Clone impresses with this split release. Orgue Electronique’s ‘On A String’ is pure Chicago hedonism, the tight, doubling up claps setting the scene for a vicious 303 bass, while Legowelt’s subtle percussive twists and moody chords import the spirit of Nu Groove to Rotterdam.
Tensnake’s original is a slamming, filtered house track, but it’s not a patch on Cosmic Sandwich’s remix, which plunges the bass to fathomic depths, laying down heavy acid lines and infectious bleeps.
Detroit house producer Dixon returns with a release that takes inspiration from his techno contemporaries’ fixation with outer space sounds and, on the droning ‘Links’ a booming bass that makes Saunderson’s Resse project seem tame.
It’s become fshionable to slag off Minus, but it’s hard not to be seduced by Pierce’s latest mushy, non-linear release. This doublepack ambles along unhurriedly, but Pierce is busy throughout, catching the listener off guard with visceral percussion, lurching bass licks and frazzled acid freakouts.
The blues contribution to this release is questionable, but ‘Three’ has an untamed wildness that is achieved through panning acid sequences, dubby grooves and outer space Detroit sounds.
Rod Modell’s comeback series surprises again. After the second EP’s steppa shanties, volume three returns to what he excels at, multi-layered, chords and all-encompassing, cavernous dubby rhythms that hit you the moment the needle drops
‘Corvo Molto’ features tough bass licks and deep house chords, while ‘The Action Painter’ is a surrealist take on techno, a detuned bass trying and just about succeeding in holding together quirky melodies and organic, pastoral sounds.
What happens when trip-hop producers stop making credible dance music? On the evidence of James Lavelle’s new Unkle album, they start churning out radio-friendly rock music.
In the main, it’s an understated affair, with the exception of the stuttering, typically Bpitch dance floor groove of ‘Sucker Pin’ and the smoky, evocative collaboration with Paul St Hillaire.
Pussycat takes a break from his ghetto sound to serve up dark electro breaks, but doesn’t stop singing. Sounding like the stoopid one from the Beatie Boys, he tells a tale about selling dope at the trailer park, over rough 303 rhythms.
The hissing percussion and multi-layered chords of Deepchord’s ‘Abraxas’ has the same effect as the enveloping warmth of a pure MDMA hit, while ‘Empryean’ awakens Kingston’s ghosts with an irresistible shanty.
Solid dubby beats, heavy bass and a hint of Chicago’s past in the intricate percussion mean Pier Bucci and Crazy Larry’s collaboration sounds superior to most Ableton-driven excursions.
Techno doesn’t get much more ‘real’ than ‘Machina Nera’: recorded using hardware and based on the first cut, the rich dubby beats and moody chords sound fuller than two-dimensional minimal.
Schneider invokes the spirit of Detroit on ‘Belize’. Layer upon layer of melodic pads build to create the kind of hypnotic techno sound that Stacey Pullen made his name with – but in this instance, it’s powered by German rhythmic precision.
‘Searching’ is Leena’s biggest tune so far: blurring the boundaries between house, trance and techno, it sounds old school, futuristic and unmistakably European – all at the same time.
The title track and ‘Shadowdancer’ emulate classic house and techno, but neither sound as fresh as the mournful, complex key changes of ‘Planetarium’, a sound that is instantly recognisable as Gregory’s own.
One of the UK’s greatest producers delves deeper into the world of dub techno: ‘Unknown Exception’s’ introspective layers and gentle bass lurch along, but they drop away suddenly at the midway point and then the track kicks back in as a metallic, minimal groove. Smart and effortlessly sublime.
Mathew Jonson’s reshape of ‘Wonder 21’ is based on the kind of trancey ethno riff that made ‘India In Me’ so memorable, but it’s overshadowed by the original version’s thick purring bass.
Mindful that their visceral metallic construction is too dense for most ears, Adjunct have drafted in the uncannily consistent John Tejada, who makes the groove swinging and drops a bass that growls like a cranky Rottweiler.
If you’re after dancefloor functionality, then ‘Taint’ is a good place to start: this three track is based on driving beats, plinky plonky percussive arrangements and acidic bass licks.
Gerard Hanson drops an EP that makes most techno producers sound like amateurs. ‘Interface’ is full of complex yet emotive musical progressions and boasts ‘Translucent Blue Display’, the wiriest techno rhythms since Derrick May last danced ‘The Dance’.
The second split Spectral release sees James T Cotton bang the acid box, emitting low slung 303 emissions and heavy duty claps on ‘2 Keys’. He’s joined by noisemaker Mikael Stavostrand and Jonas Kopp’s version of Plan Tec’s ‘Espias Psiquicos’, a slamming analogue workout.
Unfortunately, too much of this album is taken up with annoying, repetitive dirges or ill-advised efforts to make abstract techno, which does not kompute.
Combining wonky electronic rhythms with soaring strings and sensuous woodwind doesn’t sound like an original approach, but these musical components were played live rather than being sampled.
Like Seefeel meets Rhythm & Sound, ‘First Point Of Aries’ is an echoing, reverberating sound scape, its layers of static white noise constantly evolving and changing, but never making it onto the dancefloor. Thankfully, the lurching bass of ‘Celestialls’ is quicker to make dance floor advances.
The fourth instalment sees Bee Low deliver menacing, bleepy minimalism and Antonelli and Norken & Deer conjuring up the kind of warm, widescreen chords and pads that modern techno has lacked for too long.
'DMT’ isn’t ‘India In Me’ part two: a hypnotic dance floor track, its rolling, intricate rhythm and twitchy percussion boast snippets of trancey melodies that sound functional rather than inspirational.
Force Of Nature’s remix of Ana’s ‘Shift’ plants a heavy, pulsing backing underneath the Japanese pop band’s floaty melodies and fey guitar lines, but Ame’s ‘Tonight’ points to cosmic disco’s future, a blend of dubbed out drums and warm house keys.
Balandine features a rough bass and gradually building noisy riffs – sound tracking Ame’s love of Wild Pitch’s basic approach – while a demented vocal combines with a nasty acid line and a bass with a beeping rave horn on ‘Enoi’.
Graham Goodwin has been making waves in European house/techno circles and this first release on his label will enhance his reputation: dubby beats and a booming bass underpin layered chords, while Gui Boratto’s glistening, melodic remix represent the acceptable face of trance.
Matthew Dear’s False project is synonymous with following the slow, inclining path to gratification. The stripped back beats of ‘Fed On Youth’ appear deceptively simple, but then Dear drops a resonating bass, followed by what sounds like an aerial bomb delivering its deadly payload in slow motion.
There’s a very fine line between genius and lunacy, but Scottish producer in New York Neil Landstrumm knows where the border lies, and his latest album pokes fun at the crazies from a safe distance.
Claro Intelecto has chosen a more laid back approach than usual. Still looking to Basic Channel for inspiration, ‘Instinct’ ebbs and flows along in an understated manner, while ‘Post’ is deeper, as soft-focus piano chords pitter-patter their way across an aching, dubby backing. Too relaxed for most dance floors, this is ideal mood music.
Mathias Voigt and C-Rock from Frankfurt drop ‘Kazan’, a track inspired by old school house and techno. Remixers My My make the bass darker, the percussion busier and add some trippy acid lines to enhance the original.
Zilske from Smash TV delivers ‘Aura’, a moody, stab-heavy groove that’s too common among German producers, but he compensates with the title track, which rides a mean bass to reach an atmospheric place.
The sleazy ‘Melting’ offers minimal dance floors some much needed sexual energy, while the title track’s dubbed out drums and noisy electronic riffs offer a journey to the farthest reaches of space(d) age techno.
The law of ever-diminishing returns applies on ‘Girl’: the title track, a 303-laced dubby techno affair is the highlight, Inxec’s jacking remix is competent, but ‘Behind The Check Out’ is dull, clicky minimal.
The title track delivers a pulsing dance floor track that’s a halfway house for Plastikman-style acid gurgles and Border Community pastoral trance and which seems to go on for ages.
While the first Meeting was inspired by Nick Cave’s songcraft and The Pixies’ guitar duels, the second outing sees Andrew Weatherall blatantly wear his blues, rockabilly and garage punk influences.
Made in Japan and inspired by old school techno, Somiya’s deep, bleepy bass jams nonetheless have high production values, as the subtle percussion and pulsing bass of ‘Red Chili’ shows.
‘Ghostdriver’ finds Hagelstein in darker than usual mode: the title track’s sharp, angular rhythms and metallic drums play host to menacing, claustrophobic FX and a break down that pushes the track over the edge and into insanity.
Diynamic’s latest offering will catapult it into the big league. ‘Feuervogel’ has the potential to become this year’s answer to ‘Rej’, featuring a dramatic, plucked string melody that sweeps its way across the arrangement. Not even Guido Schneider’s stripped back version can distract from this epic.
This remix release would be stronger without Speakwave’s aggressive industrial version of ‘Hydrogen Bonding’: Alexander Robotnick delivers a DJ-friendly Italo remix of ‘Midnight Moroder’ and Marco Passarani tips ‘Acid Bosons’ over the edge and into a world of 303 mayhem.
Goldmann applies techno futurism to house structures. The lead track’s rhythms are mechanical and the bass is ominous, in stark contrast to the beautiful, fragile melodies.
Giles Smith of Secretsundaze fame unleashes his debut release, a collaboration with King Roc. An acid-flecked jacking track, it gradually reveals haunting melodies and sweet keys and is exactly the kind of warm, summery track label owner Steve Bug will play.
Henrik Schwarz replicates the mixture of soul and funk with techno/house futurism from his ‘DJ Kicks’ mix CD, as a muffled vocal weaves its way in and out of a laidback, acidic arrangement.
Henrik Schwarz replicates the mixture of soul and funk with techno/house futurism from his ‘DJ Kicks’ mix CD, as a muffled vocal weaves its way in and out of a laidback, acidic arrangement.
The shuffling title track features a mournful bluesy guitar, but the idea develops further on ‘I See You’: a gorgeously languid groove, the laidback male vocals and spaced out slide guitar sound like Isolee full of downers.
Flying the flag for deep techno, Orlando Voorn’s version of ‘Sudden Intake’ is all dreamy chords and powerful kicks, Derailleur opts for a mysterious take on ‘Alt/Return/Dash/Kill’ with evocative synths washing over a snaking groove and the Vector Lovers’ take on ‘Machine, Machina’ is exquisite, saccharine string-led techno soul.
Stardiver aka Jorg Burger drops a gently building acidic track, while the hirsute Superpitcher’s ‘Superjam’ focuses on a seductive key changing melody, combines it with a squelchy groove and hits ‘repeat’ for 13 minutes.
Once you hear this taster EP, there’s no excuse to miss out on The Field’s album. ‘The Little Heart Beats So Fast’ is based on an acidic backing and heartbreaking melodies and ‘The Deal’ combines the shoegazers’ ocean of sound guitar melancholia with a swirling, spacey groove.
The first collaboration between Selway and Vincenzo, ‘Dream Stealer’ is a heads down, jacking techno groove, held together by sparse, metallic percussion. Which clocks in at close to ten minutes.
It’s all about the bass on ‘Joko Tai’: from the moment the needle drops, a primal rumble dominates this track. Kiki inserts some shaking percussion and dramatic string sweeps, but they pale into insignificance amid the relentless bass throb.
This Detroit-inspired techno EP teems with sweet chord passages and sensuous pads, but such musical elements would mean little without the accompanying crisp claps, snaking grooves and powerful, booming Resse bass on the final track.
The title track achieves what most nouveau trance producers try yet fail, gradually layering subtle melodies over a pulsing rhythm track. But ‘Burger Sichten Falschgeld’ is more impressive, a melodic and evocative hybrid of Frankfurt trance and Chicago house.
The rough warehouse rhythms of ‘Milo’s Groove’, the gurgling 303s of ‘Imperial Star’ and the aching, layered dubby techno of ‘Liquid Titan’ are the highlights.
Although best-known for his ‘Orchestra Of Bubbles’ collaboration with Ellen Allien, it is clear that whenever Sascha Ring aka Apparat works alone that the magic starts.
