Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: We shall never apologise for our love for the work of Steve O'Sullivan. His contributions to the world of dub techno are second to none. They are also mad consistent both in style and quality which means they never age. Here he steps up to Lempuyang with his Blue Channel alias alongside Jonas Schachner aka Another Channel for more silky smooth fusions of authentic dub culture and Maurizo-style techno deepness. Watery synths, hissing hi-hats with long trails and dub musings all colour these dynamic grooves. They're cavernous and immersive and frankly irresistible and the sort of tracks that need to be played loud in a dark space. In that context, you'll never want them to end.

Review: Upstairs Asylum is kicking off the year in some style with a couple of killer new EPs. This one is the first in what is presumably a new series to showcase the talents of the Motor City. Mike Clark & Marcus Harris get things underway with 'Hey' which has a subtly uplifting feel thanks to the bright, sustained chords and cuddly drums. Santonio Echols's 'Piano In The Light' (DJ Emanuell Echols mix) is laidback, playful deep house with magical chord work and Brian Kage brings his classy depths to the smooth grooves of 'This Saturday Night.' Ryan Sadorus brings things to a close with the smoky 'Down Below.'

Review: This record delivers a single-track statement with the formidable 'Colossal', a dark and dramatic techno anthem tailored for peak-time festival moments. The track lives up to its name with heavy, pounding rhythms that ripple with an epic intensity, drawing listeners into its brooding atmosphere. Layered with cinematic tension, 'Colossal' balances a relentless driving drive with intricate textures, creating a hypnotic interplay between shadowy undertones and electrifying crescendos. The meticulous production ensures every beat lands with seismic impact, making it a great weapon for use on large scale sound systems.

Review: Simone de Kunovich and Pancratio join forces on the 'Memory Card EP,' a captivating three-track release that marries retro video game nostalgia with cutting-edge electronic music. Inspired by early PlayStation 1 adventures, the duo masterfully weaves samples from obscure games into their compositions, crafting a sound that is both minimalist and evocative of 32-bit textures. Whether it's setting the mood in the mellow early hours or energising a peak-time crowd, this EP equips DJs with versatile tracks that promise to electrify any dancefloor. With its unique blend of exuberance and nostalgia, the 'Memory Card EP' is a must-have for enthusiasts looking to add both depth and dynamism to their sets.

Review: Gems, a new label with a nose for unearthing dusty relics of the UK tech-house scene, kicks off with a double shot of pure 90s dynamite. Label boss Paul Still, Croydon luminary and veteran crate-digger, has dusted off these two bangers, ready to reignite dancefloors. First up, Terry Francis unleashes a remix of Radical Chic's 'In Da Shadows' that'll have you reaching for the lasers and sweating buckets. This ain't no polite shuffle - it's a full-on assault of pulsating basslines, swirling synths and big energy. Francis, a master of his craft, layers textures and effects like a sonic sorcerer, conjuring a tapestry of sound that's both intricate and exhilarating. Flip the wax and Space Bunny's 'The Key' unlocks a different kind of chaos. This infectious groove, built on chunky drums and a hypnotic bassline, is pure, unadulterated dancefloor hedonism. But it's the vocal snippets and playful synth stabs that truly elevate it to legendary status. The Wax Trax remix adds a contemporary twist, injecting a fresh dose of energy while retaining the original's undeniable swagger. If you're craving the authentic sounds of early tech-house, Gems is your new dealer. These aren't just reissues; they're sonic time capsules, transporting you back to a time when the dancefloor was a sweaty, euphoric escape from reality.

Review: Santos' latest for Matt Edwards' Rekids imprint marks another step forward in his already accomplished career. The four tracks on this EP combine rugged house/techno on 'One Day,' tight, drummy grooves on 'Don't Touch' and 'Rollercoaster,' and a soulful deep house flavour on 'Someone.' It's a solid, dancefloor-friendly package that showcases Santos' ability to evolve while maintaining the qualities that first got him noticed. Supported by figures like Ryan Elliott, Honey Dijon, and Ame, this EP confirms Santos is at the top of his game, still innovating while staying true to his roots.

