Review: Delivering two boundary-pushing deep house cuts that fuse Detroit influences with global rhythmic elements, this little 7" packs a punch. Side-1's '9 1391919 21' rolls in with deep bass and a laid-back yet funky groove. The Detroit foundation is undeniable, but the infusion of world-inspired instrumentation adds a rich, cultural texture, making it both smooth and dynamic. Flipping over, '17151425' shifts into high gear with an uptempo, warehouse-ready energy. Sci-fi atmospheres swirl around tribal drumming, creating a hypnotic, alien-like rhythm that feels raw yet futuristic. A forward-thinking release from a producer deeply connected to both underground traditions and global sounds.
Review: This first ep on Utch Elektronics is signed by Helsinki producer Samuli Kemppi and is titled Huuto pimeassa, which in Finnish means (Shout in the dark). This Utch Records sub-label focuses on the most experimental stream of electronic music. The sound of pure electronics, also called idm, where styles such as ambient, drone, cold wave, easy listening, downtempo or noise are generally seen together.
Review: If you've not heard 'Skyscrapers' yet, where have you been? First released digitally last year and accompanied by more remixes than we can count, the track is arguably Nina Kraviz's most accessible, radio-friendly release to date - a potential crossover anthem that's as cool as it is catchy. Now finally available on vinyl via this single-sided seven-inch, 'Skyscrapers' is a prime piece of what Kraftwerk would have called 'techno-pop', with the much-loved Russian producer's sweet vocals rising above a bed of ultra-crunchy, snare-heavy machine drums, dreamy Chris Lowe chords, gaseous pads and ear-catching lead lines. It's basically synth-pop, but it's classy and sonically deep enough to please all but the angriest underground techno purists.
Review: Posthuman's Balkan Vinyl imprint is back with a third installment in the Kanlab series. Chevron is at the buttons and on a clear mission to destroy the dance floor with fresh acid explosions. This latest limited 7" starts with 'Manctronix', a manic mix of brutal breakbeats, fizzing acid madness and eerie vocals that are chopped up and well deployed throughout the mix. There is even more of a prickly and unruly texture to 'Unity' which spits out all manner of sounds on a constant basis, never letting you lock in and instead staying firmly on the seat of your pants.
Review: Neil Landstrumm is one of the UK's most underrated but high-achieving artists if you ask us. He's done it all over the years and has been pivotal to a number of different in-between sounds flourishing into scenes. Here he lands on a fellow UK institution in Swamp 81, once a home to cutting-edge bass and now offering an outlet for Landstrumm to explore the cosmos. He does so with his usual mix of quirky sound designs and heavy grooves on 'Minimoo' which is both serious body music but also playful and charming. 'Aintgotnojob' is a twisted juke-inspired B-side with reverberating low ends and tightly looped vocal phrasings that melt the mind.
Review: Nikolajev is an original pioneer of Tallinn's techno scene. He is back here on the Sad Fun label with two more of his bass-driven dance floor delights. First up is 'Lego Dub' which has no sharp edges and just silky synths, rolling drums and flanged up sounds that swell with warming intensity. On the flip side is 'Tongue Double' which slows things down and brings a little sense of funk next to some playful synth lines that wiggle about the mix and are underpinned by true low end menace, perfect for maximum volume on a sound system.
Review: Scott Grooves is one of the quietly brilliant home artists. The US talent has done it all in his time and brings plenty of musicality to his work, which is mostly couched in-house but for this one-sided and limited edition 7" heads off into techno territory. 'Track 1' is a blistering cut with coarse hits and smeared pads all turbo-powered by some driving drums that are deep but direct. There is a great sense of machine soul to the synths that helps take it even further into the next dimension. Another vital release from this mainstay.
Review: The all-star team of the instrumental world, Polyplus, release a cover of 'Hi-Tech Jazz', a classic electronic jazz track and representative work of the project Galaxy 2 Galaxy, first put forth by Mad Mike's Underground Resistance. As for the choice of cover, the Tokyo jazzdance quartet have chosen well; while they've only gone and done it - reinterpreted Mike's timeless club masterpiece with a full band sound - they refuse to sacrifice any danceability or DJ mixability, doing full justice to the term "hi-tech" despite the freehanded naturalism. Also coming backed by the original B-sider 'Wake Me Up', 'Hi-Tech Jazz' heralds Polyplus' upcoming tenth anniversary album, Cosmic, as well as a jet-setting tour spanning Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.
Gavsborg - "Did Not Make This For Jah_9" (feat Shanique Marie) (4:33)
Review: Techno arriving on 7" is not an all too common sight, but why not? This release from the fledgling Dispari out of Germany suggests it works well. Cloud Management and Gavsborg take one side each, starting with the former. Their 'Tempentary Dance' pairs thudding and broken kick drum patterns with dreamy and rising synth sequences and spoken words. It's brilliantly beguiling. The flip then finds Gavsborg offering 'Did Not Make This For Jah_9' (feat Shanique Marie) which is dark and moody, dubbed out and dystopian deep techno.