Cursor Miner’s ‘Grimewatch’ is based on a splurging bass and cut up rhythms, while sometime drum’n’bass producers Komonasmuk & White Boi’s ‘The Apocalypse’ sounds like the darkest viscous bass of No U-Turn’s back catalogue slowed right down.
‘Wavescraper’ provides a fresh slant on John Tejada’s intricate dance floor techno, with rougher than usual basslines complementing the lush melodies and hypnotic riffs.
Jichael Mackson and Minilogue’s breaky, down tempo versions of this landmark WiR track left me cold, but newcomer Kab’s version compensates, as he fashions the original track’s deeper than deep lush melodies onto a powerful bass rhythm.
On P Toile’s latest EP, it’s all about the bass, a murky, churning low end that gradually reveals weird chords. The end result is a freakish take on stripped back techno, as disorienting as looking at your reflection in a cracked mirror.
AR is German label Areal’s new sub-label, but it makes you wonder why they set it up because the same approach applies. Based on dense, driving, distorted basslines, only the murky 303 riffs are different to Areal’s cranium-splitting sound.
Based on an evocative, tranced out groove, Kahilainen’s combination of two distinctive melodies achieves the necessary spine-tingling effect. My My are on remix duty, and their deeper, more reflective acid-soaked version is just the tonic after a night spent reaching for the stars.
‘Mysterious’ is easily the best thing Tom Mangan has done. The title track is a dubbed out, pulsing groove with a spacey melody line, while ‘Texas’ sees Mangan favour a clicky approach, but before you can cry ‘bandwagon’, a rough, acidic bass kicks in. Sounds like all the detention paid off.
Wrong Meeting is the album that could very easily make stars out of Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood, but perversely, its release is limited to 1,000 vinyl boxed set units.
When Shad T Scott isn’t programming for acts like No Doubt and Alanis Morissette, he likes nothing better than travelling to the farthest depths of electro’s outer limits as Gosub.
A taster for the latest Camping compilation, EP 1 captures the edgy atmosphere of a three-day warehouse party in Berlin. Ben Klock’s ‘Similar Colours’ is a dark, jacking acid track, while Ellen Allien’s take on Safety Scissors’ ‘Where Is Germany’ juxtaposes menacing, brooding riffs with a shuffling groove that Kompakt would kill for.
After his trance flirtation for Kompkat, Brikha is back in familiar territory on ‘Akire’ and the title track’s fusion of electro bass pulses and shiny, futuristic synths and ‘To Begin’, where subtle melodies unfold, mark a return to form.
The title track and ‘Roundabout’ have hypnotic, lullaby-like melodies, with layered riffs and bumping electronic rhythms coming together. ‘Cloudseeding’ sees this live/techno interface go further, with lazy slide guitars and rough beats getting cosy with dubby textures.
Alex Cortex launches the celebratory EP with the droning bass and razor sharp percussion of ‘Freakwave’ and Reade Truth dives to uncharted depths, with the spooky vocals and disjointed breaks of ‘Time To Accept’.
Pressing just 200 copies of each release, DJ TLR is adhering to an underground creed with his new sub-label. D’Marc Cantu and X2 use Chicago house as inspiration, with the distinctive, shuffling kettledrums and jacking rhythms providing the basis for walls of droning bass.
Alexi Delano and Jesper Dahlback revive their ADJD side project, which quickly descends into the mad 303 freak out of ‘Think You Know Me’ and the heavy drums of ‘Lost In Sequence’. However, the deep vocals of ‘I Want You’ could provide a crossover hit.
Prins Thomas reshapes two of Justus Kohncke’s best tunes. Dramatic strings sweep through ‘Elan’, but the Norwegian’s version of ‘Advance’ shines, with a pulsing groove and Kohncke’s mournful chord sequence topped off by a spiralling 303 sequence.
Fifty-something Italo legend Robotnick is a walking advertisement for the benefits of long-term clubbing, and on his new long player he captures this infectious joie de vivre.
The kings of party and deep techno drop a chugging rhythm that winds its way through a wormhole somewhere between classic Detroit and contemporary Berlin techno. They’ve ‘gone minimal’, but they’ve done it in style.
‘Arabesque’ is a warm, clap-heavy rendition of the timeless Detroit techno sound, but ‘Satura’ is more impressive: based on melancholic, key-changing melodies and brittle rhythms, it’s a fragile, unforgettable mini-epic.
Three tracks of passable wonky minimal/techno with teeth – all the necessary elements are present, but it just doesn’t come together. Best here is ‘Sukkin Muttin’. The bubbling bassline complements the busy percussion, while Squillace adds more FX than I care to catalogue.
‘Eiertanz’ takes inspiration from the dubby techno of Basic Channel and factors in some tripped out acid. It’s more impressive than the stripped back by numbers B-side, ‘Potato Nose’.
‘Braga’ and ‘Breep’ are based on rough, grungy bass, tone shifting riffs and walls of hissing percussive feedback, a combination that will lift the roof off any self-respecting underground club.
This three-tracker is all about basslines: ‘Mathemagician’ and ‘Synthescheizer’ are rough and raw, but they’re not a patch on the bass rumble of ‘Multiplier’, which prowls along, accompanied by waves of brittle percussion.
Sienkiewicz is slow to release material, but he clearly values quality over quantity. Like last year’s ‘Untitled’, ‘Mirrors’ is a hybrid affair: based on dubby techno beats, it effortlessly combines hypnotic, mysterious Detroit chords with jazzy keys and a building arrangement that peaks sublimely with some deft woodwind flourishes.
The minimalist from Switzerland with a girl’s name delivers one of his strongest releases so far: spluttering acid lines accompany his dubby grooves and the resonating bass of ‘Hi Murda’ is the standout track.
From Here We Go…, the debut album by Swedish producer Axel Wilner, focuses on the epic qualities of Ride and MBV, combined with Wilner’s cosmic pop chops and his predilection for shuffly techno grooves.
Electronic music often sounds cold and inhuman, but Lopazz makes his machines sympathetic to the human condition, and the acid lines on ‘Rhythm’ flow like hot water.
‘Vut & Vat’ is a shuffling, drum-heavy groove that only makes sense in a DJ set, while the complex prism of metallic percussion on ‘Silhouette’ provides a base for spooky Sheffield bleeps.
Whatever about his rubbish grasp of English, Swiss producer Ripperton has captured something special on ‘Skilift’. Equal parts house, minimal and trance, it has a beautiful, chiming groove and a spellbinding, melodic sequence. End result: music that doesn’t sound like it is of this world.
They don’t make techno like this any more. Maybe those were more innocent times, but whatever the explanation, this EP see the dog sample Stevie Wonder, fuse Detroit’s enigmatic sound with hardcore rave breaks and still sound fresh.
These remixes of tracks from MIA’s excellent Bittersuss album see Shonky, Falko Brocksieper and Drama Society deliver bass-heavy treatments, with the spooky chords of Brocksieper’s version of ‘Can’t Find You’ standing out.
It sounds like Resmann has spent time trawling through the deeper end of his ’90s techno collection, and ‘Gouache’ is inspired by Sterac’s transition from Secret Life Of Machines to his harder-edged releases.
Looking to classic Chicago house for inspiration, ‘Dance’ boasts a robotic 303 bass, spooky synths, and, topping it all off, a rumbling vocal sample. It’s like a rawer version of Sebo K’s ‘Horizons’.
‘I Gave You Away’ is a return to what Dear’s Audion project does best, teasing the grimiest, dankest sounds from his 303. It’s in good company here: Par Grindvik’s ‘Casio’ makes a nod to Neil Landstrum’s sheet metal ‘90s analogue techno and the organ riff at the centre of Bodycode’s ‘Exciting Ride’ is scarier than a weekend at Fred West’s.
Shannon treads a fine line between minimal tricknology and jacking techno on ‘8Bit Rojo’, with a hard-edged shuffler boasting a bass that morphs from warm and acidic to rough and raw as the chords build. As always, Shannon’s deft arranging and editing impress.
The modulated bass tones of ‘Puck’ will scare the hell out of anyone with a nervous disposition, but ‘IO’ is more impressive, a bluesy 4/4 electro with an epic melody line.
'Sequencer’ is all about spacey electro melodies and ‘80s disco grooves. The title track is based on pulsing disco rhythms and soaring melodies, while Matt Edwards’ version turns it into a dubbed out, slowed down groove that struggles to hit 115 bpm.
Both ‘Stegosuarus’ and ‘Merman’ are based on moody, squelchy basslines and mournful hooks and while this mixture of the melancholic and the foreboding isn’t in keeping with Karmarouge’s typical neon trance sheen, it’s still a powerful potion.
Like all the best ideas, this remix package is based on a simple premise: hook up kooky, off-beat pop singer Cortney Tidwell with Ewan Pearson for some of the most evocative acid house music you’ll hear in ‘07.
The title track evolves from metallic drums into a tripped out acid section before trancey chords kick in. Trance is also prevalent on ‘Just Dazing’, but this time, it’s the otherworldliness of the Detroit electro synth.
Simple's choice of remixers – Swayzak, DJ T and lsolee – are more impressive than the original material and it holds true on ‘Circus’, with Konrad Black’s Chicago claps and liquid acid line sounding more seductive than the bubbly original.
‘Hot Slave’ is nasty acid house, the sound of 303s being tortured as a primal, grungy rhythm accompanies the screeches. ‘Tiny Slave’ is even darker, as Haze’s tight claps find it difficult to contain a low slung, dubby bass.
The latest Frankie release has a terrible name, but don’t let that put you off: the title track is proper minimal techno, teeming with ugly analogue squeals, smart edits and raw, shuffling Dan Bell-inspired drums.
‘Courtney’ and the title track provide bumping basslines and rolling drums as the basis for building chord sequences and evocative woodwind samples, while Jon Tejada’s version of ‘Deeds’ centres on a meteoric, squelchy riff that voyages to the far side of the cosmos.
This remix package outshines the original track: Magda and Konrad Black deliver moody, understated versions and Hawtin himself resuscitates his long-dormant Plastikman and Robotman guises to present ‘Kate’ in a pulsing, austere style. But it’s Bpitch’s Sascha Funke who steals the show with an evocative, tranced out version.
Lars Behrenroth impresses with the shuffling drums, arcing acid and dreamlike chords of ‘Organism’, a track in the Carl Craig techno soul vein, while melody in a more tranced out, fragile style fuels Ripperton’s sublime ‘10a’.
Stefan Schwander brings an evocative, otherworldly feeling to ‘Kimbo’: the title track boasts lullaby melodies and the brooding bass of ‘Les Beaux Arts’ sounds like an update of Carl Craig’s Psyche project.
Clone have commissioned two excellent remixes of ‘Moroder’: Divider’s version keeps the feeling upbeat as an arpeggiated melody soars along to a pulsing, Moroder-esque rhythm, but Starcluster’s remix, based on detuned riffs and heavy, climaxing drums is more inventive.
Carl Craig continues to astound with this remarkable re-work of the cello-laden underground hit from 1996. Where the original floated like an orchestral butterfly, this stings like a bee from the outset: huge buzzing stabs form the backbone of the track, before C2 builds a monster groove, using roaming synths and Tres Demeted-style drums. The way the distinctive cello sample unfolds is a joy to behold.
Those who were thrilled by Brazilian producer Gui Boratto’s nouveau techno-trance releases like ‘Arquipelago’ and ‘The Rising Evil’ won’t be disappointed by his debut album. It further showcases his fist pumping style with the buzzsaw bass of ‘Terminal’, the menacing ‘Gate 7’ and the brooding title track, but it’s clear Boratto isn’t content with dance floor abandon. The symphonic ‘Scene 1’ and the soft-focus piano ambience of ‘Mala Strana’ hint that he wants to escape being just another anonymous techno producer. This desire is given full vent with the acoustic groove of ‘Xilo’ and the live, post-punk drums and indie vocals of ‘Beautiful Life’, which sets the tone for an imminent indie-techno explosion this year.
