Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: Analogue pressure from Bufobufo, who stops over in Japan for Cabaret Recordings after earlier international stints with Art Of Dark, Partout and Furthur Electronix. His second single for the label, founded by So Inagawa and DJ Masda, proffers a hypnotic blend, binarising the mood with the sliding melodes of 'Watercourse' and 'Armour Plated' with comparatively sparse and gritty perc-slaps of 'Wood Ant' and 'Cinnabar'. That strange but difficult-to-nail split between of hypnotic intrigue and immediacy is well and truly nailed.

Review: This one hits like a love letter to the raw energy of early warehouse nights. From a UK producer who's been around the block more than a few times, the EP drips with old skool DNA but never feels like a copy-paste job. It's gritty, sweaty and awesome. 'Moved (part 2)' kicks things off with a pounding rhythm and a melody that instantly pulls from the golden age of rave. There's something serious in its tone, dramatic even, with a warped vocal sample urging you to move. Think late nights with strobe lights, where records like 'Energy Flash' or 'Testone' were gospel. 'What Is Houz' flips the mood but keeps the intensity. This one rides a low, tracky groove, dipping into minimal and funky acid touches that feel tailor-made for a dark room dancefloor. Turn the record over and you're tossed straight into the breakbeat jungle with 'Satisfaction'. It's all rattling drums, big vocals and classic rave swagger. No subtlety here, just full-throttle. 'The Prowl' closes things out on a moodier note, with acid lines creeping through a dark, melodic structure that echoes vintage Belgium techno. It's the sound of someone who's been through every era and still knows how to light the fuse. This isnt a copy cat trip down memory lane. This really makes you feel like a movement could happen again with these vintage sounds.

Review: London label Fourier Transform welcome back Rekab (James Baker) and label debuter Mre for 'Ace High'. 'Armadillos' rolls up its chassis for a serious exercise in minimal weight, reconstituting tuned percussions as it trundles along, while Rekab's 'Always Having Fun' posits an ideal life-mode: a steady, direct current of enjoyment, set to hedonically calculated beats. 'Climbing High' rebates the percussions for a subtle lark's ascent in deep acid, while 'Ace' complementarily descends across cross-rhythmic breaks and harmonies.

Review: Recorded live on September 10, 1993, for BBC Radio 1, this set strips back the studio polish in favour of raw, surging energy, breathing new life into core tracks from their Brown Album era. Their explosive 1993 John Peel session was a broadcast that captured the UK rave pioneers at their most visceral and unfiltered. The versions of 'Lush 3-1', 'Walk Now...' and 'Semi Detached' found here are looser, leaner and more urgent. 'Lush' in particular throbs with a relentless momentum, shedding its original texture in favor of a tougher, more improvised drive. It's a perfect showcase of Orbital's gift for live manipulation, transforming structured studio pieces into kinetic, spontaneous soundscapes. This reissue boasts newly commissioned artwork by Intro and aligns with the legacy of the Peel Sessions as a proving ground for boundary-pushing talent. Critics and longtime fans have praised the EP for its intensity and fluidity, supporting Orbital's status as live innovators. Radio Sessions is a nostalgic artifact and a reminder of how thrilling and forward-thinking Orbital's sound was.

Review: A cornerstone of early 90s electronic music, Orbital's Lush resurfaces with renewed energy through the Orbital LEDs reissue campaign. Originally released in 1993, the EP is a masterclass in melodic techno, featuring the iconic 'Lush 3-1' and 'Lush 3-2', two seamlessly interwoven tracks that exemplify the Hartnoll brothers' knack for crafting emotionally resonant, rhythmically complex soundscapes. Reissued on 12" with striking new artwork by Intro, this edition includes heavyweight remixes by Underworld and CJ Bolland, whose reworks push the tracks deeper into the club stratosphere. Underworld brings a dense, propulsive momentum, while Bolland injects a sleek, hard-edged urgency. Yet it's Orbital's originals that remain the centerpiece. Those epic gliding arpeggios, layered synths and rolling percussion conjure both introspection and euphoria. A vital part of their Brown Album, Lush helped define the progressive techno movement, influencing generations of producers. Three decades on, the tracks still pulse with a timeless vibrancy.

