Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: Third part of the compilation celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Milanese record shop. This collection is entirely composed of previously unreleased music, exclusively produced for the occasion by many artists of great relevance in the worldwide music scene, who supported the store over the last ten years. The artists who produced the music for this compilation are Egyptian Lover, Ellen Allien, Thomas Brinkmann, Neil Landstrumm, JD Twitch, Matias Aguayo, San Proper, Tolouse Low Trax, Jay Glass Dubs, Dj Marcelle, Jorge Velez, Tamburi Neri, Fabrizio Mammarella, Heith, Itinerant Dubs, Timeslip89, Kreggo and Intersezioni Ensemble. The entire work is composed of 4 x 12", plus a bonus EP.

Review: Released just days after their Reflections tour, I Jordan and Sherelle link with club institution Fabric and their new label Fabric Originals. Both artists currently working on inspiring stratospheric levels, their energy is captured here across the two unique tracks. I Jordan rinse us up and down the highways and byways of the UK with their high impact 'M1 / M3' while Sherelle goes full-on techno with 'Getoutofmymind'. Intoxicating stuff!

Review: This is the thirrd release by the amazing Italian producer Ivan Iacobucci for the Perlon label. The previous two were so well received, this next one was destined to come out sooner than later. Perlon fans know what to expect from their label of choice and Ivan delivers the goods. Those addictively quirky and fonky jackin' minimal techno jams. The title track is that and then some! We especially like the sexy jam 'Waiting For My Love'. Expect the unexpected when you flip over the record as 'Close the Door' is a full-on acid banger that combines high energy techno into what sounds like a video game soundtrack theme song! Closing things out is the wild sounding 'Fear & Madness in the Desert'. We are smiling at the thought of someone playing out these corkers to audience. Expect to see WTF typefaces everywhere!

Review: Jumpin' & Pumpin' looks back into the seminal archives of The Future Sound of London here to reissue their fantastic The Pulse EP from 2008 which also featured tunes from Manchester pair Indo Tribe. It is they who start with 'Bring In The Pulse' which features some Happy Mondays hallelujahs, mad rave whistles and bristling electronic breaks. 'In The Mind Of A Child' (First Born mix) is then a bouncy techno cut with more visceral synth and acid lines and The Future Sound Of London kick off the flipside with 'Hardhead' (Frothin' At The Mouth mix) which is an assault of breaks, congas, whistles and rave signifiers. 'Pulse State' (831 AM mix) is that perfect tune to zone out to on a late night drive on the motorway.

Review: Juan Atkins released some of the funkiest, dreamiest techno of his imperious career as Infiniti. a collaboration with Orlando Voorn,. 'Game One' originally came out on Metroplex in 1994 and it's since become an essential part of the Detroit techno canon. On this release for Kontakt we're treated to some visionary remixes of the track from trusted experts, leading in with Steve Rachmad's pumped up, springy rendition on the A-side. It's a version which upholds the machine soul sensibility of the original, paying all due respect to the blueprint Atkins laid down as a Detroit techno pioneer. On the flip we get treated to two contrasting versions from Santiago Salazar, with his first take heading into interstellar electro territory before casting adrift on the deep house-tinted 'Sci-Fi Xicano Remix'.

Review: The classy work of Etui continues here with Insect O bringing a unique dub techno perspective to this latest marbled vinyl 12". 'Sandstones' is a classic of the genre - the fathom-deep bottom end, the rippling chords that gently make their way across the face of the tune before disappearing to an infinite horizon and the oversized hi-hats adding more scale. 'Volca Dub' is more textured and slower, with melodic motifs sinking in deep next to icy hi hats and 'Everlasting' ups the ante with some sleek, dynamic minimal techno that is again dubbed out to perfection.

Review: Leibniz's return was always going to be interesting given previous work and so it is. Each of the five news cuts exemplifies the power of simplicity with grimy, hypnotic mantras that showcase Leibniz's mastery of the genre. Stripping away unnecessary details, he focuses on what truly matters to cook up a minimalist sound that hits hard. These sounds really emphasise the notion that less is more, with each one full of refined technique and ability to cut through the noise. It's a masterclass in minimal techno that proves what to ignore is just as important as what to keep.

Review: In 1994, Vienna-based project iO, which was composed of Patrick Pulsinger, Erdem Tunakan, Umberto Gollini and Gerhard Potuznik, released a series of 12"s titled 'Attack', 'Decay', 'Sustain,' 'Release' on their iconic label Cheap Records. Known for their minimalist, Detroit-inspired techno, one standout track, 'Claire', broke the mould with its mid-tempo beat at around 110 bpm, jazzy chords, sample-based groove and sharp 909 drum sounds. It bridged techno, trip-hop and house and caught the attention of Mo'Wax Records in London, who re-released it to great acclaim. Embraced across genres, it quickly became a DJ favourite and remains a beloved classic to this day which is why it reappears here.