Like the cityscape that confronts her when she looks out her apartment window in Berlin, Damero’s introspective songs constantly evolve. Containing elements of trance, remnants of ‘80s German pop and dreamy techno, she weaves a hypnotic tapestry based on shifting tones and textures rather than dance floor tempos. It’s hard to work out what she’s singing about because it’s mainly in German, but the understated vocals suit the fragile, playful arrangements. After all, in Damero’s monochrome, soft-focus world, staying in the shadows and speaking in code equates to happiness.
Smoke and Fidan swop remixes and the listener ends up with two new arrangements. Alex’s take on Fidan’s ‘Ilsa’ is based on wild, jarring sounds and an off beat rhythm, while Fidan’s take on Smoke’s ‘Neds’ is a more conventional, DJ-friendly percussive arrangement.
‘Apple’ is the product of a youth spent listening to obscure ‘80s Italo: the doomy, Gothic sound of ‘The Fog’, delivered amid grandiose piano sweeps, and the uplifting, quasi-Jean Michel Jarre synths of the title track make this release a real guilty pleasure.
‘Trauermusik’ is a wonderfully warm, deep house track, swathed in strings and woodwind, given a contemporary clubby feeling with a squelchy electronic bass. Even in the winter, it’s not hard to imagine that ‘Trauermusik’ will become the ideal soundtrack to accompany long summer evenings.
My My member Lee Jones delivers a tune that will warm even the hardest heart. ‘There Comes…’ is a melodic, tripped out groove that references UR in space techno mode and Larry Heard in well, Larry Heard mode, which is as far out as dance music gets.
Using just a few elements, Meredith provides an entrance into a wormhole in the Can-Kraftwerk-’70s disco space time continuum. The heavy, heavy bass (man), cowbells and trippy electronic synths all sound spacier than a hash cake convention in Amsterdam.
It sounds like Pascal FEOS has turned his attention to this summer’s party season: ‘Sunset’ is a warm, melodic Motor City-influenced track that’ll only make sense when sand is under foot and the sun reflects from the Gucci shade-wearing, elegantly wasted Euro clubbers.
‘Tuning 4’ is all about subtlety: My My’s version of Duoteque’s ‘Amarcord’ starts off innocuously, but morphs into a wave of building, droning bass. Jens Zimmermann’s version of Maximilan Skiba’s ‘Rendez Vous’ is more restrained, featuring a female vocal spliced up with fractured beats.
Minus has ridden the minimal wave with some average releases, but Tractile redress the imbalance. ‘Silent Movie’ borrows from Hood and Bell rather than Houle and Pierce and the wild analogue riffs, crazy acid lines and visceral rhythms are a real return to form.
The title track combines some of house music’s most familiar elements – dubby beats, squelchy 303 lines and a wiggling bassline – so it’s to Plasmik’s credit that they manage to make the fusion sound fresh. Anja Schneider’s version also impresses, weaving fairytale melodies over a jacking arrangement.
‘Well Done’ isn’t the next ‘Full Clip’, but it consolidates Buttrich’s reputation. The German producer goes back to basics and his intricate drum programming, coupled with tweaked analogue 303 riffs, so ‘Well Done’ sounds like a modern take on Plastikman’s acid growl.
Frank Martiniq’s stern image takes a tumble on ‘Sugarpopp’. The title track sounds like what would happen if a robot was ordered to re-arrange one of Martin Buttrich’s pitch-shifting melodies, the warm hooks now accompanied by rigid minimal beats.
This remix release sees Syd on remix duties. Fans of the original will love his version, which retains the track’s spine-tingling arpeggio melodies and is underpinned by a Moroder-esque electronic groove.
It’s more crazy Germans with funny names, but don’t let that put you off: ‘Untitled’ is an infectious clubby electro track that owes a massive debt to LFO at the peak of their bleep’n’bass period.
Samim raids the vaults of techno past on ‘Masua’, with the definitive, doubled-up Plastikman drums appearing amid his murky, filtered groove. It’s hard to criticise the Swiss producer for his retro-future approach because the wild analogue howls and rattling drums on lead track ‘Hardma’ push techno onward and upward.
Hamburg producer H.o.s.h brings together a number of styles. Noisy drums and rubbery bass licks compete for the listener’s attention on ‘Tigerbalsm’, while the title track’s growling 303 bass and soaring melodies should have the same effect as ‘Mandarine Girl’.
‘Tagesschau’ is a beautifully melodic, string-led workout that’s probably too deep to work on most dance floors. Jackmate’s remix factors in some clipped beats, while these new school rulers of the deep provide the necessary drive with the understated, tranced-out ‘Nachtjournal’.
Riton impresses with drums that bear a resemblance to Carl Craig’s Paperclip People project, a rolling bass and an unmistakable synth riff, like a cross between Kraftwerk’s shiny futurism and Italo’s sense of melancholy. Even remixer Roman Flugel’s bleepy version finds it hard to match up to the original.
There’s no doubting Clone’s underground credentials, but this release has ‘crossover’ written all over it. ‘Silver Clouds’ centres on a haunting female vocal similar to the one used in ‘Windowlicker’ and a melody that’s reminiscent of ‘Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass’. With Dexter delivering a clubby, bass-heavy remix, Clone could enjoy the same success as I-F’s smash.
While some of his minimalist peers place more importance on their party antics than their productions, US producer Geoff White seems content to beaver away in the background.
The French producer deftly combines acid signatures with trance’s more esoteric sensibilities, while ‘Baccula’ mixes stripped back techno with reflective house chords. It’s hard to put a name on it, but Innervisions are at the forefront of this new school fusion.
‘Why Must’ writhes and wriggles through Vakant/Smoke-style minimal spookiness before a moody bass drop takes it to an even darker place. Gaiser turns ‘Why Must’ into typical Minus style, acid-tinged minimalism.
‘Spring’ is beautifully fragile house music, with light melodies unravelling over understated beats, and Shinedoe’s version adds a mysterious edginess. Unfortunately, the other remixes, consisting of textbook ambience and Detroit techno, are uninspiring.
‘Onkel Reisende Mac’ is an unsual take on Italo, with the broken beats falling over themselves to catch up with the shiny synths, while the title track is a warm, pulsing electronic disco affair with sensuous chords.
‘Cloudy Bay’ appears to revolve around a string sample, but listen to it a few times and it’s clear that Buttrich has thrown a spanner in his machines – the result is a fluctuating, non-linear acid groove, full of psychedelic twists and turns.
In Redshape’s world, Detroit and Chicago are of equal importance, which explains why dramatic chord sweeps appear amid the title track’s jacking arrangement.
Combining new school Italo bombs like the Syd remix of Pauli vs. Tyrell’s ‘Little’ with hard to find remixes of Clone classics like Unit 4’s ‘Bodydub’, ‘Recloned’ is one for the newcomers and trainspotters alike.
Thankfully, Trenton have drafted in 3 Channels and Daniel Stefanik to deliver twitchy, techy remixes, because Johnny Wagner’s lame ‘Disco Minimal’ track is the label’s weakest release to date.
It sounded great when this appeared on Crosstown boss Damian Lazarus’ recent Get Lost mix CD, and this mixture of abstract percussion and oppressive bass still takes the biscuit.
Matt Dear has clearly spent time listening to ‘French Kiss’ because his composition builds and builds to a similar (if faster and more messed-with) bassline.
Honking horns, cut-up hardcore riffs and in-your-face synth riffs come together on ‘Maximize’, while a heavy ebm line holds together the tearing acidic sounds on ‘Sequencer’.
Baby-faced James Holden shows a healthy disregard for conventions, an approach that’s evident on this album’s Jackson Pollock-esque cover art, the home to the label’s logo, a windmill.
Those lucky people at Lo have happened on a set of recordings by the French 70s electronic disco freaks. ‘Ze After’ is classic Italo Disco, based on warm, squelchy grooves with a dance floor kick – especially ‘Coach Me’ and the rougher ‘I Regret The Flower Power’ – and melodies with an unquantifiable sadness.
‘Addicted To The Night’ is the product of countless late-night listening sessions, its pulsing 303 groove and Popnoname’s fusion of 90s trance euphoria with warm Italo melodies resulting in a unique dance floor experience.
‘For Dan’ is all sugar sweet hooks, but beckons toward a trippy otherworld, while ‘Rome’ marries haunting chords with glitchy electronic pulses, a sucker punch wrapped in a velvet glove.
Pascal FEOS doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. ‘Synaptic 3’ boasts ‘Timeless’, a jacking juggernaut that steamrolls its way into a mammoth breakdown and emerges the other side with a self-satisfied acidic leer.
While most teenagers are furtively getting their first grope in behind the school bike shed, 16 year old Alexander Roland is making spine tingling, never ending acid grooves.
Agoria fancies himself as a pop act, but he’s really still a techno producer. Just check the way the title track’s hard drums and cavernous, epic riff builds to an air punching finale: it’s obvious that it will enjoy the same success as ‘La Onzieme Marche’.
Shonky has moved away from his acid/electro roots and is concentrating on techno, but whatever about this record’s rationale, its detuned riffs and relentless rhythmic pulses soundtrack the march to the scrapyard where defective drones meet their maker.
John Tejada brings his off-beat sensibilities to bear for the bleepy, jerky take on ‘Jigsaw’, while wide-eyed atmospheric melodies haunt Fairmont’s wobbly version of ‘Model 1601’.
Renaissance is a pleasant but ultimately forgettable collection of ‘hi tech’ funk workouts, and only more musical tracks like the string-led ‘Star Of The Story’ stand out from what sounds like a series of electronic takes on Rick James album tracks.
Savoretti serves up bog standard glitchy minimalism, but the remix by Marc Houle is of a far higher standard, splicing up Chicago drums over a churning bass. Keeping it simple isn’t as easy as it seems.
More like a wake-up call for Mazi and Duriez whose work has been slack of late. Thankfully, this is proper slamming house music with an acidic revamp by the evergreen Hardfloor.
Aneurysm’s drums are heavy, the bass prowls and growls like a wounded panther and the lead track climaxes to the sound of noisy analogue tweaks – what more do you need from a techno release?
Mobilee surprises with this remix package: Sebo K turns GummiHZ’s ‘Isolate’ into a camp vocal-led Chicago track, and Prosumer steps back in time to rework Sebo K’s ‘Moved’ as a tweaked slab of analogue techno.
Older readers will probably remember Dunn for ‘Magic Feet’, but Clone have decided to re-release the raw, gurgling 303s and thunder claps of ‘Face The Nation’.
Finnish producer Samuli Kemppi seeks inspiration from Ron Hood and Dan Bell’s ‘90s work rather than modern minimal and his raw, analogue take on techno is inspirational – the howling acid riffs and nocturnal grooves sounding menacing and beautiful.
‘Busted Speaker’ takes the sound of ‘Glitches Brew’ a few steps farther. An assortment of bleeps, clicks and whirrs circle the tightly woven, robotic rhythm like predators, but are ultimately steamrolled into submission by the repetitive bass hum. Ugly but beautiful.
There are too many producers churning out second-rate space disco, so Prins Thomas has decided to put out something moodier. The bassline on ‘Fehrara’ purrs along menacingly and makes the funk-based ‘Is It Big Enough’ on the other side sound tame by comparison.
Cobblestone Jazz improvise until they get the groove just right and this approach means that ‘India in Me’ progresses from tranced out nirvana to Hardfloor-style acid freakout with losing the plot.
It’s fitting that ‘Sleepy Hollow’ is appearing on Ame’s label, because like ‘Rej’, Goldmann’s new release revolves around an unmistakable riff. It’s haunting and evocative yet infectious and insidious, working its way into the listener’s subconsciousness as it gradually builds. Don’t be surprised if Defected release it next summer...
Vakant gets two of its main artists to do a remix swap, with Kaden dropping a throbbing, stuttering version of Ozer’s ‘Twilight’ and the Turkish producer leading ‘Pentaton’ into a spooky netherworld.
German DJ/producer M.I.A. hasn’t released a record in nearly two years, but ‘Safe Night’ makes up for lost time, its rubbery drums, dissected vocals and mournful bassline sounding like a voyeuristic flick through her diary.
