Review: Basel-based experimental labels Amenthia Recordings and A Walking Contradiction join forces for their first collaborative release here in the form of the Flash Crash/Hack Crash EP. Both labels are known for pushing boundaries within their close-knit creative circles and this one features Agonis' heavy stepper and Konduku's whirlpool of low frequencies on the Amenthia side, while Lemont continues the low-end, tripped-out vibe. Varuna represents A Walking Contradiction and delivers swampy, slow-motion sounds in their signature style. This release embodies both labels' commitment to daring, unconventional electronic sounds.
Review: Deeper shades of a finely sifted pedigree. Irish label Appian Sounds, helmed up by Al Blayney, champion only winnowed techno sounds, not threshed. A welcome international team huddle in, with these six artists from locales as far-flung as Amsterdam and Valencia contributing the likes of 'Tsuneo' and 'Persist'. The tunes verge melodic as they move through and beyond jankiness, distending die-cut acids and subtly synthetic humanisations, especially in the percussion department. 'Fuego' is the zen roshi's choice, its gaffered, glass-smithed pads topping off a naturalistic percussive surging forward, one best experienced with your eyes closed.
Review: Adam Beyer shares his first collaboration with Vintage Culture, 'Lift Me Up' featuring Kyozo. A suspenseful covenant formed between three huge-room techno striators, 'Lift Me Up' was born from a fruitful back-and-forth shared on the road to Sonus Festival in Croatia. Packing a clenched sawtooth lead - one that hardly requires the development that the track nonetheless indulges by way of tuned impacts and chord transitions - this one ends up a dramatic build, as a vaunted vocal lines abjures us to "lift me up", as we listeners end up, paradoxically, the ones uplifted.
Review: Statica's debut release, 'M2-9: Wings of a Butterfly', showcases the label's dedication to serving up diverse techno sounds. This split EP, STATICA001, opens with two intense and dancefloor-ready bangers by the prolific Central Intelligence on the A-side, and both are packed with visceral drum energy and synth unpredictability. The B0side features Madrid-based Victor Reyes, who delivers two reflective but also emotionally charged 4/4 workouts that create a compelling contrast that embodies Statica's "Forces in Equilibrium" ethos. Inspired by the unique butterfly-shaped nebula Minkowski 2-9, this release is a fresh and impactful fusion of power and sensitivity.
Review: NeoAcid returns with another EP of uncompromising techno, a sonic assault that's sure to leave a lasting impression. Flkn's 'The Jam' sets the tone, a relentless barrage of distorted kicks and acid lines that feels like a descent into a chaotic, industrial underworld. Collaborations with Jacidorex and Vcl push the boundaries further, their twisted soundscapes and distorted rhythms creating a sense of exhilarating chaos, like a runaway train hurtling through a dystopian landscape. On the flipside, Pisapia takes the reins, offering a slightly different flavour with hypnotic grooves and infectious melodies that add a touch of dark energy to the mix. A headfirst dive into the depths of techno, a sonic thrill ride that will leave you disoriented and exhilarated.
Review: FoxBam Inc returns with its fourth EP featuring a powerful mix of floor-shaking productions. The release includes contributions from Gez Varley, best known for his work with LFO and classic tracks like 'Quo Vardis' alongside Italian acid producer Vikkei and label founders Foxtrot and Egebamyasi. This new one opens with the acid-heavy 'Battle Scars' while Vikkei delivers the hard techno 'Hip 'n' Crack.' Egebamyasi explores bass-driven wobbly dubstep with 'Mandubchester' and Varley's 'Saturn One' brings cinematic vibes to his signature techno style. Launched in 2023, FoxBam Inc is already becoming a key player in the underground.
