New releases last four weeks: Techno (All)

Review: Mike Dehnert delivers a versatile four-track EP of his signature slippery machine funq on Syncrophone, with tendrils of influence unfurling in a plethora of directions, from DJ Rush and Paul Johnson's springheeled Chi-town bump to the more recent soul leanings of John FM and Omar S' FXHE alumni. Opener 'Un' is the most conservative, with a restless shuffling b-line and surgically cropped hats assembled for maximum club pressure, while 'Deux' is a spacious, clattering soulful trip full of small room synth squelch and honeyed vocal mantras. The flip is both more pensive and noisy, with the distant hydraulic wheeze of 'Trois' giving way to the wonky, swaggering gait of the closer 'Quatre'. Proper.

Review: It's no wonder Dopplereffekt named their latest EP 'Inifinite Tetraspace'. For starters, a tetrahedron is a 3D triangular pyramid of equal lengths per side. A sine wave, meanwhile, is in auditory form considered the purest, most basic sound - it is also the graph produced by plotting all the ratio points between two sides of a triangle. The logical conclusion is this: infinite tetraspace might be considered the ultimate form of repetitive sound, carrying on forever, triangulating constantly in all directions, never ceasing. For all its vivid imaginings, Dopplereffekt's dualistic, stereo-effected sound carries on in full force on their latest EP for Curtis Electronix, tetra-scribing four icy, unsettling entities that may only be encountered in this special extra-conscious zone.

Review: Ohm and Kvadrant continue to offer their services in the dub techno vein; clearly, this isn't their first Kontakt. 'Treasure Of Kings Garden' reflects a single fantasy: the muted pleasure of discovering a forbidden gem buried at the bottom of his royal majesty's grounds. We imagine Ohm and Kvadrant's king to be a tyrant; necessarily, in fact, his sadism is the exact measure against which this diamond's value can be measured. The three mixes of the sole track 'Precious Little Diamond' unfurl like different stages of bejewelled delight and respite, from the initial 4x4 discovery to Deadbeat's halfstep black market laundering, and followed shortly by Levon Vincent's impressively textural evocation of cathartic relief, on receipt of such requisitioned-then-resold royal riches.

Review: Random Factor's 'On The Air' EP is a hugely sought-after classic by those who know. It came on Ralph Lawson's ever-reliable 20/20 Vision and now, as it turns 25 years old, he has decided it is the right time to get it remastered and reissued. 'On The Air' is first up on this fine EP from Carl Finlow and it has serene synths that bring to mind Detroit techno soul over pulsing bass and slick drums. 'Lockdown' has a raw vocoder vocal over punchy drums and twitchy synth stabs and 'Undercurrent' is another weapon that has more than withstood the test of time as it bumps along on funky drums and is overlaid with more playful synth patterns. 'Disconnect' is a crunchy and 8-bit closer with pixelated synths and screwy acid lines. Superb.

Review: First released back in 2007, UR's 'Hi Tech Dreams' is widely regarded as one of 'Mad' Mike Banks' most perfectly formed EPs - in part because its blend of optimistic techno futurism with dancefloor darkness offers a neat summary of the 'dreaming of utopia, living in a dystopia' message at the heart of Underground Resistance's militant ethos. But analysis aside, it's simply a terrific record - as this timely reissue proves. A-side 'Hi Tech Dreams' lives up to its promise, with far-sighted melodies, tactile riffs and soulful vocal samples rising above a loose-limbed Motor City techno beat. In contrast, 'Lo Tech Reality' is a moodier and more melancholic chunk of breakbeat-driven techno, while 'Hold My Own' is a murky, hip-hop influenced downtempo head-nodder.