Review: Cristian Sarde (aka. Mamosato, Samo) teams up with fellow techno tussler Bakked for an off-piste non-label release, sharing inverse sides of a single furtive black label record. Veering minimal, moving, and moribund, both staples of the Italian dance musical underground share what is implied to be their deepest, darkest and most exclusive thoughts, strictly for heads only; 'Love Tea' is an unusual track, fusing an almost early-noughts dubstep wriggle against an otherwise taut house groove; a move we don't see coming. Bakked meanwhile brings 'Effect171', on which a raw MPC-style jam - pleated with analogue rimshots and backsliding chords - is sown as the underlying field line onto which a dreamy sampled vocal admission, "I don't mind talking about it", may be heard. Both artists sound to have indulged a weirder side to their crafts, hence the labelless aside, and we love to hear it.

Review: American talent SCRIPT makes a bold entrance onto the esteemed Afterlife imprint with 'On The Low', a track that's already been making waves in the electronic music scene. It marks a significant milestone, as SCRIPT becomes the first American artist to grace the label's catalogue with a stand-alone single. 'On The Low' is a captivating blend of pulsating rhythms, mesmerising synth layers and a catchy vocal hook that's been echoing through clubs and festivals alike. Its journey from a humble Splice sample to a genre-defying anthem is a testament to SCRIPT's production prowess and his ability to craft music that resonates with both discerning DJs and enthusiastic crowds.

Review: Seekers' 'The Man And A Sample' implies that all one needs to craft such tuneful incendiaries is a human body and a phono lead. Bringing three jams laid to tape in Barcelona in 2023, in turn laid to 12" vinyl in 2024, 'Telepathic Soul', 'Isotopic' and 'Parkour Jam' are three psychotropic, street-level soundshifters from the artist and label only known pluralistically as Seekers. All the tracks weigh in on a sound complementary of breakdance and MPC-core, though the added lasery, tropical and psychic sounds lend the whole thing an impressive, colourful abstraction, in good keeping with the highly exploratory Seekers brand. This Seeker saves the best till last with 'Parkour Jam', a somersaulting next-funk jam replete with effected vocal "hups", and the sounds of ancient alien landing gear repurposed into riser and faller SFX.

Review: This is a welcome reissue of some textbook deep Detroit dub and techno. 'Verdichtung' opens up with some superb rhythms and prickly percussion, all softened by prying synth leads and smeared pads. 'Verdrangung' is just as deep with silky broken beats and more woozy, alluring pads lodging deep in your psyche. 'Einfuhlung' ups the ante with more raw and direct drums and techno leaning hi hats but still plenty of warm machine soul and 'Ersetzung' shuts down with acid-tinged lines, zippy synths and compelling, physical drum patterns.

Review: Houston's Seven Davis Jr continues his musical explorations via his Secret Angles imprint, serving three floor-focused cuts on 'Is This The Apocalypse'. The long-serving US producer, vocalist and DJ is unafraid of experimentation, and his latest offering delivers a set of forward-facing house and techno hybrids. Stripped, straight to the point, simultaneously familiar and fresh i the club room is very much the focus here. The energetic opener 'I Should Be In Japan' arrives with semi-sung vocals echoing over sleazy bass and fierce four-four rhythms, before 'PBS (Party & Bullshit)' ups the tempo with jacking drums driving spoken-word sass over a stripped-back topography. Finally, the title track powers over swung house drums, with its magnetic bass hook and looped samples providing the bed for paranoid bleeps and call-to-action vocals.