Review: As you can tell from the title of this ongoing series, System Error likes to serve up only 100% party bombs. The third volume lives up to that once more with Parchi Pubblici kicking off with the acid-laced bumps of 'Perfect Vacuum2Disco' complete with zippy synths and snappy percussion. Lanzieri's 'Twisted Tango' hits just as hard with an electro-techno fusion that rides on psychedelic synth loops with jacked-up drums. Raku's 'Valle Dei Templi' has a more pared-back sound with a menacing and rubbery low end and creeping synths that keep you on edge. Phill Prince's 'Indigo' shuts down with something tripped out and retro with 90s techno vibes colouring the drums.

Review: Belgian label Music Man Records continues its deep dive into local club history with a standout 12" drawn from a wider retrospective on Destelbergen's legendary Boccaccio club. This release centres on the early house and techno that defined its Sundays-an alternative narrative to the better-known New Beat story. The A-side opens with Steve Poindexter's 'Computer Madness', all skeletal drum patterns and jacking minimalism, before UK crew Age Of Chance explode with 'Time's Up (Timeless)', a proto-rave anthem remixed into cut-and-paste chaos. On the flip, LFO's self-titled 'Leeds Warehouse Mix' drops like a techno blueprint-bleep-heavy, bold, and unmistakably northern. Closing the set is Alice D In Wonderland's 'Time Problem (Techno Speed Work)', a hyper, squiggly take on acid techno that feels like a high-speed trip through late-80s futurism. With selections curated by Olivier Pieters and Stefaan Vandenberghe, this 12" captures the rawness, friction, and thrill of a scene that still resonates across Europe's underground.

Review: Interdance impressed with its first couple of forays onto wax and now its third release packs in more fresh talent from South America's underground. On the A-side, Buenos Aires' Vinz delivers two standout tracks: 'Instinto,' a raw, trance-tinged techno trip straight from 1992, and 'Transradio,' which is a cinematic journey with pounding drums and acidic synth lines burrowing deep. Flip to the B-side for Uruguayan producer Juan Dairecshion's deeper, more hypnotic sound on 'Rebel Rebel,' which rides a steady four-on-the-floor pulse, while 'UR Love' dives into murky, Detroit-inspired territory with eerie vocals and twisted melodies inspired by the group name-checked in the title. A bold, mind-bending four-tracker built for serious late-night floors.

Review: DJ Sotofett returns with a double 12" packed with eight hard-hitting, underground techno tracks. Featuring frequent collaborators LNS, L.A. 2000, Ronny Nyheim, and Zarate_Fix, this release is a direct nod to the no-nonsense techno nights at Berlin's iconic Tresor club, where Sotofett holds residency. Each track is crafted with pure dancefloor energy in mind, moving through dub-driven techno, acidic overtones, and percussive basslines, all delivered with a raw, uncompromising edge. WANIA mk1 is a masterclass in DJ-ready versatility, perfect for those who love their techno stripped back and potent. Standout cuts include the bombastic, percussion-heavy Preparation and the 909-vocoder-fuelled My Spirit Is In Techno Music, both of which exemplify the release's dedication to the underground essence of the genre. With alternative mixes from WANIA mk2 making an appearance, the album offers both continuity and innovation, keeping true techno fans hooked from start to finish. Sotofett's attention to detail in programming, mixing, and mastering is evident throughout, making this a must-have for DJs and clubbers who live and breathe the core of real, unfiltered techno music. WANIA mk1 isn't just an album; it's a statement for those who value authenticity in their club experience.

Review: Barcelona-based label Exarde's latest compilation gathers a select group of producers whose intricate, cold minimalism defines the label's identity. From the jagged percussion of Kvrk's 'Access Denied' to the hypnotic rhythm of C.ru.z's 'Tecno-Logico', each track offers something different yet unmistakably rooted in Exarde's vision. J6's 'Cyber Crisis' injects an anxious energy, while Sancra's 'Obscure Consciousness' offers an immersive experience, drawing you into its murky depths. As TrascendAnce's 'Whathehell' dissolves and reforms, rhythms begin to shift in unpredictable ways, leading to Dissocietisociety's 'Oda A D.houle', where a metallic sheen gives way to a stripped-back, almost clinical production. Nicolas Longo's contribution pares everything back, reducing the sound to its essential components. Curity's closer delivers an uncompromising, propulsive end, capping off a collection that feels both cohesive and meticulously crafted.