Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: Heavyweight quattro-techno from A Paul, DJ Dextro, Red Rooms, Ramon Tapia and Arkvs for Planet Rhythm. Each track serving as merciless hoisters in the vein of 'Rough' techno, the A1 is deserving of the name, bringing scraping hi-hat blurs and gulping knocks to a mean mix. Deadened, unfeeling, callous calculation follows on the follower 'Binary Codes', while Tapia tabulates a 'Ratio' on the algo-rhythmic bleeper that ensues on the B1. Finally, 'Decoration Drugs' brings a prime movement, its facelessly numbered breakdowns and shuffles assuring us that there is indeed no end to off-planet production processes such as these.

Review: This is the first in a new collaborative series between Derailed Records and Planet Rhythm who have teamed up for a new vinyl series that launches with Rotterdam's ARKVS. 'Sonus' rumbles with low-end threat and fizzy static that locks you in the moment. 'Deviate (feat Ronald Nels)' is more sparse with claps echoing out to an event horizon as supple acid tones linger in the air. 'Amphibian Velocity' layers up gurgling synths and pent-up drum tension and 'Crashing Rhythms' is a punchy but deep closer and a fourth and final evocative and sophisticated offering which gets this series underway in style.

Review: Arkvs presents his latest record for Planet Rhythm, 'Moment To Breath', capturing the essence of the function of the human lungs in a short, waxen pulmonary burst. The emotive range of techno lends it many capabilities: for example, it can either provide the sense of filling the space, or it can provide a kind affective vacuum in which people might chill; Arkvs knows this instinctively to be the case, fusing the titular breathing room with a nonetheless extended motive to dance. 'Moment To Breath' (not breathe, apparently) plays up the purely roomy under-movements of techno, leaving much headroom for our excesses of somatic energies to fill the gaps; 'Conditions' carries out some of this work, working in a comparatively percussive modular drum sequence; 'Exodus' is the most jam-packed, but still conserves its 'breathing room' with thoracic stabs and bronchitic bursts. Is it possible to relax while dancing? Yes. Take a breather, but don't stop moving.

Review: Planet Rhythm is back once again, this time with a wicked split EP featuring two top techno talents. ARKVS takes care of the A-side with the low-key and deep techno buzz of 'Endorphine' and then the floating drum loops and minimal sound designs of 'Forever Is Never'. Edit Select keeps similar quiet but potent styles alive with his sparse and moody techno roller 'Quatro' while last of all is 'Loophole'. This one has rattling train-on-track style percussive sounds and deeply buried sub-bass all making for a journey as heady as it is physical.