Review: Shiffer and Paul Brenning's latest collaboration is a masterclass in restraint and groove. The tracks here unfold slowly, each element carefully placed, allowing the deep, rumbling bass and crisp percussion to speak for themselves. There's a warmth to the production, with subtle melodies peeking through the smooth rhythms, creating a hypnotic effect that pulls you in. The vibe is steady yet unpredictable, and you can feel the influence of house, techno, and everything in between. It's an understated but impressive exploration of sound.

Review: German producer Sidney Charles likes his beats chunky and his grooves heavy. He heads up the Heavy House Society which is named in reference to that fact and that is where he steps up now with a new 12", Reso Riddim. The lithe title cut gets things underway then 'Objection' offers up super smooth and irresistible rhythms run through with deft synth work and nice swirling cosmic overtones. 'Rawline 98' taps into a throwback house sound for all passion and sweatiness and last of all 'Charles List' is an all our jacker with snappy snares, yelping vocals and Boo Williams-style house heat that will get any floor going.

Review: Simoncino is like a direct link to the earliest roots of deep house. His sounds are coated in tones of tape hiss, dustiness from his analogue machines, and dreamy synth work that speaks of his Italia heritage. This newest EP is another class outing on Quintessentials that finds him leaning into dub. 'Dub Theory I' is mid-tempo but with nice drive, 'Dub Theory II' has more thunder in the claps and darkness in the bass. 'Dub Theory III' brings shards of melodic light that cut through the muggy atmospheres and 'Dub Theory IV' is a nice Maurizio-style techno roller for early evening or the dead of night.

Review: CULTED return in trademark force with five wild psych-bangers from luminaries Simple Symmetry, Thomass Jackson, Orchid, Ayala, and Multi Culti boss Thomas Von Party teamed up with Oltrefuturo. A sense of weirdness exudes from these tunes, refusing the common pitfalls of twee chord progressions or underproduction hidden behind rawness; these ones are as high-qual, watery, poured-over as can be, yet also bring with them a real sense of exploration and eccentricity of mood. The utmost case in point is Thomas Van Party & Oltrefuturo's 'Kookoo', a chugging machine-elven carnival of doffed conical hats and gated cute vocals.

Review: Dubliner Noah Skelton brings a deep four-track helter-skelter to Zingiber Audio, topping up a well-travelled catalogue whose earprints are borne in the discographies of Amour, Daydream and Mayak. 'Formentario' and 'Pacer' deepen our hearts with fulsome beats n' bass, carefully constructed to manifest in the listener a looser, undammed destiny. 'It's A Flesh Wound', meanwhile, subtly balances emo-breaks and curious acid jazz, with a popout FM and dancing piano plinks proving particularly pacific, not least when set against *those* chords.

Review: SL Jung may not be particularly prolific - this two-tracker marks the Berlin-based producer's fifth vinyl outing since 2018 - but what he does put out tends to be strong and steady. For proof, check dub techno influenced A-side 'W1', where echoing melodic motifs and liquid synthesizer flourishes bubble along atop a sturdy dub-wise bassline and snappy drum machine beat. It's as hypnotic, locked-in and quietly attractive as you'd expect, with plenty of low-end weight to counter to prettier top-end elements. Title track 'Coherence' is another slab of tech-house/dub-techno fusion, though this time blessed with more off-kilter, effects-laden riffs, Villalobos noises aplenty and deep, warm bass.

Review: Chicago born, Detroit-raised Delano Smith is one of the foundational artists of the contemporary house scenes. In 2023, he revealed he was suffering with a rare form of cancer but as this new EP title suggests, he is still here and still crafting high-grade sounds. 'When I Was Young' kicks off with his signature smoky drum loops and train travel sense of hypnosis. 'The Rush' is another heads down jam, this time marbled with eerie pads and wet clicks and claps that oil the groove while 'Rewired' shuts down with real late night delicacy and evocative minimalism.

