. Rarely do we find an artist, not least a somatically inclined dance music artist, concerned with such disciplines; usually that strand of things is left to us critics. Yet despite the titular allusion to said verbal science, further references to words on this release by Stekke are scant. In fact, 'Etymology' the track is as wordless as a mute, preferring a pure 120-ish BPM movement of rumbly and understated proportions, emphasising process over object. Flicky hats and unassuming chord hits predominate; we infer that it's the following remixes from Daniel Paul, Gari Romalis, Satoshi Tomiie and Losoul that are the real sonic cognates of interest here, spanning fidgeting minimal trance etymons and derivative dub lexemes. We return to a radical root on 'Downbeat', which features Audio Werner on a muted workout for hand drum and synth swell.

Review: Ste Roberts, under his STEDIT alias, has been building a reputation for taking beloved classics and flipping them on their head. This latest release is no exception. Two synthpop anthems, once the defining sound of an era, have been reimagined, reworked, and unleashed across dancefloors all summer. It's not about the big-room bombast or predictable edits that cater to easy thrills. No, Roberts is more nuanced than thaticrafting something that feels at once familiar and alien. The first rework, Depeche Mode's 'It's No Good,' is a masterclass in restraint. The track's dark undertones remain, but Roberts pulls it into a gritty, subterranean space. It's a slow burn, keeping the tension tight while the vocals float above a relentless, pulsing beat. Then comes the flipiHuman League's 'Don't You Want Me.' What was once pure pop joy is now something altogether darker, more elusive. Roberts has stripped it back, laying bare the iconic vocals against a stripped-down, funky groove that simmers beneath the surface.