Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: FaF's Marseille-based label Durite has assembled another Various Artists compilation full of global soundscapes inspired by Middle Eastern rhythms on one side, while the other blends psychedelic Japanese and Chinese samples into trippy, atmospheric cuts. Italian producer Nativo balances deep house and electro with worldly flair, French artist Pagenty keeps ting dubby and slow with snaking leads and hiccuping drums. Fellow Frenchman Blinkduus Dischetto sparkles with raspy synth leads and celestial keys and Crane De Poule then serves up 'Lucky,' the clear EP highlight with its hurried Eastern Melodie and vocal samples over a clipped and tight tech beat.

Review: Long-serving Italian producer Marco Passarani continues his newly minted Studiomaster label project with its second instalment, serving a quintet of typically floor-focused jams on 'The Temple' EP. Arguably best known for being one half of the looped-up disco duo Tiger & Woods, Passarani is also known and loved for the more techno-tilted offerings he turns out from his hometown of Rome. His latest work sits somewhere in between his two trademark sounds, starting with the throbbing sleaze of opener 'The Empty Temple', with its purposeful bass, paranoid synths and dirty vocal whispers. The fierce, snare-driven rhythms of 'Night Walker' power grubby bass and glistening synths, while the descriptively titled 'Rotten Disco' offers a brilliantly wonky glimpse of future Italo. The distorted percussion and jagged bass of 'Dirty Hands' are aimed squarely at the floor, while the storming closer 'Cheater's Smile' bangs as hard as nails to complete a suitably stirring and tightly produced set.

Review: UK-based Jules von Daniken is Phase O'Matic and he takes charge of the third outing from Reheat with his typically assured hand. 'Access Denies (K9 mix)' is warped cyborg tech with gremlins in machines, gurgling acid and flat, firm drums making for a marching beat. 'Plastic Memory' has a more electro-feel to it with some snappy kick and hits retro 80s synth nostalgia. 'Recollect' is a sci-fi techno stomper with reverb-heavy bass and 'There's More Of Them Than There Is Of Us' closes with another intergalactic techno sound that comes from a distant planet with rueful pads and chugging low ends.

Review: London DJ and producer Jules Von Daniken sets his phasers to fun, returning under his Phase O'Matic alias for another fresh EP-label inauguration (Blur Detection Program). His third release for 2025 (it's only May, god damnit), 'Behind The Glass' smashes through two-way mirror with gloomy glom-on acid, sparky redux design, slithery melodies and claspy 909 snareology, all of which together increment in intensity over a four-step dance inductor, seconding with the speak n' spelt post-new wave pranger 'Retroflex' and ending on the Robo-voiced 'Finetune (Darkest Day)'.

Review: Indo-Ukrainian producer Mayank Saraiya, under his Pontiff Ordric alias, helms the third chapter of the Barbatus series with a new four-track release that continues the label's deep-space electro saga. Based out of the Barbatus label's inner circle, Saraiya not only crafts the music but also handles the mix and mastering, giving this entry a tightly unified sound. 'Secrets Of Nexus' and 'Laboratory's Hazard' pulse with crisp, syncopated drums and shimmering 80s-inspired synths, while the B-side moves into darker, more propulsive territory i 'Ancient Technology' runs on acidic undercurrents and robotic swing and 'The Dawn Of Machines' closes the set with a steady proto-trance march that edges into cinematic territory. It's a new release that never leans too heavily on nostalgia, instead reanimating vintage electro textures with just enough detail and narrative flair to keep things compelling. Riddled with sonic in-jokes and pirate lore, this one rewards both the dancers and the heads i electro as odyssey, with its boots still muddy from the last expedition.

Review: Ronny Pries returns after a long hiatus a new EP on Abstract Rhythm that channels Detroit-influenced techno and electro with late-night dancefloor energy. Pries is a veteran of electronic music with roots dating back to the 90s and brings emotional weight to this release, especially on the standout cut 'This Ain't Jazz,' a dense, percolating acid techno cut that rewires your brain. 'Terminal Velocity' is a blizzard of distorted synths and manic percussive lines, and 'NGC 4889' explores an electro-adjacent sound with more celestial-style pads. After years focusing on other projects, this marks a meaningful comeback for Pries.