Review: Aussie label Foul Play Records snip the red tape with a logographic roll of the dice, and an initiatory two-tracker by resident producer Solar Suite. Described rightly as two techy peak-time cuts, 'Plumb' and its sibling tune 'Second Wind' are alleged to have been made following a near religious experience experienced at Amsterdam club DOKA in 2021. The holy frenzy that follows is indeed a kind of percussive enthusiasmos, centring on deep, resonant sampled shouts and slippery sound design between fidgeting drums. 'Plumb' moves only ever so slightly more harmonic, its underlying chords and "ah" stutters functioning as audial anchors.

Review: Given his profile and the fact that much of his music is released via the Diynamic Music imprint he co-founded way back in 2006, it's something of a surprise to see Solomun pop up on Running Back - a testament, perhaps, to his friendship with RB chief Gerd Janson. 'Can't Stop' is undoubtedly a peak-tine classic in the making - a breathless, non-stop sprint in which waves or raw electronic lead lines, TB-303 driven bass and tech-house flourishes ride a jacking house beat. It comes backed with more percussive, beefed-up 'Dub Mix' and bonus cut 'Follow The Disco Ball', a sparkling blend of stomping house, Eurodance style lead lines and pulsating Italo-disco bass.

Review: London's Lirica Archives hear two acid/electro heads go head-to-head on a new EP themed after a nominal, demented festival. Andy Somoza and Aka Juanjo are two producers from Bolivia and therein lies the four-track rub: a slickly unsettling analog house record flecked with South American flavour and fervour. With two sides shared equally between artists, Somoza handles peaktime with rubbery basses and single-hit vocal ones, while Juanjo burrows deeper into the groove, with growling basses and swarthily shadowed vocal samples arranged longitudinally across 'The Unknown' and 'Constante'.

Review: Stavroz returns after a year of creative hibernation with the 'Kick Up the Dust' EP, marking a refined yet experimental journey through sound. The title track takes a direct route to the dancefloor, blending remorseless beats with an elegant trumpet and saxophone duet that's as healing as it is intense. Her Eyes Were Red offers a unique emotional blend of melancholy and power, while Dae-El, featuring Poltrock, brings a dreamy fusion of synths and duduk into an ethereal, spaced-out listening experience. The EP's depth is further showcased in Valente, a collaboration with Castello Branco, where Sade-like vocals meet acoustic guitar and horns. An inventive EP that masterfully straddles the line between the club and the couch.

Review: Stefano Chesti aka Stephno has been hella busy this year as this is already his fifth release of 2025. His sound is rooted in techno but with hints of jacked up early Chicago and that's clear again here. 'The Intermittent' is a raw roller with vamping chord stabs to keep you locked. 'Dritto E Tondo' has some brilliantly succulent and pining kick drums powering it along with raw-as-you-like hits and trippy synths and 'Romantic Dub' is just that - warm, zoned out, cavernous dub for late night love-ins. 'Sieben Null Sieben' brings analogue drum sounds and Windy City realness to the fore to close.

Review: Stones Taro's latest offering is a masterclass in the art of tension and release, where breakbeat rhythms meet house grooves in a seamless, almost hypnotic blend. 'Clutch' anchors the release with a frenetic bassline and chopped vocal snippets that feel precision-engineered for the dancefloor. Then there's 'Stealthy Meow,' a surprising turn into trance-inflected euphoria, its shimmering melodies wrapped around a sturdy rhythmic core. Christopher Ledger's remix of 'Clutch' takes a darker path, stripping back the original's energy in favour of a creeping, minimalist tech-house groove. It's music that feels alive, constantly shifting under the weight of its own restless momentum. Here, Stones Taro has refined his genre-blending formulai as well as perfected it.

Review: Studio 1's 'Schwarz' EP, brought to life by minimalist maestro Wolfgang Voigt, embodies the essence of 90s minimal techno. Originally crafted in 1997 but released only in 2019, it features three entrancing cuts: 'Schwarz 1,' 'Schwarz 2,' and 'Schwarz 3.' The Studio 1 series, starting in 1995, made waves for its unique formula of monochromatic sleeves and no-nonsense, untitled tracks. This aesthetic not only refined the genre's visual identity but also its sonic minimalism. 'Schwarz' remains a masterclass in stripped-down techno.