Andy Stott’s one of the few techno producers who makes the 303 sound the way it should – raw, dangerous and exhilirating – and ‘She’s Gone Wrong’’ builds from an understated techno base into a gurgling 303 climax.
You may think the Trenton guys are a bunch of scarf wearers fannying about on Macs in lofts in Mitte, but Till von Stein & Aera’s contribution seduces with Chicago claps and acid thunder, while Format B’s massive ‘Octopussy’ hits the listener with a junglist bassline.
Strictly speaking, this isn’t a real artist album, but a collection of the best bits from Lindstrom’s first nine EPs. While the Norwegian space disco king is well known in the underground, ‘Affair’ gives the mainstream audience their first chance to hear what all the fuss is about. The ubiquitous ‘I Feel Space’ is present, but Lindstrom isn’t just about Italo homages. He impesses with the freeform rock/funk leanings of ‘There’s A Drink In My Bedroom And I Need A Hot Lady’, while the tear-jerkingly beautiful slow-motion groove of ‘Arp She Said’ shines brighter than the aurora borealis.
Luciano is still Switzerland’s best known techno export, but Lee Van Dowksi and Quenum, who collaborated with the Cadenza boss on ‘Orange Mistake’, aren’t far behind. The same methodology that applied on that big tune is prevalent on ‘As Told…’. With the exception of a few atmospheric downtempo tracks, the emphasis is on building from undertstated, glitchy minimalism into hard riffing climaxes. Granted, it’s a formula, but there’s enough imagination and detail put into bass heavy tracks like ‘Vegas Nevada Shooter’ to hold the listener’s attention.
Mi Musik won’t win any prizes for his grasp of English grammar, but that’s irrelevant as soon as the needle drops on ‘How Much Times…’. It’s a straight down the line driving club track, but it is inhabited by slivers of old school trance euphoria.
Mobilee made its name with tripped out k-hole techno, but London-based Sleeper Thief is focusing on deeper tracks. ‘Full Of You’ starts off with jittery percussion, but progresses into a brooding piece of dancefloor groove. ‘Chasing Rainbow’ is more atmospheric, but once again, the growling bass and dissected percussion will satisfy the dance floor.
On ‘Digitized Sound’, Justin Maxwell leaves a unique mark on underground techno. Favouring visceral beats and breath-stealing basslines, Maxwell’s most immediate experiment is ‘The Tussincussion’, a churning, jacking groove that unexpectedly reveals rays of electronic melody amid the viscous bass.
To be honest, I’m not too pushed about this fidget house sound – it’s like a watered down version of what Derrick Carter released in the ‘90s – but ‘It’s So’ is harsher and rougher than usual, and it’s also worth picking up for Will Saul’s jacking ‘acid thunder’ remix.
The title track bored me to death, its mixture of ‘spiritual’ NY and bleepy electro house proving way too safe. ‘Leo’ sounds far better in Sasse’s hands, who turns it into a gorgeously tripped out Italo mini-epic.
Dean Meredith from Chicken Lips takes another trip into spacey electro-disco. Those who like psychedelic Krautrock will love the Emperor Machine’s analogue synth version, while the extended version freeforms its way through to 10 minutes of trippy chord progressions.
The debut on Magda’s new label defies expectations. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the infectious chords and squelchy bass of Konrad Black’s ‘Coma Couch Surfing’, was the latest Clone release, and Troy Pierce’s ‘The Day After Yesterday’ surprises again with an old school Chicago jam.
Kirk De Giorgio’s used to release beautifully fragile dance floor music as As One, and the mid-’90s ‘Reflections’ and ‘Celestial Soul’ albums were responsible for getting me into techno music in the first place. Nowadays, As One favours a jazzier, more live sound, but each production on ‘Folklore 2’ exudes a warmth that sets it apart from wine bar jazz banality. ‘Blueshift’ is a tripped out electro funk that makes nods to Herbe Hancock’s back catalogue, while ‘It’s All Turning Blue’ and ‘Irradiant’ use airy Detroit strings’n’synths to guarantee DeGiorgio’s funk meanderings are magical rather than mundane.
If you expected Anders Trentemoller to deliver 12 carbon copies of his break through hit, ‘Physical Fraction’, then you’ll probably be disappointed by ‘Last Resort’. If, on the other hand, you’re prepared to journey with him as he achieves his oft-stated desire of transcending techno’s confines and entering a looser, freeform world, you’ll love this debut. Punctuated by woodwind, flailing drums and guitar bursts - check the bluesy ‘The Very Last Resort’ - as much as deep, dubby Basic Channel grooves, there are a few, thankfully fleeting, moments when Trentemoller veers dangerously close to Floydian prog-rock self-parody. But don’t let that put you off: ‘Resort’ is every bit as magical as the haunted forest that adorns its cover.
One of I-F’s Cybernetic Broadcasting lieutenants steps from the shadows for a sleazy trip through electronic disco’s dark side. The cheesy synths, low slung groove and call and response vocal about being someone’s guy on ‘Satisfaction’ typifies Pauli’s warped love action.
Hailing from Rotterdam but sounding like they come from the wrong side of Detroit, Dexter and Cosmic Force take no prisoners on this upfront release. Nightmarish synths, aggro bass and slamming 4/4 beats are the perfect soundtrack to the darker side of Dutch society.
‘Merciless’ represents Andy Stott’s more introspective musings. ‘Florence’ is all reflective piano lines and swish strings, ‘Choke’ explores a downtempo electro soundscape and even the acidic ‘Edyocat’ is more mellow than his usual 303 outings.
Along with Basic Channel, Finnish label Sahko was the first European imprint to explore the possibilities of sparse techno. ‘Monotone Fantastique’ was originally released on Sahko in 1994, but it sounds even more relevant nowadays, its warm, swirling groove eventually reaching a smacked out finale
German duo Monolake’s latest release makes a political statement, a rarity in techno music. The slamming, jacking rhythms and claustrophobic, almost nauseating bass leave you in no doubt that something has to give in our fragile world, and the stark warning about one of our most precious resoucres remains long after the record ends…
Nick Holder’s ‘Illusions’ is 15 years old, but its tracky, acid rhythms are timeless. This reissue sees Bug and Martin Landsky giving it a contemporary flavour – and their twisted synth sounds and wild acid finale could yield Poker Flat its biggest crossover releases this year.
At the outset, it sounds like ‘Magdeburg’ is just another run of the mill acid track, but the warm trance chords and distinctive, dreamy strings make for an effective combination of studied musicality and dance-floor hedonism.
John Tejada maintains his impeccable track record on ‘Eurotunnel’. He unleashes a jacking, yelping number, heavy drums underpinning breathy, chiming chords that morph into a hypnotically beautiful Warp melody. Techno rarely sounds this powerful or beautiful.
While ‘Simply...’ isn’t as sleazy as ‘Intimacy Girl’, it follows a similarly mid-paced, off-beat sound and there’s also a vocalist on the title track who sounds like Jamie Lidell on a particularly strong dose of valium. That’s a good thing.
The hissing percussion and mournful sounds of ‘Eltec’ will sound amazing over headphones, while ‘M&M2’ featuring Aardvarck is a paean to early Autechre eeriness and is begging to be used in a movie.
Dutch female techno DJ/producer Shinedoe’s ability to move between styles and make them her own makes ‘Sound Travelling’ highly recommended. It also means that ‘Face Your Fears’ adds a sensual element to Rob Hood’s razor sharp minimalism, while ‘Enjoy The Moments’ is a warm, electronic bass-led reinvention of Steve Rachmad’s work as Sterac.
Swedish loopy techno-type Samuel Sessions is back, but guess what: he’s not making minimal like everyone else. Instead, ‘Easy Walker’ is more of the bass-heavy aggression we’ve come to expect from him.
‘...Day’ is one of the more melancholic moments from ‘Paradolia’ and the Actress version is also DJ-unfriendly, imploding in a gnarly wall of bass. However, the Lusine remix uses austere drums to drag Smoke’s outpourings onto the dance floor.
Shad T. Scott has been making electro for decades, but ‘Future Is Enslaved’ still offers new perspectives. ‘The Chains Of Technology’ adds a trippy acid dimension to crisp electro funk, while the 4/4 electronic disco groove of ‘Next To Me’ is both airy and menacing.
Veering on the abstract, this Italian producer manages to keep the focus on the dance floor using plunging, bleepy basslines and intricate percussive touches.
There’s little left of the original version of ‘Mono On Mono’, not even the spooky chord sequence that makes it so recognisable. Pole ups the tempo from his usual head-nodding opiate pace, while Plaid’s retouch is based on slinky, melodic breaks.
There are too many singer-songwriters in the world, but we should still make room for Mia Doi Todd. Unlike Sandi Thom and James Blunt, Todd’s music touches on real emotions and does not rely on a internet marketing campaign to gain the listener’s attention: her kooky, scatty vocals sound like Kate Bush on happy pills and Todd’s acoustic-based compositions also resonate to ethereal ambient undercurrents. She even makes The Beatles’ ‘Norwegian Wood’ sound her own, the centrepiece in ‘La Ninja’s’ tour of understated force.
A Guy Called Gerald rose to prominence with classic acid house tracks like ‘Voodoo Ray’, but there’s a world of a difference between his back catalogue and this current incarnation. Inspired by Detroit techno and Berlin minimalism – Gerald moved recently to the German capital – rather than heads-down Roland-torturing, the focus is on violent, Sender-style basslines and tight, jacking workouts like ‘The Stink’. He also touches on the spooky otherworld of Drexciyan electro and outros with the atmospheric, Derrick May-esque ‘Sweet You’. If you expected merely a succession of 303 tracks, you’ll be disaapointed, but if you’re adventurous and take this full trip, you’ll come up smiling.
Featuring three untitled cuts, the Contexterrior boss works his way from jacking acid house to firing metallic techno riffs. But the focus remains on keeping the groove bumping and the vibe sweaty.
Think of ‘Time Out’ as the cousin of that other big tune from the Poker Flat empire, Martin Landsky’s ‘1,000 Miles’. It’s an acid-soaked track that disappears suddenly into a seductively wispy trance break down. There’s a straight 303 track on the flip, but when you need a break from modern life, take some 'Time Out'
Although Jurczyk’s melodic ‘Stetson Rock’ is wired to a hail of cosmic acid, Snow’s ‘Interstellar Disco’ is the stand-out cut. Tough and pumping, the heavy claps and steely rhythms sound like a cold-hearted Alden Tyrell doing techno.
In true electro style, we have no idea who is behind Electrik Bugg, but we do know that this three-tracker is inspired by the deeper, more esoteric end of Motor City electro. Limited to one small run on vinyl, this will appeal to only the true collectors.
This release presents two fresh interpretations of a modern-day classic. Booka Shade’s own ‘Mexico’ reshape is haunting and spooky, like they’re high on peyote, while Shinedoe’s version plunges into the deep end of Detroit techno, supported by a throbbing electronic bass.
‘Kidney Issues’ doesn’t quite reach the heights Steadycam achieved with the seductive ‘Knock Kneed’, but the title track features a ridiculously squelchy bass underpinning synths with echoes of classic trance and Kraftwerk.
Keeping it simple, Bodzin’s release is characterised by waves of soaring bass and cold, metallic beats. ‘Tron’ in particular is not exactly subtle. But it is nonetheless an immensely powerful piece of electronic music.
These tracks were produced in the ‘90s by an unknown electro producer, but they still sound magical, especially ‘The Saturian System’. Like an upbeat version of UR’s classic ‘Final Frontier’, its jerky 808 beats suddenly break into a soaring string passage.
This French producer makes most minimal producers sound like amateurs with his raw, screeching take on stripped-back funk. Each track will work in the right situation, but the stomping DBX-influenced title track stands out.
This third installment is everything we’ve come to expect (plus a little bit more) from Mark Stewart’s excellent ‘Warehouse’ series. ‘Only Yesterday’ raids the Chicago house vaults for its plunging electronic bassline, while ‘X’ is an atmospheric, dubby groove based on the fattest beats in modern techno.
Sure, there are some arty-farty moments masquerading as ‘statements’ but thankfully, there’s enough bass heavy electro, lush Detroit techno and salsa rhythms to guarantee that ‘Greedy Baby’ doesn’t become yet another chin-stroking IDM bore.
