Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: Bristol genre-blurrer A Sagittariun reemerges with 'The 23 Enigma', a three-track implied "conceptechno" EP, and his first new material since 2022's 'Strange Brew' on Rekids. Having already conquered Hypercolour, Running Back, Craigie Knowes and Secretsundaze, he's now spent close to fifteen years weaving strands of techno, ambient dub, breakbeat, and deeper electronics, lacing each with a heavy psychedelic dosage just shy of overdose. The latest hears 'Fountainhead' and 'Mind Games' offer a percussive jolt through rugged high-impact tools, set aside for dirtier floor works. The title track is the only one to trade the club's rough pulse for a subtler, high crown cognition, riding warped, muscular electronics till we reach an unbidden cavernous zone. A Sagittariun continues to operate outside the grid, where cosmic intent meets merciless studio power.

Review: Following a string of explosive releases on labels like Acid Artists In Action (Triple A), Stay Up Forever, Hydraulix, and Interruption, ACERBIC is raising the stakes with a colossal triple-vinyl, limited-edition LP on the SUF/Hydraulix collaboration label. Packed with nothing but high-energy, dancefloor-destroying cuts, it kicks off with the anthemic 'Acid Way Of Life' and powers through a relentless selection of techno and acid techno bangers that push the boundaries of both genres. No filler, just pure, peaktime fire. Already road-tested by scene legends D.A.V.E. The Drummer and Chris Liberator, this one is sure to rip up rulebooks and dancefloors alike.

Review: Leeds is a city that has always primarily been known for its house scene, but Nathan Alexander is an ever more vital talent who is delving deep into futuristic techno. After a fine outing on Drum Workouts late last year, he's now back on NIX with a shadowy, body-moving three-tracker. Opener 'Language' sets the tone with sharp stabs and a moody tension that gets the space-trip underway. 'Pulsewidth' raises the energy with heavy low-end and warped textures, glitchy stabs and funny, swinging drums. The title track 'Skin' stretches into tribal rhythms, hypnotic vocal snippets, and deep filter sweeps and taps into that liminal space where reality slips. All in all, these are seriously punchy but sensual and immersive late-night weapons.

Review: Lempuyang is a label you will know and respect for its high quality stream of immersive dub techno and now the man behind it, Alastair Kelly, debuts a new label with none other than revered UK techno mainstay Ibrahim Alfa Jnr. He opens up with 'Component A' which is a moody melange of slow, broken dub beats and fizzing synths. There is further experimentation on 'Untitled B2 1' which pairs a churning dub rhythm with naive and innocent melodies and lots of li-fi static. 'Entangled' ups the ante with the suggestion of a fast paced rhythm through a skeletal groove and the flip brings broken beat dub weight, meaning and percussive bass with a 2-step swagger then deep introspection on the closer. A classy EP that suggests this label is one well worth watching.

Review: Polish label FOMO_ debuts with the first in its news Spectral series, and who better to kick off with than the ever innovative ASC. He is a master of musical tension and abstraction and shows that with four tracks that build up the pressure and never let it go. 'Calm Under Pressure' is soothing up top with its smeared, spectral pads, but there's pent-up tension in the low end that keeps you on edge. 'Dark Arches' soundtracks an underground cavern with haunting pads and icy, watery droplets and 'Maelstrom' gets more direct with jostling broken beats, hissing trails and unsettling deep space mystery. 'Torsion' is the most maximal of the lot - an in-your-face collage of loopy, snappy drums and sordid synth sludge.

Review: This new 12" from Glaswegian producer Harvey McKay sees him reworking Daniel Avery's 'Drone Logic' into a driving, big-room missile i and it absolutely slaps. Upping the tempo and leaning into a more percussive framework, McKay doesn't just touch up the original's swirling psychedelia, he rebuilds it for peak-time pressure. The acid line is still there, twisted and stretched, but now it rides atop galloping drums, shimmering hi-hats and the kind of pneumatic swing that's become McKay's signature. It's a brand new release on Phantasy, pressed in a limited run of 500 and already a fixture in the sets of Avery, McKay and Erol Alkan. The sound is somewhere between soulful techno and heads-down warehouse hypnosis i powerful without being punishing. What's clever is how it stays true to the hazy mood of the source, but flips it into something entirely more immediate. As a one-sided 12" it's a bold statement, but one that's easy to understand: it only needs one track when it hits this hard. Built for high ceilings, smoke machines and stretched-out moments mid-set, this is an edit that earns its hype. A slow-burn classic reborn as a proper dancefloor weapon.

Review: Ma?h is based in Berlin but makes occult techno inspired by Tikal, which is the ruin of an ancient Mayan city in Guatemala. He creates a sense of ancient ritual, tribalism, primaeval drums and otherworldly atmosphere across five fantastically evocative and escapist cuts here. They all go deep, with rubbery rhythms marbled with wordless vocals, chanting, eerie FX and absorbing mysticism that is all expertly done and hugely authentic. 'Acat' is a standout with its lolloping bass and tom-peppered beats, while 'Exorcismo' is more intense and heady. 'Caiman Ritual' is a humid and intense dub techno bumper, and it rounds out one of the most original EPs we've heard in ages.