Review: Lisbon's Hubble Recordings present their sixth release so far, keeping firm to their artist-specific EPs approach following brilliant releases from Kaesar, Costin RP, Miroloja, Octave and Alex Pervukhin. The latest is from tech house hurler Sublee aka Stefan Nicu, whose flight-booking impulse is as strong as ever, here having stopped over from far-flung Romania. After a string of both digital and vinyl stopovers, 'Personal Universal' appears as the pendular follow-up to 2024's Rawax debut 'Simple Two', bringing hugely doubled vocal cantata to a fervent acid build on the title track, while ensuers 'Simple One' and 'Laculesdesample' bring fidgety synth double bass and unorthodox percussions. A personal universe we'd never want to leave!

Review: The mighty Rawax has now put out more than 100 releases and they are all as timeless and useful as the next. Sublee steps up for this new slab of sound and kris off with 'v' which take sup the whole of the A-side but enervating outstays its welcome. It is a progressive house cut with a driving low end, plenty of grit in the percussion and pads that circle round to bring scale and a sense of cosmic adventure. 'Simple Two' slips into a deeper, more silky tech house vibe with lovely melodic patterns raining down from above. 'Hey Brother' shuts down with some dark breakbeats and mind melting synth leads that are pure peak time, post-rush fodder.

Review: Swayzak is a micro house, minimal and techno duo, aka James S Taylor and David Brown from the UK, whose name alone will get many older dancers hot under the collar. Their craft was second to none during their peak and here we get a reminder of that with a new outing on Rawax. 'Floyd' is a jazzy dancer with live claps, spinning hi-hats and louche grooves all topped with synthetic synths that never quit. 'Doobie' is a more deep sound with late-night headsy vibes. The drums are supple, the synths squeal and spoken word mutterings add a human touch. Two well-realised and effective cuts from Swayzak.

Review: First released in 1999, Swayzak's 'Floyd/Doobie' shook the British duo's catalogue. Though it wasn't 'Bueno' or 'Fukumachi', this deep house cut was the next best choice for followers of the then burgeoning tech house circuit. Swayzak were already favourites on this and the deep house scene, and had clawed in acclaim for their involvement in both as early as 1993. One particularly prolix bio deems them the incipients of "1st wave 2000-era progressive deep minimal", which is too analytic even for us manic categorisers. No, we prefer to take these two big-hitters as they are: brimming with enthusiasm for a gadget-packed future, 'Floyd' fizzes and twitches with the pulsing blurts of a saw synth, as if to suggest constant magnetic stimulation from above. 'Doobie', meanwhile, hears our protagonist disrobe the techno utility belt, returning to a wireless home, so to gaze out over a subtly detuned chord landscape set to munching percs.

Review: Steve Poindexter and Traxman's Factory Music Chicago imprint has been around for a while, though releases have historically been occasional rather than regular. This split EP, featuring three acid-fired jackers apiece from Traxman and Slick Rick Da Master, is only the label's fifth vinyl outing - and fifth in total. Traxman handles side A, confidently striding between the mind-mangling jacking stomp of 'Pulaski Road', the lo-fi acid crankiness of 'Get Some Act Right Acid' and the sleazy and breathless TB-303 insanity of 'Warp Acidz Warp'. Turn to side B for Slick Rick Da Master's three heavyweight contributions: the mind-bending hypnotism of EP highlight 'Acidbo 1', the sample-rich nostalgia and red-lined beats of 'Everybody Dance (dub)' and the effects-laden trip that is 'Acid Jack'.