‘Interdit’ is slowed-down, sleazy electronic disco music. With a doomy, sub-Goth vocal weaving its way in and out of an opiate haze and a dirgey bass, it sounds like Daniel Baldelli on valium. That’s a compliment by the way.
Gui Boratto keeps things simple but effective with an ugly, spiraling acid line built up over claustrophobic beats, while Oxia makes up for his recent ‘homage’ to Patrick Chardronnet with a grinding party track.
‘Black Lodge’ isn’t that similar to recent Mobilee releases by Exercise One and Anja Schneider, but the spooky, dissected rhythms, resonating vocal and trippy acid follow the same brief – to make the most wayward, minimal music possible.
This label usually puts out teeth-rattling ghetto techno, but Kiddaz FM has undergone a change of artistic direction and the two Holgers deliver ‘Yang’, a huge-old school trance-techno anthem.
Clone artist Dexter collaborates with Nature boss Marco Passarani on this Chicago influenced release for three tracks worth of tough kicks, distorted basslines and heavy claps.
Listening to these remixes, it’s not inconceivable that Clone are pushing Tyrrell into the mainstream. Based on Moroderesque discoid grooves and irresistibly catchy hooks, they still don’t sacrifice Tyrell’s warm electronic touch.
Patrick Chardronnet’s label returns to form with the loose, dubby beats and plunging bassline of ‘Chateaubriand’ and the somewhat messier and more oddly arranged ‘Bearnaise.’
Jichael Mackson’s contribution is an offbeat, wiry groove, and while Tigerskin’s jacking ‘Notaufnahme’ is more conventional, the beats and bleeps are still 100% futuristic.
Literon is associated with hard-edged techno funk and ‘Machines’ is a surprise, especially the title track, which sounds like he ventured back in time to revisit the darkest excesses of Joey Beltram’s Code 6 releases on Nu Groove.
This debut release by Spanish producer Lopez on Donnacha Costello’s label contains the grimy acid rumble and spooky underlying synths of ‘Kernel’, one of the summer’s big techno tunes in waiting.
The US producer’s rehabiliation continues on this release, with his use of offbeat jazz samples and clattering, shuffling techno rhythms bringing him within touching distance of his former ‘90s glories.
These Cologne boffins have shifted their focus from stripped back techno to youthful, irreverent acid house music. ‘Teenage Confusion’ unravels with brilliantly self-conscious synth pads; ‘Meet The Monsters’ borrows a long lost rumbling Peter Hook bassline to underpin a riotous bleepfest. Sure beats sniffing glue behind the bike shed.
Luke ‘Wagon Christ’ Vibert is a man of many talents and guises: in the same week as 02, his second electronic disco album, hits the shelves, he’s also releasing a drum’n’bass collection. It means that invariably one of the works will be overlooked, and to these ears Kerrier District has to take precedence. Originally a homage to Metro Area, this project has outgrown its raison d’etre and makes even Geist and Dersani’s work sound cold and soulless. Spread over six tracks, the warm, bubbling basslines, seductive melodies and underlying sense of alienation make ‘02’ a cornerstone release in the nouveau disco canon.
Edwin James is electronic in sound but punk by nature. He set up his own label as a platform for his work and has brought his mixture of electro and techno to every bar, club and live venue in the country. Despite his DIY attitude, one gets the feeling that ‘Electronix’ is merely a warm up for the main event. James’s production is pristine throughout and he certainly has an ear for melody, but ‘Electronix’ displays too much reverence for the past. Once he steps out from the shadows of those he eulogises, we can expect to hear a masterpiece.
Camea & Insideout give minimal the dance floor oomph it needs. The jacking 'Nothing Shocking' and the wiry funk of 'Azimuth' twist and turn through FX-laden percussion and heavy drums, while Rohr and Xavier's version of the title track adds powerful claps. This is a wake up call for all the plodding minimalists.
Mathew Jonson's brother steps from the shadows to pay tribute to a lost friend. Inspired as much by wiry electronica and industrial as claustrophobic techno, 'Gary White' rocks harder than most Wagon Repair releases.
Lead track 'Narcos' is an update of the timeless Moroder/Cowley electronic disco groove, with layer upon layer of atmospheric synth washes added in for trippy effect. Modern electro rarely sounds so warm and seductive.
'Flight Cancelled' bubbles and lurches along with more delays than a charter flight to the Costa Del Sol, while the title track makes nods to the typical Mobilee bleeps and sweeps, but it's a tougher, more rolling take on the sound.
Mathew Jonson's brother steps from the shadows to pay tribute to a lost friend. Inspired as much by wiry electronica and industrial as claustrophobic techno, 'Gary White' rocks harder than most Wagon Repair releases.
The DC10 resident makes the connection between tribal house and glitchy techno on the title track, but there's no ambiguity on 'Backroom Melody', a tantalisingly sparse, nagging acid number.
It's all about the remixes here. Adaptor's take features slamming, flat beats and dirty acid lines, not unlike Guido Schneider in house mode, while Pier Bucci turns in a melodic, intricate groove that packs a mighty dance floor punch thanks to its humming bass.
Using classic Chicago house as its basis, 'Go Between' morphs into a psychedelic monster, while dark synth waves carry 'Inside Pockets' to a nighttime world where Adonis and I-F rule.
Neil Landstrumm has set himself an unenviable task, but he rises to it: his version of Happy Mondays' 'Hallelujah' sounds like it was produced in a toilet and retains Ryder's smack-infused vocals, while his lo-fi, acid-ic cover version of 'She's Lost Control' retains Curtis's paranoia.
Most attempts to fuse folky singer-songwriting and electronic music end in disaster (anyone remember the laughable 'folktronica' scene from a few years back?) but Jenny Wilson's new album strikes a chord, literally. Her ability to create bittersweet melodies and tales of woe and combine them with floaty electronic hooks sounds like a simplistic approach on paper, but check her quirky, high pitched vocals and warbling synths on the future classic 'Summertime: The Roughest Time' or the tongue in cheek lyrics and seductive arrangement of 'Bitter? No, I Just Love To Complain' for proof that Ms Wilson is operating at a higher level to her laptop loving, acoustic strumming peers.
Adam Beyer goes a few steps further than the ubiquitous 'A Walking Contradiction' here, uniting his loopy sound with hissing, clicking percussion, crashing snares and a gradually building siren riff. He gets bitten by the trance bug on 'Selma's Dream', but his incantations are held together by steely drums.
'Uninstall' is a techno soul release in the classic sense, based on crisp Chicago claps, dubby Basic Channel grooves and warm acid-soaked Detroit musicality. It may be derivative, but who cares?
Hawtin's label reissues an early '90s classic, and its huge claps, viciously climaxing snare rolls and wild siren sample rains contempt down on modern, spineless techno.
'Abstract Dialogues' rides a growling acid line and a hail of glitchy percussion, but its huge synth wash means that it will get noticed by the big room techno DJs as well as the Berlin cognoscenti.
One of the My My members flies solo for this lazy, early morning/late night excursion. Thankfully, this is not a head nodding track and the way that the melody goes in and out of the arrangement lends 'Country' a trippy edginess.
Releases like 'Elastic Breast' are all about the here and now: the dubby bass and tripped out perussive elements on this three tracker make for great DJ tools, but will they sound fresh when you listen to them again in two or three years' time? Probably not.
Dan Curtin comes out of the mediocre shadows to shine once again. This debut on Black Dog's label borrows from minimal, but evolves from lithe, skipping rhythms into a warped sheet metal riffs, putting the US producer close to greatness again.
'Vanishing Point' is typical Watson, all high-paced techy rhythms and textured string flourishes, but check the complex breaks and shiny synths of 'Believer' for something more imaginative.
It only took Jay Haze and Samim, aka Fuckpony, a few months to write and record 'Children', but its underlying themes are the result of two lives spent on the edge. Haze and Samim's troubled experiences - including stints living homeless in San Francisco and selling LSD while touring with the Grateful Dead - are not obvious from the predominant musical soundtrack, an unusual mixture of deep old school house and wiry minimalism. However, scratch beneath the surface and cautionary tales like 'Cell Phone Hit' and 'Make Money Hoe' reveal the darker side of life. Their story probably warrants a good book or film, but until Sodebergh comes calling, we'll make do with 'Children'.
How the mighty have fallen: a few years ago, it seemed like French-Chinese duo Technasia could do no wrong with their mixture of ghetto-inspired peak time tracks and soulful Detroit influences. Nowadays, the same approach sounds dated and formulaic, especially when Technasia try to infuse it with filtered party elements. While they have made some attempts at diversification, most notably on the electro collaboration with Joris Voorn, '88 (All In All)', this release fails to sparkle.
There are so many retro records around but so few capture the flavour of that era quite like 'Electro Boogie'. It's hard not to be seduced by the squelchy beats, cheesy Italo hooks and shiny Kraftwerk synth sounds. More of this please.
Get Physical launches a sub-label with a genre-worrying release: 'Freefall' is all about the grimy bass and menacing rhythms, while 'Marsha' teems with chiming chords and hazy FX, but is underpinned by steely Chicago drums and a sinister low end.
This release sees minimal techno united with underground house. Luke Solomon sets Frankie's atonal howl to a jacking backing and US hotshot Claude Von Stroke uses a primal Relief-style rhythm, while Ziggy Kinder drops an acid-coated groove and vocals that sound like Cajmere on crystal meth.
Anja Schneider shows that there's more to Mobilee than tripped out after-party techno. On 'Lily' and 'Addicted', she employs warm, hypnotic chords to change the label's focus from the hedonistic to the emotive.
If you remember Dan Bell's work, you'll love 'Lego'. It's a record that clings to the idea that minimalism is more than an after-party soundtrack, as its raw, analogue sounds rush to a repetitive climax.
Maybe Mark Stewart's first warehouse release wasn't delivered with the requisite coating of industrial grime, but this makes aments with the swampy rhythms and tough claps of 'Trial & Error' and 'Signals'.
Christian Hoffmann's 'Blackcrack' is a multi-layered, hazy affair that bubbles along to a brooding bassline, while 'Proseedore' is weirder, with a creepy sample of a child's voice resonating against a skipping, jacking rhythm. Not nice, but effective nonethless.
Slamming, jacking techno in the Chicago vein with a hint of a ghetto vocal rides atop a dark bassline on 'Chunks' and, midway through, a siren riff builds into the modern-day equivalent of Joey Beltram's 'Forklift'.
Once in a while, a great album by an unknown producer appears and this year, the great discovery is Milosh. Hailing from Canada, he makes plaintive, reflective electronic music, but what sets him apart from all the other laptop producers is his ability to approach his craft from a pop sensibility. Layered electronic tracks like 'The City' and 'My Life' ooze seductive melodies, while the bittersweet break up narrative of 'It's Over' is a crossover hit in the making. Check out Milosh now before he starts soundtracking teen love scenes on The OC.
Claude Von Stroke has come to prominence with a string of sleazy, jacking house releases, so how will his dance floor work stand up over the course of an album? Thankfully, he avoids the mistake of veering into downtempo fluffiness and in the main steers the album through the primal, repetitive pulses he is best known for. Von Stroke's version of Frankie's 'Bullshit' is rough, raw and minimal, but he's at his strongest when he's making bumpy, repetitive tracks like 'The Whistler'.
‘Dirty Jay’ is an old school jacking groove updated with a resonating, bleepy bass, while Sebastian Kama goes deeper into vintage Windy City trax for the grimy acid and ghetto ‘work that shit’ vocal of ‘Da Shit’.
Jay Haze and Samim return to deep house, but the musical chords and tales of late night excess related by a high pitched narrator on the title track and the trippy yet infectious ‘Cell Phone Hit’ mean this is no mere Damier/Trent homage.
The ever reliable Scape One gets on board Pnuma with four undeground electro cuts. The acidic title track is the most effective dancefloor number, but the Drexciya-like claustrophobic bass of ‘Klaatu’ and the introspective ‘Mind Cage’ have the greatest resonance.