Review: By now a very well-recognised trailblazer of the minimal house and techno circuits, iO Mulen (Aleksandr Voznichenko) shares his third album, Rock Like This, through his own Mulen imprint. Refusing to fall back on heavy-handed press notes, the eight tracks on this perfect composite storm are enough to bewitch us of their own accord. These house and techno retrofusions play out like the kind of sounds that the impossible dangling contraption depicted on its front cover might generate; 'Rock Like This' throws back to Chicago deep house and jankout acid trance, magicking up a shockingly good fusion of disparate styles in a bionic mode, while the rising actions of 'How Do You Say' and 'Emergency' teem with twin enjoyments of and reverences for 90s Euro and acid techno. There are cosmic-trancier subplots on there too, such as 'I'm Waiting For', which selects its constituent sounds with an aesthete's ear, striking a difficult balance of the raw and the fine. Voznichenko refuses to privilege one referent genre over another, and it results in a respectfully done, carefully made and truly exciting dance record, unafraid of cheese nor sophistication, and reconciling the two.

Review: Berlin's Exit Strategy began their 12"s game releasing EPs in browned sleeves, shortly before branching out into digital-vinyl combo releases with original artwork in the 2020s. Now with over ten years of experience under their belts, they welcome five new artists for a playful bricolage in deep and minimal techno, privileging elite, razor-sharp additive sound design and future-soulful vocal tasters. Ivory's opener 'Rain' epitomises this, while Jimi Jules squelchifies the same formula, and Aera's 'Future Holdings' rolls out the same logic to its ultimate conclusion, veering towards complex, 3D-graphic melodic techno composed entirely of climbing saws.

Review: Kompakt Extra presents "Speicher 50" from Oxia and Intus. With "Not Sure" Olivier 'Oxia' Raymond delivers the pivotal 50th hymn. A Speicher Jubilee. On the flip an old friend from Bavaria serenades the 50 Jubilee, under a very fitting project name Intus. There is kicking vodka-techno beats, ingeniously out of tune, and a howling guitar lurching us into the seventh sky of spiritual bliss. Nice.

Review: 'PULSE 01' is the first release in PITP's new series, which is an ongoing exploration of ambient tech, while offering a more structured display of beat-driven ambient music. Pulse 01 features brand new tracks by SYNE and Influx.

SYNE is Dennis Huddleston from the UK, who is most recognized for his ambient work as 36. He returns to his SYNE alias for the first time in nearly 5 years, with only his second record since his 2017 self-titled debut LP.

'Dystalgia' is a 12 minute opus, spread over 3 movements. Soaring pads and razor sharp percussion combine for a dynamic, emotionally charged journey in sound. Showing love to the Detroit greats, but recognising the distinct UK influence which made him fall in love with Techno in the early 90's, it's a surprising pivot in Dennis' sound and one which all lovers of beautiful, melodic ambient techno should enjoy.

Influx is the techno/acid/trance moniker of James Bernard. With his first release in 1993 (Braineater EP on Sapho Records), Influx is no stranger to techno and acid. This project had been in hibernation for nearly 14 years until his 2021 remixes for his collaborative album with 36 and awakened souls (The Other Side of Darkness). Revel Dub is a dub-techno excursion with sprinkles of ambient and psy-trance rounding out the frequencies. The Slow Version dials back the tempo to half-time and travels to more ambient dub territories.

Review: 'PULSE 01' is the first release in PITP's new series, which is an ongoing exploration of ambient tech, while offering a more structured display of beat-driven ambient music. Pulse 01 features brand new tracks by SYNE and Influx.

SYNE is Dennis Huddleston from the UK, who is most recognized for his ambient work as 36. He returns to his SYNE alias for the first time in nearly 5 years, with only his second record since his 2017 self-titled debut LP.

'Dystalgia' is a 12 minute opus, spread over 3 movements. Soaring pads and razor sharp percussion combine for a dynamic, emotionally charged journey in sound. Showing love to the Detroit greats, but recognising the distinct UK influence which made him fall in love with Techno in the early 90's, it's a surprising pivot in Dennis' sound and one which all lovers of beautiful, melodic ambient techno should enjoy.

Influx is the techno/acid/trance moniker of James Bernard. With his first release in 1993 (Braineater EP on Sapho Records), Influx is no stranger to techno and acid. This project had been in hibernation for nearly 14 years until his 2021 remixes for his collaborative album with 36 and awakened souls (The Other Side of Darkness). Revel Dub is a dub-techno excursion with sprinkles of ambient and psy-trance rounding out the frequencies. The Slow Version dials back the tempo to half-time and travels to more ambient dub territories.