Review: One Eye Witness rounds up another four acts for their periodic V/A series, spewing forth four breaks-driven whooshers crossing into progressive techno territory. The Hague duo Young Adults nod to a 1997 Loveparade anthem with 'It's Only Temporary', while breaks and kick implants converge on Christopher Ledger's 'Change That', a track which sounds like the starting firings of an interplanetary expedition pod after years of disuse. Joely brings cosmic chug on the cocooning B1 'Transitional', while the Samesame closer 'Novel End' is just that, traversing a noxious atmosphere with a flexoskeletal electro beat.

Review: Stiroll's Sofia marks the Ukrainian artist's return to Greyscale Records with his first full-length album, painting a sonic portrait of a day in the life of a suburban area. The album invites listeners to experience the subtle intricacies and layered sounds of a community awakening, bustling, and finally resting as night falls. The journey begins with 'Intro - Dusk,' a brisk and atmospheric opener that evokes the early morning stillness before a city stirs to life. The full chord remnants and distant echoes set the stage for the day ahead, capturing the anticipation of the morning. 'Standbye' follows, offering a more airy and purposeful vibe, moving away from minimalism to suggest the first signs of activity, as if the world is slowly beginning to wake. 'Foundamental' continues this progression, riding along with gentle sounds punctuated by flares of static, hinting at the humidity and energy building in the air. The track flows effortlessly, mirroring the natural rhythm of a day gaining momentum. As the day matures, 'Sequence To None' introduces more serious, conflicting chords, perhaps reflecting the push and pull of daily routines and interactions. The crisp production and deep bassline ground the track, offering a sense of structure and direction. Midday arrives with 'Vidlunnia,' a sparse, downtempo piece that feels like basking in the warmth of the sun. The chords wash over the listener like rays, creating a relaxing, chill-out atmosphere with a broken rhythm that invites reflection. The pace slows with 'Interlude - Fall Moon,' where a churning, almost mechanical heartbeat drives the track forward, building tension as the day begins to wane. The ominous mood that emerges in the second half hints at the challenges that often accompany the close of a day. 'Nulle Part' shifts the mood with a more pronounced beat, offering a straightforward yet catchy rhythm that feels both harmonious and conflicted. The hypnotic quality draws you in as it moves toward a positive, yet complex resolution. 'Fall Control' then soothes with heavily processed sounds, offering a brief moment of respite before the album's closing tracks. 'Hope' stands out as the most original dub track on the album, blending strings with a lofty melody that soars before plunging into deeper, more uncertain territory. The track feels otherworldly, capturing the complexities and contradictions of hope itselfia fitting theme as the day begins to wind down. Finally, 'Outro - Dawn' signals the end of the day and the album, with ambient washes that gently alert like a clock, leaving the listener with a sense that it is time to close. Sofia is a meticulously crafted album that encapsulates the ebb and flow of daily life in a suburb, bringing together the sounds of different people and languages into a unified, sonic narrative.

Review: Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1 and Freiland are landmark examples of 1990s minimalist concept techno. Studio 1 defined a stripped-down, hypnotic approach, while Freiland explored a more experimental, textured sound. This release features two discs with each of those differing approaches served up, but the second compiles the best of Freiland into a continuous set. Both showcase Voigt's pioneering vision and knack for marrying great precision with an absorbing atmosphere in a way that remains influential today. Essential listening for techno-purists and fans of the avant-garde.

Review: UK-based producer Yuri Suzuki goes hard as nails on his latest effort, landing on Detroit Underground with an unfettered collection of pounding techno cuts. Having previously released on labels including Sketches, Accidental, and Super Rhythm Trax, including notable collaborations with Ed DMX, this long-player is among his most unflinching. From the aptly titled 'Violent Acid Stuff' to the no-less descriptive 'Raver', the tempo maintains a furious pace throughout, with pounding drums, jarring synths, and, of course, searing 303 lines very much the order of the day. Simply put, if you're a fan of acid techno, you'd be strongly advised to buy this one on sight.