Review: The cultured ESHU label has pulled other some more tasteful talents for this four track 'Conrexture' EP. It opens up with Julien Fuentes's 'Jah Justice' (Klaridub Ambient mix) which is a nice atmospheric opener with some conscious dub mutterings and sci-fi pads. Jocelyn & Yasin Engwer then kick on with some watery, sub-aquatic minimal dub tech bliss in the form of 'Sticks & Stones', Voal gets even more dark and dirty with some grubby dub basslines on 'Eight Ball' and Ivano Tetelepta/Christine Benz layer up watery droplets, melodic whistles, static electricity and rubbery rhythms to mind-melting perfection on 'Supreme.'
Review: Molekul's 11th outing is a various artists' affair with each of them exploring high-impact techno with a retro bent. JKS's 'Express Yourself' is a video game soundtrack for a post-apocalyptic shoot-em up. "Bad Boy" Pete brings dark and driving breakbeats infused with fierce stabs on 'Champion Sound' and Jacidorex brings some warped acid lines to the ever ascending and tightly stacked 'Extinctor.' Vikkei shut down with 'E Fallo Uno', which is an update of a manic hardstyle sound with caustic synths running a mock. Pure dance floor carnage, this.
Review: Luschn and Roman Khropko seamlessly blend their styles on 'Rozchyn', a bouncing, elastic groove that pulsates with energy, its hypnotic rhythms and infectious melodies drawing the listener into a world of sonic intrigue. 'High Hopes' takes a different approach, its smooth, tech-infused textures creating a hypnotic atmosphere, like a journey through a neon-lit cityscape at night. On the flipside, Luschn's 'Never Defeat Me' emerges as an anthem for the resilient, its driving rhythm and soaring melodies inspiring perseverance and determination.
Review: For the seventh V/A EP to be released by the label, End Of Perception welcome four new artists aboard their fleet; Orbe, dc11, Viels and Peryl. Each artist bringing a respective techno cogjammer to the record, the sound laid out throughout is nonetheless thoroughly misty and wayward; 'Raster' and 'Caduta Nel Vuoto' both sound like probing rovers navigating the treacherous topsoils of some far-off darkened exoplanet without breathable air; the B-side moves more subterranean, its grooves toothier and clearer-headed, as though we'd found a pocket of oxygen under a rock, yet also unfortunately the the object of predation by a wriggling, scuttling alien that's made said rock its home.
Review: Two years ago, Italy's Balearic Gabba Soundsystem switched from remixing and re-editing their favourite cuts to curating compilation style EPs of similarly minded fare. They're in that mode again here, presenting a trio of cuts that combine the saucer-eyed warmth and loved-up musicality of Balearic music culture with grooves and rhythms firmly focused on the dancefloor. They begin by showcasing Wallace's sublime remix of Sewell & The Gong's 'Better Worlds', a locked-in, hypnotising fusion of semi-organic deep house grooves, new age melodic motifs and the dreamiest of ambient chords. Over on the flip they dip into slo-mo Italo-disco/acid house fusion via SIRS fine revision of My Friend Dario's 'Tell Aro', before treating us to a Pedro Bertho remix of Verdo's 'Belvourdier' in which sparkling Balearic house piano riffs, undulating acid lines and mid-80s "chorus" synth sounds rise above a fluctuating synthesiser bassline and hustling beats.
Review: The Blue Hour crew have put together this classy four-track various artists EP to round out their year in style. Spekki Webu's 'Cycleon' is the busy opener with silky, punchy breaks and melon-twisting pads up top. DJ Ibon's 'Slug Knife' is more hard techno in vibe with flat, unrelenting drums. LDS's 'Ere Audio' (vinyl edit) keeps that hard style coming with drilling bass and glitchy synths over looped drums that lock you into a hypnotic rhythm. Vel's 'Tunnel' then brings a punishing techno sound to close with all sorts of freaky sounds scurrying throughout the arrangement.
