Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: Gaston Cabrera, an Argentinian producer on the rise, delivers a captivating four-tracker for Exarde. 'Romance Electro' sets the tone with pulsating synths and driving percussion, conjuring a dark and hypnotic atmosphere. Cabrera's sound blends house and techno with a touch of Italo-disco, creating a unique sonic tapestry. 'Baile Y Drama' picks up the pace, its infectious groove and swirling melodies leading the listener on an exhilarating journey. On the flip, 'Atmosfera Yonki' is a masterclass in sonic manipulation, its haunting textures and disorienting soundscapes evoking a descent into the depths of a Buenos Aires nightclub. The EP closes with '7AM', a melancholic yet uplifting exploration of intricate rhythms and introspective melodies. With its diverse sounds and undeniable dancefloor appeal, this EP is a testament to Cabrera's talent.

Review: Not everyone 'gets' house. First, there are those who dismiss it as mindless 4x4 schlock; then, even amongst those who ostensibly enjoy the moods that the genre lays down, there are still individuals who fail to appreciate the subtleties that glue the spaces between the beats, or the musicality that holds the tunes together as opposed the lacks thereof that might make them flop. Whatever the case, Calisto's Definitive Classic (TM) 'Get House' is an ahead-of-its-time house pioneers' artifact, coming as an early example of what some might call tech house, albeit nowadays most would simply assume is acid or breakbeat. Indeed, to truly be able to appreciate the differences betweem genres, you have to just, you know, kinda, just 'get it'.

Review: Tom Carruthers returns with a fresh drop on Syncrophone Records, comprising the fresh analogue jams 'From Within', 'Zone', 'No Frequency' and 'Malfunction'. All hitting hard with an old-school, sequencer-happy flavour, one which requires no second-guessing, our faves here have to be the basal FM roller 'Zone' and the brash, trashyard B-fronter 'No Frequency', both of which make deft use of the same bassline, yet each to drastically different effec.

Review: Florin Buchel's work as Contra Communem Opinionem has bridged the gap between seemingly disparate labels like Lux Rec, Mathematics, Drumpoet Community and Photic Fields without missing a beat. More recently, he's funnelled the CCO output through his own label Silum to bring us some EPs of dazzling hardware tech house with ample melodic content to keep the dark clouds at bay. 'Atmospheric Inversion' toys with jazzy discord, but the vibe is primarily soulful and synth-driven, while 'Atmospheric Extinction' heads wholeheartedly towards uplifting chord sequences to get your hair standing on end. 'Atmospheric Pressure' takes a snappier, techier approach but the tools and signal chains are the same, so the pervading warmth of the tracks maintains. This is house music which instinctively connects back to the gritty strain of machine soul pioneered in Detroit - if you're always searching for that quality in your club tracks you won't want to overlook this one.

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: Here is Confidence Man debut for Fabric's acclaimed Fabric Presents mix series, flaunting the lesser-heard DJing chops of this contemporary pop-dance duo. "Have confidence, man" is the central motto of the collaborative pair made up of Janet Planet and Sugar Bones, who first came up in Brisbane, Australia band found rapid acclaim for their easily assimilable blend of electro pop, dance and indie. Their debut mix for Fabric flexes an adroit ear for the vim-affirming ends of life, scouring the hidden depths of their well-threshed record crate of 90s rave and trance, with tunes by the likes of Joe Goddard, Jex Opolis, Wallace and Sweely all implying an innate, strutting, blue-steel-over-the-shoulder confidence, innate to all yet realised by few.

Review: The fully mixed version of Confidence Man's debut Fabric mix record is here on CD. In contrast to the selectors' LP version - also sold by us - this full version is a seamless, singular slab of optical laser-read musical licence, espousing the central vibe-theme of Confidence Man's message: have confidence. Well, except for want of a receiving ear, we find ourselves tentatively able to confide in Confidence Man's Fabric mix ("better than therapy" joke happily dodged) as a substitution in the meantime; for it too shows us that real, authentic, and boundless confidence can, believably, indeed, be found in bouncy dance exclusives available on CD only. Among these are Patrick Prins' kitsch chipmunk banger 'Fiesta Conga' and Cygnus X's steezy-cheesy trance stutterer 'Positron'03'. With both many a throwback and a present promo in tow, Confidence Man dice up and dole out a small slice of their huge stash of their patented auricular confidence dust.

Review: Courtesy's second studio album is another no-holds-barred deep dive into the heart of a minimal and tech house dance floor. Eschewing the usual ambient intro in favour of getting right down to business, things kick off with the surging comic-tech of 'I'm Happy I Am Not Susan Sontag', then the slamming drums of 'My Dazed Friend (feat Klo)' come with zoned out and alluring vocal musings. 'Let There Be LOVE! (feat Lyanne)' is another fast but smooth tech cruise with emotive vocal textures and 'Does Every Track Have To Be A Journey?' is a punchy tool which suggests not.