Frankie’s sound is always rougher, rawer and less digitised than most current techno productions and ‘Detour’ is all doubled up beats, wild, shrieking riffs and shuffly drums of the mid-’90s minimal variety.
De Costa drops more broken beat, stripped-back techno: there’s the busy, glitchy lead track ‘Coxtone’ and the combination of groovy bass and clicky beats on ‘Lazy Monday’, which consolidate Noir’s reputation for making dance music from the outer limits.
New label Gastspiel features releases by obscure producers, but it delivers a wide range of sounds. ‘Ringelpietz’ alternates between the chiming percussion and acidic undercurrents of ‘Ringel’, the moody bass of ‘Pietz’ and the emotive, trance-inspired ‘Anfassen’ – and it beats most established labels’ output.
‘Mercury Brew’ and ‘Rocky’s Brew’ are wild slabs of robotic, squelchy repetition. However, they play second fiddle to ‘My Way Is Your Way’, a ferocious take on Nummer-style intensity. Laced with grungy bass and screeching sirens, it packs a stronger punch than an industrial-strength espresso.
‘Random Choice’ features floaty Detroit chords and a rumbling bass, while Funk D’Void’s glitchy 4/4 remix is inspired by electro’s cut-up aesthetic and penchant for booming low ends.
Detroit artists have released too many self-indulgent jazz projects and god-fearing gospel house albums in recent years, so it makes a pleasant change to hear a proper, full-blooded Motor City techno album again.
Gone are the booming synths and melodic choruses. Instead, techno darlings The Knife have embraced their gothic side. But why are they dressed as birds?
Subway are viewed as a pop act, but they really just make great electronic music. ‘Drop’ boasts the sweet key changes on the bleepy title track, while on ‘Leopards’, they compose evocative, beautiful chords to accompany skeletal breaks and understated bass pulses.
This release stands out not so much for the original track’s slamming acid, but on account of Donnacha Costello’s remix. Focusing on the foreboding and dropping doubled-up skeletal beats, his version is a potent cockatil for dark rooms all over the world.
It sounds like there were more special effects used on ‘Curveball’ than on one of the ‘Matrix’ movies. Henning is approaching the minimal sound from a trippy perspective and his playful weirdness boasts that all too rare fun factor.
‘Gigabot’ fuses dreamy synth washes with a brooding electro bass and a resonating vocal. Unfortunately, Radioactive Man’s version lacks imagination, being one of those hyper-speed electro-breaks tracks you’d expect to hear at 7am at a free party in Wicklow.
Sounds like the cosmic Enya-isms of ‘Sternenglanz’ takes the ‘pastoral techno’ sound too far, but German producer Cio D’Or compensates with ‘Lichtblick’, one of those gradually building tranced out affairs that Karmarouge is renowned for.
The Troy Pierce remix on this Spanish release will generate the hype, as the US producer’s interpretation snakes along to a darkly pulsing groove and percussive shards that shift in and out of time.
The Dubliners’ clever debut marries a strong tune and vocal performance with intricate, melodic synths, orchestral Depeche Mode-ish chords and perfectly flat drums. Excellent stuff from a band who know their stuff.
This release is stripped back, sparse and acidic, in short, ideal material for Steve Bug’s label. The title track peaks amid waves of 303s and, while ‘Zig Zag’ is more glitchy, this partnership’s trippy arranging guarantees it won’t be forgotten.
An ominous bass and trancey sequence burst though the skeletal backing on ‘Redlight’, at once lightening up the overall austere feeling, but Bartsch retreats to a nighttime world for the moody, acid-led title track. Solid stuff from an erratic label.
‘Devil Of Rotations’, a collaboration with Theorem, is vintage Swayzak material, its emotive strings and chiming chords setting the standard for deep techno. Meanwhile, their remix of Bergheim 34’s ‘Random Access Memory’ smartly blurs fuzzy guitars and muffled indie vocals with dubby, electronic pulses and is the perfect teaser campaign for Swayzak’s forthcoming retrospective compilation.
On ‘Twilight’, Ozer’s sound lurks somewhere in between Alex Smoke’s madcap minimalism and the menacing bass tactics of Sender Records, although this three tracker doesn’t go for the jugular, and grooves along at a restrained tempo.
‘Tita’ takes Bucci’s love of ‘90s Warp melodies to its logical conclusion, wrapping electronic textures around a subtle groove. Dandy Jack lends his robotic DJ-friendly arranging skills, but the honours here go to Dominik Eulberg’s remix of ‘L’Nuit’, which is powered by a bassline powerful enough to level a building.
In the same way that last year’s ‘Verse 2 The Chorus’ de- and reconstructed dub techno, ‘Nerd’ focuses on Detroit techno. On ‘Kochanie’, the rhythms are intricate, but the warm melody shines through Tierney’s stuttering groove and on ‘Revenge Of The Mad’, the wiry percussion can’t halt a soaring, epic bass.
This re-issue of 80s producer John Davis’s best work has a funk quota that makes Prince sound like a honky with two left feet. Although the slap bass is so 80s, listen to the warm vocodered melodies of ‘Dream Six-O’ to hear where I-F and his mates get their inspiration.
It’s hilarious the way that even Billy Nasty and Transparent Sound are making minimal tracks these days. However, as ‘Cider Club’ demonstrates, Orson and Martin keep it real with a spooky synth riff borrowed from Kraftwerk’s ‘70s dystopia.
Black Strobe disappoint with an acid workout that lifts the intro from Vapourspace’s classic, ‘Gravitational Arc Of 10’. If it’s innovation you seek, then look to James Holden’s version of ‘Nazi Trance Fuck Off’, messy, glitchy arrangement held together by a bassline from hell.
Mobilee puts out two uncharacteristically sweet and soulful releases. Sebo’s ‘Moved’ is a beautiful low-slung acid affair with a resonating vocal from Prosumer, while Nhar’s ‘Hexoflip’ grooves along without a kick drum but is similarly emotive. Then there’s the flipsides, ‘Horizons’ and ‘Silkcut’ – sweeping cavernous tracks that appear from the K-hole to face the sunlight of a beautiful new day in Berlin.
Bruno Ponsanto deals in intricately crafted, stripped back mid-tempo funk. Fear not though, there are clubby thrills on the lead track, which applies Ponsanto’s sense of adventure to the dance floor, as glitchy sounds and a rolling groove climax in a metallic intensity.
Luciano and Villalobos’ remixes impress the most on this remix package. They are sprawling yet sparse, glitchy yet warm. The musical is at times jazz-informed, existing outside of techno’s space-time continuum.
‘Keep Trippin’ could be Plak’s official tagline. The label is nonplussed about staying within the confines of conventional techno. On ‘Calypso 3000’, Quenum sketches out a blurry meeting between discordant funk and the fluctuating time signatures of Latin American folk music. The concoction yields a warm, hypnotic glow.
The Chilean combo embark on a warm ride through deep techno-bass on the title track, while the linear ‘Regular’ is tougher and more contemporary. Dandy Jack and Pink Elln can’t help themselves from augmenting the monochrome shapes with trancey colours.
Troy Pierce takes Chelonis Jones’s ‘Deer In The Headlights’ down an ominously dark direction. But the best remix here is Pierce, Heart Throb and Konrad Black’s version of ‘Mandarine Girl’, changing from the euphoric original into a prowling bassy affair.
Focusing on Motor City techno’s love of deep textures and marrying it with dubby German sparseness, the slamming yet evocative ‘Bloom’ by Keith Kemp and the chugging, hissing beats and dank acid on Ryan Crosson’s ‘Illusion’ are a fine blend of the old and the new.
This is the first WeltZwei release in three years, but ‘Radarius’ is worth the wait. ‘Radaar Menue’ bristles with one-note acid bleeps and a humming bass. But things really take off on the title track, where slamming beats and clicky percussion fail to contain a churning monster bass
Bug and Tanzmann decide on a distinctive course of action and their usual sparse arranging, economically-placed percussion and funky rhythmic shuffles are evident on both sides.
Shout has more in common with minimal-trance producers like Nathan Fake and Gabriel Ananda as the epic chords that underpin the hushed vocals on the title track and the quasi-mystical synth washes of ‘The Captain’ demonstrate.
Meany’ is not as warped as Smoke’s work for Vakant. But it blurs the lines between Detroit techno and experimental minimalism. Glitchy, phased percussion, a typically cut-up Smoke arrangement and a brooding, ominous sub-bass underpin a modern variation on joyous Motor City melodies.
Like Dominik Eulberg and Patrick Chadronnet, Greed loves nature and it feeds into his work. ‘Koto 125’ is ethereal electronic music, while ‘Delicate’ and ‘Hypnotize’ feature mysterious chords and weeping basslines.
Compost get in on the electro re-issue trend with Academia’s late ‘80s hit, ‘Adventure’. This release focuses on Shep Pettibone’s original remixes. Most modern electro producers could learn a lot from the prowling bass and moody vibes.
It was only a matter of time before some bright spark fused the sexy swagger of French acid house with glitchy Germanic funk. Young blood Sebastien Bouchet is the first to serve up this fusion with the gritty ‘Manievelle’.
Martinez is a great remixer. His version of Turner’s poppy ‘Mania’ features a foreboding bassline and scary chords. The underrated Lawrence integrates the original track’s electronic pop hooks into a pulsing groove. Meanwhile Baby Ford delivers a slowed down take on glitchy techno/house.
Fake’s revulsion at being labelled a techno artist is surprising, especially when these remixes come from Apparat (a glitchy breaks version of ‘Charlie’s House’) and Fairmont’s echoing acid pulses on the new version of ‘Long Sunny’
Jacek Sienkiewicz’s ‘Time Starts…’ gets the remix treatment. Etiop represents the harder, bleepier end of glitch. There’s also a broken beat remake from 3 Channels and Chilean producer Pier Bucci (pictured). He lays down orchestral strings over a moody backing. At last, it’s minimal house with a big pair of balls.
Dancepig takes the piss out of electroclash’s fixation with fame and money in his live shows by throwing fake money into the crowd. This debut EP, where nasal new wave vocals, dramatic old school synths collide, show he’s in it for the right reasons.
Scandal Inc adopt a rough and raw approach to production . The reconstituted ghetto house beats, squelchy bass and sleazy female vocals on ‘Creep’ make the dirtier end of electro house sound tame.
Newcleus mark the 25th anniversary of ‘Destination Earth’ with this re-issue package. Its warm, otherworldly synth hook and ponderously soulful male vocal sound more emotive than a lorry load of nu-Italo and the release also contains ‘Why?’. Recorded in the same year, its spooky atmospheres and tearjerkingly cheesy melodies are still a revelation.
‘Neontrance’ is not the kind of record that Dirt Crew usually puts out, but its tough beats and repetitive, creaking sounds, as well as its rough 303 line makes for a refreshing change to textbook electro-house.
Everyone’s talking about Robag Wruhme’s version of ‘Bulldozer’. But the original version is superior. Its echoing drums and wild, frequency-shifting, tweaked bassline are nothing short of inspirational.
Produced in London, both sides boast tough basslines and beats, more reverb than a Spaceman 3 jam session and layers of intricately trippy, clicky percussion. In short, it’s minimal with big balls.
This is the first record in 17 years by Professor X, a founding member of gangsta rappers NWA. ‘Statix’ combines dark synths with prowling basslines and daft narratives about technology, but the most futuristic track is the stark ‘Professor X (Saga)’, recorded at the end of the '80s.
Veteran German producers Pascal FEOS and Heiko MSO hook up for this 12-minute romp into the furthest recesses of the Chicago/acid sound. Crisp beats and claps and a scuzzy bass are the basis for a succession of climaxing 303 sequences.
The razor sharp claps and grimy bass pulses that power this track sound like a mixture of classic Chicago and contemporary Sender/Grummich noise pollution. John Tejada’s mix sets a melancholic tone with a weeping bassline and mournful Detroit chords at the beginning that finishes in an acid climax.
It’s hard to believe that ‘Every Time’ is almost 10 years old as its reverberating, jacking arrangement and demented space-invader bleep FX make the modern remix by Falko Brockspieper sound sterile by comparison.