Works Of Intent & Voltaire - "Cascade Rips" (6:38)
Marco Bailey - "Arcane" (4:30)
Tom Hades & Soren Aalberg - "Perditae" (6:08)
Review: This four-track compilation draws a tight line between warehouse muscle and emotional lift, delivering techno that's as moving as it is functional. Each cut brings a distinct perspective, yet they all share a sense of cinematic build and focused production. Gregor Tresher starts with 'Bonegrinder', a slow-burn builder that creeps forward before erupting into a peak-time workout. The groove is tight, the progression deliberate and when it hits full stride, it lands with impact. 'Cascade Rips', a collaboration between Works Of Intent and Voltaire, brings a different mood entirely. Its rolling bassline sits beneath a futuristic synth lead that feels both suspenseful and strangely touching. There's emotion under the surface and it simmers just right. On the Side-B, Marco Bailey drops 'Arcane', built around raw drum machine sequences and electro pulses. It grooves hard with a throwback vibe, nodding to early rave with metallic melodies and vocodered snippets that recall Kraftwerk without mimicking. The closer, 'Perditae' by Tom Hades and Soren Aalberg, floats into a more euphoric space. Its rising melody and ghostly vocals feel like they're beamed down from the heavens. A smartly curated collection of peak and soul.
Review: A quick piping of ultrafast space-techno comes as a six-track aural electro-techno drip, courtesy of Berlin's Mechatronica Music. The second in their 'Constellations' series of V/A EPs, this is an exodic exultation, charting top farings from the likes of Umwelt, Ben Pest and Viikatory. Umwelt's opening charge 'Stellar Oscillations' is a warpsped drive back to the retrofuture, with punctured stabs and fractal chord efferents propelling a lengthy trance crissing 'cross the milky way. Pest's 'Shodan' takes a detour, recharging at an interstellar traction substation specialising in sputtery, kilowatted electro. And 'Be Scared Of Clowns' is the titular highlight by Prz & Ori bringing a different spaceship to the same docking bay; it is the comparative Borg cube to the A3's Romulan craft, lessening any residual humanity for a shocking laserdesign B cut.
Review: Van Boom shows a talent for blending dark, atmospheric tones with experimental soundscapes here while working with artists like whiterose, Safety Trance and Evita Manji on an album that explores themes of emotional vulnerability and transformation. The opening track 'Nuborne' sets the tone with its haunting, immersive sound, followed by 'Untethered' with the ethereal vocals of whiterose. 'Polished Wounds' and 'Object Mapping' delve deeper into intricate textures and layered compositions. It sounds great and looks good too on limited edition smokey clear vinyl.
Review: Niels Van Gogh's Pulverturm (ANNA Rework) on Belgium's Epoque Records is a powerhouse techno ready for the mainstage. Side-1 features the ANNA rework, transforming the original into a heavy club anthem with a rolling bassline and catchy vocal. This deeper, heavier version reinvents 'Pulverturm' into a techno monster. Side-2 offers the more vintage-sounding original, characterised by its melodic and trance-inducing qualities. A great builder in its own right, this version will fit great into any trance or techno set. This release showcases two distinct yet compelling takes on a classic, making it a versatile addition to any techno collection.
Review: A powerful exploration of dynamic techno. Side-1 kicks off with 'On Point', featuring a stomping beat paired with jazzy techno elements. The track is loopy and hard-steppin', bringing a fresh energy that's both invigorating and hypnotic. On Side-2, 'Request Another Dream' takes listeners on a trip into a sci-fi techno realm. The track's eerie, alien atmosphere builds a sense of mystery, creating a vivid soundscape. Closing the EP, 'Open Sea' delivers a melodic, Detroit-inspired groove with deep, soulful beats that push the track to the next level. It's a smooth, introspective journey that adds depth and complexity to the release. This blend of hard-hitting beats and emotive, melodic elements, shows Van Orton's ability to balance raw energy with thought-provoking soundscapes and we're sure experimental and deep techno fans will really enjoy this.