Review: UK producer Inigo Kennedy - also known as Seducer, Tomito Satori and Helki Torsnum - comes up with a pair of techno tracks that positively glisten with luxuriant melody and a beautiful musicality that's rare to ape in this - or indeed any - scene. 'RackSpace 2' and 'Dewdrops' both glide with serene ease, the melodies weaving away in the back seat of the track but never threatening to overwhlelm the atmosphere. The latter is definitely operating in a spacier sphere, with the reverbs and delays working overtime, but both are nicely restrained takes on techno that nevertheless paint vivid sonic pictures.
Review: Polish label Moonshine Recordings kicks off a new series that is helmed for the first time by Bukkha. It's a potent two tracker that opens with 'Planet I-N-I' which is a heavily dubbed out cut with bottomless subs and ice cold hits, tons of reverb and ricochetting sounds as well as some dub-wise vocals that drift in and out to heady effect. On the flip side is 'Night Out' (feat Roger Robinson), another smooth, serene and hypnotic dub techno cut marbled with static and vinyl crackle as well as some pensive words from Robinson. Both of these need to be heard as loud as can be for maximum impact.
Review: In March 2024, Oriental Magnetic Yellow, the legendary techno unit formed by Namco game music composers, celebrated their 30th anniversary by re-releasing six albums. As part of this celebration, their popular track 'RYZEEN' is now available for the first time on 7-inch doughnut vinyl. The release includes the original version and a special B-side recording used as BGM for 'Super Locomotive' on Sega's 2022 reissued Mega Drive Mini 2 console. With members Hiroto Sasaki, Nobuyoshi Sano, Shinji Hosoe and Takayuki Aihara, Oriental Magnetic Yellow pays homage to Yellow Magic Orchestra with a humorous twist. 'RYZEEN' evokes the fun, nostalgic, early video game music and a cover sound of YMO of course. this release is a delightful blend of retro charm and playful innovation, perfect for techno and game music fan alike.
Review: Don't forget to put on your Anorax... A new retro-futuristic outing by veteran dance music exec Neil Rushton marks his latest configuration in techno, which has kept mutant ever since the DJ broke from his infamous, 1970s Northern soul label Inferno. If Inferno was a glittery bodysuit, Anorax is like blast-protective PPE. Here Rushton welcomes Mark Archer and Chris Peat aka Nexus 21 back to the fold. Emissaries of the Salford dance music circuit, Nexus 21 have always harked a frontier-scouring, centennial vibe in sound. Their latest release is reissued from 2008, though the Network Records original only cut it to B-side: 'Self-Hypnosis' is a semiconscious auto-state in sound, bringing jam-born orchestra-stabs and sprung synth toms to a strange brew. We're left spiral-eyed.
Review: Cultured Swiss techno label Acquit has put together this cheeky little 7" from Trecci with one great tune on each side. 'Invisible Self' is the opener and it is a delightfully curious, inviting blend of soft focus synth loops and smeared pads that sounds like waking up on a distant planet. On the flip, 'Sit And Wonder' starts with pensive piano chords which are eventually carried away on a supple deep house grove with loopy bongos and a feel-good sense of late-night cruising. Tasteful stuff for sure.
Review: Techno doesn't often come on 7" but do not let that put you off this superb new drop from Bump'n'Grind. It features dub techno legend Deadbeat in fine form across two devastating cuts. A-side 'Ark Welders Dub' is a menacing and prowling track with a picked bassline and smeared chords to add real depth and weight. It's one to foster a heads down mood on the dancefloor, while emotional release comes in the form of the flip side. 'This Bitter Dub' is a more sparse sounds with hissing hi-hats skating over the drums while bittersweet synths and an aching blues vocal ring out up top.
Review: Two distinctive tracks that balance industrial and techno grit and dancefloor energy. Side-1's 'Territorial Discrepancy' kicks things off with a driving beat layered over EBM influences and rave-inspired keyboard stabs. Its catchy rhythm and raw energy make it a surefire crowd-pleaser for peak-time sets. On Side-2, 'Notions Of Ceremony' takes a more experimental turn, blending techno grooves with a danceable, vocal-infused vibe. The track's unique character evokes comparisons to early Severed Heads and Underworld, combining fun, depth and innovation into a seamless whole. With its sharp production and bold creativity, this ia memorable addition to the techno landscape.
Review: Acid Cuts is only young but already has amassed an impressive discography of contemporary techno. The sixth outing comes from Varonos and starts with mind-melting acid-laced techno stomper with thunderous stabs adding to the tension. After the even more raw Beats version comes 'Caliber' which is more minimal and loopy but soon builds inescapable tension that disorientates your mind from your body. 'Hordes' then cuts loose with visceral acid lines and the sounds of a spacecraft taking off over sizzling beats.
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