Alex Smoke’s debut album, Communicado, impressed with a wide techno focus and, although this follow up is narrower in its vision, the results are more rewarding. Combining cut-up hip-hop sensibilities with stripped back, intricate grooves, the Scotsman avoids the sterile sound many minimalists make, adding rough, sinewy basslines and Warp-style melodies to his non-linear arrangements.
Alex Smoke has got the funk and a whole lot more besides.
Last year’s ‘We Are Monster’ album showed that Isolee-aka-Rajko Mueller was capable of more than just dance floor abandon, so it seems strange that he takes a step backwards for the follow up.
Shore is far superior to most minimal releases – it is doubtful that many of the hyped names could even sustain their sound over 12 tracks – and Mueller’s love of sensuous deep house (on ‘Initiate 2’ and ‘I Owe You’) as well as sparse acid (’Surfers’) means the album isn’t just a succession of glitches and clicks.
Mark Stewart is treated with the same reverence as Basic Channel and with good reason. He shows an ability to create an intangibly moody sensibility on ‘New Dawn’. His name also provides a clue to his talents – on the strong, forceful beats and driving dub bass of ‘Thieves’, his clarity of sound is unique.
Realised to the sound of a glitchy, discordant backing, the robotic bleeps and brooding basslines on ‘Nightwatch’ and ‘Soaring’ are more complex and busier than Afrilounge’s magnum opus, ’Phoenix’, but their more subtle climaxes will have exactly the same effect.
Angle’ is a crunchy 4/4 meets break beat track, its heavy, harsh drums and grungy bass as visceral as anything Peter Grummich or Shitkatapult are capable of. On ‘Curve’, they change tact with an irresistible combination of niggling 303 signatures and epic, Vangelis-like synths.
Karmarouge Noir travel to the dark side as Spanish producer Pablo Akaros delivers the spooky, acid-infused ‘Por La Boca’. However, the real madness is audible on ‘Big Wave’ and lead track ‘Celofans’, where space trance riffs and epic chords unfold over churning, grinding drums.
On ‘Ambush’, DJ T displays his love for classic electro and Chicago house. The clicking percussion and chiming melodies on the title track have an undeniably contemporary flavour. ‘Stalker’, meanwhile, crackles and hisses, accompanied by insistent hand claps and pulsing 303s, underpinned by a prowling rhythm track.
‘50/50 Split’ consists of clicking percussion and trippy FX over a humming electronic bassline, while ‘Micra Mire’ is a denser, dubbier affair.
However, the devil is in the detail, and unexpected twists, turns and out-there breakdowns drive both tracks to chaotic, warped heights.
Here’s a cultural oddity that would give Noam Chomsky nightmares – a cover of Canned Heat’s hippie classic by Telex, an ‘80s electro act from Belgium, in turn remixed in throbbing style by a former member of Technotronic! However, the highlight remix is Trevor Jackson’s menacing Chicago house reconstruction.
Coldcut have been around since the dawn of dance music and, while they have a propensity to dabble in dull multimedia ‘projects’, this new album resonates on a number of levels.
Sound Mirrors has crossover potential, with the bluesy vocals of ‘Man In A Garage’ and the orchestral ‘Walk A Mile In My Shoes’ outdoing Air or Zero.
More importantly though, Coldcut are sick of electronic music’s inability to make political statements: Mirrors rails against corrupt international aid agencies on ‘Aid Dealer’, and the senseless destruction of the environment on the old school house-pianos-meets-jungle bass of ‘Island Earth’. They are right-on, tree-hugging hippies, but these days, we need Coldcut more than ever.
Many producers flirt with dub/minimal techno, but few succeed in making a lasting contribution. Thinkertoy, aka Paul Shrimpton and Andrew Wedman, are one of the exceptions. ‘Electric Wilderness’ takes inspiration from German minimalism, but it’s also informed by Global Communcations’ ambience, a classical sensibility, and the brooding, foreboding basslines of Resse techno, which form the basis for ‘Bassalin’ and ‘Pinpin’s Flower Shop’.
The simplicity and clarity of sound on every Steve Bug production sets him apart from the pack. ‘Smackman’ is no exception. The title track’s murky drums and spiralling acid motifs create an irresistible intensity, while on ‘I-Thought’ every drum sound and hi-hat is ideally placed. Combined with a plunging bass, it’s impossible not to wiggle your hips to.
Despite claims that Oliver Hacke’s latest release is house music, Midatlantic is pure experimental techno, as the distorted sax sampling and deconstructed minimalism of ‘They Don’t Know You’ and the EP’s highlight, the hazy dubby groove of ‘Fair Range’s Midatlantic Solutions’, demonstrate.
The Berlin label delivers its biggest release so far, thanks to a linear, squelchy remix from Magda. While it will get the attention, the other contributions are more inventive. M.I.A.’s reshape progresses from hazy bliss to jacking funk while Shonky and Jennifer Cardini use dramatic strings and a sleazy swagger to inject some sex appeal into ‘Rancho Relaxo’.
It’s all about consolidation on ‘Remote Culture’, as Adam Marshall forges links between visceral techno and Basic Channel deepness. The heavy, clipped drums on ‘Magnum’ and ‘Illuminator’ enliven the accompanying Maurizio-style chord textures. Marshall excels when he drops a gnarled, filtered bass over firing percussion on ‘Nature Gone’.
It was inevitable that some bright producer would make the connection between the monochrome guitars of pre-acid house bands like New Order and Gang Of Four and the decadent grooves of Italo. Joakim is first past the post with this prowling, Hook-meets-Moroder affair.
Two of Europe’s most feted minimal producers get together for a collaboration that’s best listened to in the early hours. Understated beats and out of time bass sequences are combined with sweet, wispy sounds and a soulful vocal to create a serene atmosphere.
Upcoming producer Matt John impresses with the “falling down the stairs” wooden beats version of ‘Daktari’. Isolee’s remix is the real highlight, as squelchy acid, hissing percussion and dark synths gradually climax over a bumping backing.
Sasse borrows from sleazy Gigolos electro, the gurgling fluidity of classic acid trax and the displaced spaceyness of Italo for ‘Touch’. Meanwhile, Kiki’s pained vocals lend the track a drugged-out weirdness. The result? The most euphoric synth progression you’ll hear this side of Vangelis.
Plak usually adheres to the rules of dance floor engagement, but when Hardvision and Lee Van Dowski get together as HTMSOAW, these structures go out the window. This EP combines the beauty of Warp’s melodies with busy, stop-start metallic backing tracks and acid lines that reach deeper than a nuclear submarine.
Lorna impressed with her sexy debut, and now she returns with the same sleazy Windy City sound, as 303s build to a wild climax. Meanwhile, on ‘Kernel Panic’, she re-interprets the raw, yelping analogue sound of classic Relief.
One of German techno’s most promising artists, Patrick Chardronnet launches this new label with a track that outdoes even his recent collaboration with Afrilounge on Poker Flat. ‘Eve’ is an insistent clicking track powered by a humming bassline and building trance riffs that is certain to seduce the minimalists as well as the bandwagon jumpers.
‘Time Dilation’ shares Aphex Twin and Autechre’s sense of alienation as nightmarish sounds and spooky lullaby hooks flit across understated techno beats. While Heinrich Mueller’s versions focus on electro funk territory, there’s still a sparse feel to the mysterious Motor City man’s interpretations.
Fujiya & Miyagi make sexy electro music and the male vocalist on the title track makes even the age old children’s collarbone is connected to the neck bone… rhyme ooze with sleazy intent. Of course, it helps that it’s backed with a mixture of low slung Lindstrom funk and jagged ‘80s guitars.
Karmarouge launches the Noir sub-label to cater for a rougher, more abstract take on German minimalism. The first release is a real trip to the dark side as De Costa spews out murky rhythms, out of time beats and wild hardcore basslines.
On ‘Ring Of Beans’, Alex Kruger delivers a tough pumping techno track, his hardest composition to date. However, the title track’s mixture of plunging 303-led bass, swirling chords and spacious minimalist beats pushes techno’s boundaries to breaking point.
The last time this Russian producer appeared as Nooncat, he was making dreamy, layered techno, but has subsequently toughened up his style. ‘Love’ is a slinky, compressed acid roller, while ‘Sex’ builds from a minimal backing to climax in a grating cacophony.
Better known for his clinical techno releases on Raum and Highgrade, Berlin spinner Dave DK goes off on a house tangent on ‘Problem’. He hasn’t deserted the minimal aesthetic, and ‘Jus Suckas’ and the title track are based on cut-up arrangements, dank, off-beat drums and murky rhythms.
‘Key Generator’ follows a similar path to Spiritcatcher’s big tune, ‘Voodoo Knight’, and is another bleepy acid track powered by an immense boogie woogie low end and tranced-out synths. This release also contains ‘Code Breaker’, a dark 303-abusing Chicago retro-future workout.
Depending on your age, this record is either a dark electro-techno record or a smart update of the best of the ‘80s. ‘Operator’ pounds away relentlessly, but it’s overshadowed by the title track, a manifestation of everything that was great about late ‘80s industrial, house and techno.
It’s easy to dismiss Richie Hawtin as a poster-boy for minimalism. But on ‘The Tunnel’ and ‘Twin Cities’, he works in reverse to his peers, piecing together elements from a number of other tracks. Like his ‘Transitions’ mix, these tracks evolve into intricate, ever-morphing grooves that have Hawtin’s identity stamped all over them.
This is Lee Norris’s first Norken release in ages. But nothing much has changed. The same haunting textures and dreamy chords that define his work are present and it seems like he has been enjoying a cocoon-like existence.
‘Hit’ is a moody, acid-led rigid funk affair, informed as much by grating industrial music as new school minimalism. Unfortunately, the lads disappoint with a dull tribal track on the flip.
These tracks don’t deviate radically from Trentemoller’s recognisable style. They consist of intricate pops and clicks over pulsing, moody grooves, the noisy build up and breakdown on the title track will guarantee this EP’s popularity.
‘Storm’ is Frankie’s best record so far. The track is harder and more angular than before and also more DJ-friendly. Frankie unleashes the sexy bass and hissing snares of ‘Sizzle’, and a jacking, swinging groove and intricate drum builds on the John Tejada-approved title track.
Tiga has made his name as a smart cultural magpie, either by delivering clubby cover versions of pop songs – ‘Hot In Here’ and ‘Sunglasses At Night’ – or borrowing elements from other music scenes, evident on his plundering of Public Enemy and Chicago house on ‘Louder Than A Bomb’ and ‘Pleasure From The Bass’
For a producer whose nickname is ‘Europe’s Derrick May’ this compilation is a great opportunity to prove that his music is wide ranging. ‘Puzzle’ touches on US-style vocal house. Elsewhere, Lig’s remake of Frederic Galliano’s ‘Woualai’ is underpinned by hypnotic Afro chants.
These German space cadets used to make dubby techno. On this, their third album, they go against the prevailing zeitgeist and take inspiration from Detroit, not Berlin. Lazy textures, warm, fluid rhythms and lush strings prevail on ‘Bon Voyage’ and the hypnotically melodic ‘International’. Yet Zona is not just a sonic love letter to Derrick May and Carl Craig’s back catalogues: ‘Theory’s Dead’ and ‘Brain Eater’ also make references to experimental glitch and electro bass and, on the wild ‘Unformatted’, the wildest excesses of the 303.
On ‘Infected’, this US techno tag-team makes the minimal sound their own, injecting the stop-start groove with glitch interference and jazzy nuances, holding it all together with wild bass licks. ‘100% Post Consumer’ follows a similar route, with the jarring, frequency-shifting bass licks based on a Chicago jack track.
Not as strong as its predecessor, but ‘Part 2’ is notable for Putsch 79 and Alden Tyrell’s spaced out melodic Italo and the majestic claps and nagging bass of Orgue Electronique’s electronic take on Chicago house on ‘Here I Come’.
Sven Vath is often portrayed as a chemical loon, but he still has his finger on the pulse. On ‘Komm’, that involves splintered metallic-beats, an understated trance chord-progression and a camp robotic vocal in German.