Review: The second release from ISOTOOP features Vand's solo venture across three introspective tracks, each of which is drawn from his live repertoire. They all explore various facets of the dancefloor with 'Futureshock' starting with a solitary groove that sets a foreboding yet self-assured tone. 'Gaze' combines sharp snares, wobbly atmospheres and shadowy bass to create a minimalist dub vibe and the final piece, 'Trialism,' blends gravity with grace atop a syncopated drumline. Natural.electronic/system's remix of this closer enhances it with loop-based hypnosis. Very useful EP, this one.
Review: French techno alchemist Vardae is the latest artist to feature on German experimental drum & bass label Samurai Music. Vardae has dabbled with 85/170bpm speeds before, most notably on his excellent 'The Kaipos' EP. This time we get a full EP's worth of deep techno-influenced drum & bass, a sound that is familiar to anyone following recent trends in the deeper scenes of techno: acid lines, forest drums, mystic vocals, etc. The opener 'The Light Motion' is a halftime groover with fluttering percussion propelling it forward. The second 'Chaeming Your Soul' has a more recognisable drum & bass rhythm underneath, bringing to mind Overlook and UVB-76's back catalogue with powerful acid washes over the top. 'Voices Of Depossesion' has a conventional four-to-the-floor beat but at a blistering BPM and 'Flaming As A Cloud' ends with an excellent drum & synth-ony. One for fans of Marco Shuttle, Pessimist, et al.
Porter Brook - "Three Things You Can Watch Forever" (5:58)
Ayu - "Light & Reflection" (4:51)
Atavic - "Subconscious" (5:30)
Tammo Hesselink & DYL - "Accent Award" (5:10)
Plebeian - "Gowanus" (5:05)
Review: Aaron J's Sure Thing kicks on towards its tenth release with a superb new 12" packed with fresh techno jams. Myriad different mods, grooves and tempos are on offer here starting with the puling rhythmic depths of Vardae's 'Pahlevan' then moving on to Kick21's 'Bright Interface', a dark and haunting low-end wobbler. Atavic's 'Subconscious' is a heady one with ambient cosmic pads over deeply hurried, supple rhythms then while Tammo Hesselink & DYL combine to mesmeric effect on the carefully curated broken beat brilliance of 'Accent Award.' A forward-thinking EP for sure.
Review: Belgium's Materia flaunt a preference for bracing techno angles on the new split release from Christian Varela and Marco Bailey, proving new, crisply produced motor city heat need not indulge banality or sameness. Bailey, the apparent lynchpin of the label, straddles three sides of wax with 'Wraith', 'Freal' and 'Shadowed Path', with neatly rounded and resolved chords interleaving about gutting kick chugs. Varela occupies takes up only a quarter of the groove space with 'Lac Operations', a baseline undercurrent of neural flows and rapid apparatic responses.
Review: Greek producer Stelios Vassiloudid has been making techno moves since the turn of the millennium under a range of different aliases. Here he appears as himself with four supercharged dub techno cuts for Dubwax. 'Lie In Wait' is a really tight, taught affair with pinging kicks and icy hi-hat ringlets. 'MIA' is more warm and vibes with a soulful core and underlapping bass waves. There is a more minimal and abstract sound to the curious dub bumps of 'Reverse Engineer' that encourage you to be at your most fluid. 'Grains' shuts down with grainy lo-fi pads, vinyl crackle and sparse kick that soundtrack an underwater jaunt. There is plenty of subtle variation to these rhythms which makes it a dead handy dub EP.
Metal Master - "Spectrum" (Bart Skills & Weska Reinterpretation)
The Beauty And The Beast (Eric Prydz re-edit)
OFF - "Electrica Salsa" (feat Sven Vath - Roman Flugel remix)
Cala Llonga
Sounds Control Your Mind
Dein Schweiss
Robot (Kolsch remix)
L'Esperanza (Hardspace mix)
Privado
Mind Games (Roman Flugel remix)
Face It
Astral Pilot - "The Day After"
Review: Given that he's been active as a producer since the dawn of the 90s, it would be fair to say that Sven Vath is well worthy of an authoritative, expansive retrospective. That's certainly what we get here on this quadruple-vinyl mix of classic productions and fresh, eye-catching remixes. It's the latter that dominate the early stages of the collection - see Adam Port's hypnotic, didgeridoo-sporting revision of 'Ritual of Life', Speedy J's acid-fired stomp through 'Ballet-Fusion' - before Vath showcases some of his choice cuts. There's naturally to set the pulse racing, from the twisted, sub-heavy thump of 'Cala Llonga' and the tactile hypnotism of 'Sounds That Control Your Life', to the electroclash-meets-Kraftwerk flex of 'Dein Schweiss' and the ambient techno excellence of 'The Day After', a 21- minute epic from 1995 produced alongside Steffen Britzke as Astral Pilot.
Review: Colombian producer JP Lopez aka Verraco delivers full-throttle techno gritted up with grime influences on his new 'Basic Maneuvers' EP for Tra Tra Trax, the label he co-founded. His offbeat, chrome-plated and heavy style has been heard on Blawan's Voam and Batu's Tiemdance before now and here Verraco blends Latin club energy with signature rhythmic invention. The title track drives with mind-melting techno and ragga-infused bass, while 'Total' fuses gqom and dubstep with holographic vocals inspired by Arca. The grime-tinged 'Sobe Sobe' features Ugandan MC Yallah over Orbital-like pads and gritty, Coki-style midrange. Verraco's genre-blurring mastery knows no bounds.
Review: The ever-versatile Dutchman that is Versalife returns with more of his artfully crafted techno fusions, this time for the Spanish label Apnea. 'Colorvi' kicks off with a jumbled of glistening synth lines, tumbling arps and bristling drums that awaken every sense in your body. 'Omen Observer' has a darker underlying bassline but still gets lit up with sparkling keys that dart about the mix. 'Prophetic Traces' keeps the energy levels up with more fresh broken beat workouts and glowing, pixel-thin synths while 'Out Of Ether' shuts down with a fourth and final electro-techno fusion with an acid and squelchy bassline.
Review: Vertical67 makes a striking debut on Mechatronica with a powerful lineup of hypnotic, melodic, and darkly futuristic club tracks, weaving through electro, techno, breaks and acid. Each cut on this release pushes boundaries, balancing hard-edged rhythms with entrancing atmospheres that keep the energy high yet immersive. This selection is as much a journey as it is a dancefloor experience, showcasing Vertical67's knack for blending genres into a dystopian yet deeply engaging soundscape.
Review: Viels' Pensieri Ricorrenti EP offers four intense and high-powered explorations into deep techno, each track delivering its own distinct energy. Side - opens with 'Wujhca,' a blazing sci-fi journey with aggressive, percussive elements that feel dangerous and futuristic. This track sets a fierce tone, capturing the listener with its high-tech edge. 'Effetto Bilaterale' follows, a hypnotic banger that pulses with relentless energy, drawing you deeper into its rhythmic trance. On Side-2, 'Pensieri Ricorrenti' brings a tech groove that is compelling and seamlessly blends intricate layers of sound. The EP closes with 'Magnete Permanente,' a menacing track reminiscent of Jeff Mills, with its dark, powerful beats and a relentless drive that leaves a lasting impact. Pensieri Ricorrenti EP is for techno lovers seeking tracks that push boundaries and deliver intense, deep techno experiences.
Review: End Of Perception welcomes Italian label head and Acquario resident Viels for a first solo outing that is all about peak time techno with a meditative energy and strong mental imagery. These sounds sit well with those from country peers like Nuel and Donato Dozzy in that they are linear, loopy and full of spectacular sound design. 'Sospiri' is a swampy and dubby sound that is always shapeshifting, 'Movimenti Tellurici' is more intense and sounds like being trapped in a factory during peak production hours and 'Incompleti' has a deep space pulse. 'Destino' pairs thudding hits with synths that encircle you and lock you in the here and now.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.