Not every German producer churns out textbook minimalism and Holger Flinsch has opted for an alternate path on ‘Hexenlaub’, the highlight of this split release, where he merges skippy beats with tranced-out chords and a curious freeform jazz aesthetic.
Guido Schneider, best known for his work on Poker Flat, drops a minimal groove with a moody bass and a spooky vibe that is going down a storm in all ze best European clubs.
Milan DJ Remo teams up with American-in-Europe Chelonis Jones for some gender-bending techno. Puzzlingly, it’s only available in remixed format. That’s no bad thing, as DJ Naughty’s version is the kind of slinky, stripped-back number you’d expect from Get Physical.
The mysterious Missing Link is inspired by IDM and industrial, as well as club techno. In places, these EPs veer into DJ unfriendly seven/eight time signatures. Counteracting this experimentation are the lead tracks, where murky basslines, hissing percussion, and a sense of space have the required dance-floor effect.
Listening to the grainy, bumping electronic bassline and repetitive 303 tones on the title track and the sleazy, low-slung interpretation of tranced out glitch techno that constitutes ‘Trap 2’, it’s clear that ‘Animal’ is the work of two of the most talented and promising techno/house producers in the business.
At first listen, this sounds claustrophobic and one-dimensional. Maybe it has something to do with the overbearing bass. Little by little, though, you notice the tapestry of abstract sounds on the title track. The reek of sleazy intent is audible through the doubled up-drums and dank bass on the b-side, aptly-named ‘Hungry Bassline’.
Who Made Who member Barfod drops one of Get Physical’s darker releases.‘Trancer’ and the title track fuse twitchy modern minimalism with ebm/hardcore bass; ‘Mind The Others’ couches cowbells and 303 motifs in a foreboding house setting.
Felix mixes an abrasive, jacking punk/funk beat, a spoken female vocal and a screaming synth. Result: a very contemporary thrill that will move fashionable floors.
Trance will always be an ugly word. Nonetheless, Fairmont’s stuttering, grubby beats and beautiful chord progressions are more powerfully emotive than a million ubercoolische minimal records.
Woody McBride dusts down the bandanas for the third ‘Acid’ episode. Mike Acid delivers bass sucker-punches on ‘Ultra Disko’; McBride hits hard with the pulsing tones of ‘Put A Smile On Your Face’. However, the undisputed heavyweight is Bryan Zentz, whose combination of razor-sharp claps and frequency shifting 303 lines is as inspirational as a Phuture classic.
On the title track, Schneider brings Hawtin’s doubled-up drums and sick acid lines forward 10 years, re-enacting them in a driving style. The skeletal groove and stacatto beats of ‘Mistaken Identity’, meanwhile, offer a dark, modern feeling to Plastikman’s techno heritage.
Onur Ozer is only in his mid 20s, but he deploys a distinctive style on ‘Envy’. He goes out on a limb with the rough glitch of ‘Maze’ and, while the metallic beats and moody pulses of ‘Superfunk’ has echoes of Konrad Black’s work, it is driven by an intangible, alluring bleakness.
‘Spot The Difference’ is dank, purist electro with dirty acid undercurrents. Transparent Sound’s mix steals the thunder, with Martin and Orson turning ‘Insert’ into a jacking acid track that morphs midway through into a synthy breaker.
At a time when many producers look to a cold, clinical approach, Andrew Shaw favours warmth and humanity. The reference points are classic Italo and Kraftwerk’s melodic pathos on ‘Sequencers’ and ‘The Spy Theory', while ‘Rumble’ bleeds with an emotion that is all too rare nowadays.
On ‘Sunstroke’, it sounds like Trentemoller has brought his more experimental style to bear, as echoing crackles of glitchy percussion and a bleak bass provide the basis for wave upon wave of building 303s. It’s not pretty, but it works.
Systematic drops its biggest record to date. ‘Computer’ features Chicago claps and a dark ebm low end, providing the backing to Paris’ account of cybersex: ‘There’s a girl on my computer screen/ She says she’s 20 but I know she’s 17/ There are stains on her underwear/ I know where they come from but I don’t care.’ Like all great electronic music, it’s sleazy, dystopian and hypnotic.
The formidable Herr Grummich makes his skewed sound more accessible on ‘The Roll Part 1’ with electro bleeps, but there are no concessions on ‘Roll Part 2’ and ‘This One Jacks’, which hit you straight in the gut with grubby beats and walls of distorted bass.
This EP tells the tale of a bored young woman who gets her rocks off to a classic Chicago house, as the spooky drums and spiraling acid of the title track demonstrate.
Fidgety house is on offer here, a sound that seems to bridge the gap between Derrick Carter’s boompty bump funk and the sparse German aesthetic. Raw bass, clattering beats and abstract noises make for a positively weird ride.
This label’s name is hopefully inspired by the classic Red Snapper release, and the music is just as fresh, as Boxcutter re-draw the rules of electro engagement with dissected, hyper-paced breaks and dark bass undercurrents.
Forget all the silliness about German producers re-inventing house/techno and focus your attention on ‘Things’, which takes good old-fashioned deep chords and plunging acid lines into the future.
It was nostalgia time at the Just home in Vienna when they covered the first ever bleep techno record. They do a fine job, leaving the infectious electronic hooks and rave chord builds intact, underpinning these elements with a modernist, pulsing techno backing.
The Dutch might have a monopoly on the eerie, tripped out end of Italo-fuelled electro, but when it comes to the live, funk based variant, this Scandinavian duo has been making all the right moves over the past few years. ‘I Feel Space’ – not included here – is a bona fide classic, but this debut album focuses on their organic approach. While these slinky grooves may not appeal to fans of electronic Italo, there are enough cheesy melody lines and sexy rhythms to guarantee that Lindstrom and Thomas will stay at the top of their niche.
Apart from Donnacha Costello and Dave Donohoe, Irish dance producers have failed spectacularly in their efforts to make a lasting dance album. While Swedish producer Jesper Dahlback co-wrote ‘Disarmed’, his partner in crime is Corkonian Mark O’Sullivan, and their debut is one of the freshest electronic albums of 2005. Apart from their ability to deliver timeless acid trax – ‘The Difference’ and ‘Life Is Everywhere’ – there’s the prickly indie pop of ‘Sweetness In Time’, the downbeat, Joy Division-styled doom of ‘Disarm’ and the mixture of epic dancefloor techno, brooding Dave Gahan-esque vocals and Gothic undercurrents on ‘Where’s The Fun’, ‘Heart Like A Demon’ and ‘Three Souls’. By combining music from opposite ends of the spectrum, DK7 have created something disarmingly compelling.
Repeat Repeat is another smart signing from Soma. The work of Dave Congreve and Mark Rutherford, they use minimal techno as a starting point on ‘Bounce’ and deftly add squelchy acid signatures and humming, plunging low ends.
Clone is one of Europe’s finest labels and this package is the ideal catch-up release. From the Italo/electro house of Lindstrom’s ‘There Is A Drink’ and Unit 4’s ‘Body Dub’, to the robotic Chicago percussion of Orgue Elctronique’s ‘Texas, Brooklyn, Heaven’ and the ultra-rare pulsing Alden Tyrell edit of 80s legend Harold Faltermeyer’s ‘So High’, this is a near essential collection.
‘Ceramics’ brings a musical sensibility to club techno. On ‘Credit’, Stott’s sense of melancholia is underscored by a humming electronic bass, while the title track is a deep seated, dubby roller which still packs a powerful punch with the occasional ‘Red 2’-style stab.
One half of The Micronauts teams up with Speedy J for the searing acid meets industrial noise of ‘Looks Something Like You’. There’s something more adventurous at play on ‘Understand What I’m Saying’, which features morphing time signatures, broken beats, off kilter percussion and half-heard vocals.
Dexter’s previous output suggested he was a fine, albeit purist electro producer, but ‘D-Funked’, while still based on sexy, staccato breaks, is a warm, tripped out UR-style affair. He embarks further off the course on a trip into deep space with the techno blips of ‘Midnight Cruiser’.
While Captain Comatose sail close to stupidity with ‘Say CC’, their cover of the Captain Sensible standard, the title track, with its sinewy funk bassline and hilarious ‘how well can you stand with a drink in your hand/we are the last standing disco band’ lyric is hard to fault.
Audion aka Matthew Dear kicks out the jams and takes the Chicago / minimalist interface to new extremes. ‘Fucking’ pours molten hot industrial noises over a wild 303 backing track and swarms of razor sharp percussion, while Roman Flugel’s remix is as cold and clinical as it feels to shag a mannequin. Not that we’d condone that kind of behaviour.
An experimtental ethos pervades each Nummer release and is audible on the dubby A-side here, where brittle shards of percussion tail off and re-appear, and on the more aggressive flipside, as 2 Dollar Egg command their machines to deliver a distorted, grinding stomp.
Christopher Just bounces back with ‘B.O.B.’, a bastard hard cut. Imagine the gut wrenching, granite kicks lifted from Jeff Mills’ intense '90s work slowed down and fused with a filthy, grungy bass and you’ve got an idea of what this pummelling record sounds like.
‘Solaris’ is a massive, moody builder, powered by an ominous bassline and cavernous FX, but if you’re looking for something more adventurous, check Ananda’s contribution, which is like a minimalist’s version of Isolee’s classic ‘Beau Mot Plage’.
Instead of churning out tribal loops, Mark Broom realises his full potential as a producer with ‘Klick’, which alternates between plunging bass-led Detroit house sounds, fuzzy electro and cosmic, UR-style techno. He’s still got the magic.
‘Devon’ is a typical example of Dahlback’s sound, as robotic, jacking rhythms and searing 303s groove along in unison.
On the flip, ‘Asia’, his hardest track to date, lifts the doubled-up drum sound of mid ‘90s Plastikman, copperfastening it to a humming, tearing bass implosion.
‘Teach’ delivers more of the jerky, twitchy funk that made ‘Pop Implants’ an essential release. But, shattering any impression that Tierney is an Akufen clone, the EP highight is the resonating one-note bassline and the dreamy ebbs and flows of ‘Verse 2 The Chorus’.
Life must be strange and somewhat paranoid for Danny ‘Legowelt’ Wolfers if this record is anything to go on. There’s the pulsing acid groove and dark synth melodies of the title track. Elsewhere, ‘Strange Events At Mazumba’ is a tense, spooky soundtrack.
Pared-down jacking tracks are on offer here. But Lusine treats them with his magic touch, chopping up the vocal samples into a stop-start collage, adding in abstract percussion and multi-layered chords. It’s why ‘Inside’ sounds warmer and more human than 99% of minimal releases.
This is a pleasant but inoffensive r&b and soul tinged house record, but Trentemoller’s remix draws on the original track’s r&b feel for the time signature.
Although they dipped their toes in the pop world with a cover of Visage’s ‘Fade To Grey’, Transparent Sound’s last album, Emotional Amputation, wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs.
Consisting of a veteran techno producer and a former child pop superstar, The Bastards aren’t typical faceless laptop types and sonically, they also stand out, as intricate, pared down beats, unexpected breakdowns and bubbling 303 pulses form the basis for ‘The Juice In My Head’ and ‘Dark Acid Trip’.
Nhar follows Lee Van Dowski’s skeletal EP on Plak with a more foreboding release. There’s an ominous feeling on the title track, but Nhar keeps his rage in check with glitchy percussion, until soaring acid elements lead ‘Adrenochrome’ into a wild crescendo.
Konrad’s love of weird, detuned riffs and rumbling basslines are present on this release, and his grungy, bleep-infested low-ends and tripped out FX are the perfect accompaniment to Ghostman’s spooky vocals.
Most DJs have a secret weapon in their boxes and this is Phonique’s; a track that starts life as an inoffensive glitch house affair but gradually, an ominous, bleepy bassline, builds and brings it to a tearing climax.
Clocking in at nine tracks, ‘Collapse’ alternates between the cinematic synth symphonies of ‘Monolith’ and ‘Spinal Implants’, the understated, clipped metallic beats of ‘Meridian 1212’ and the brooding breaks and gurgling bass of ‘Mars Memory’ and ‘The Monsignor’.
The work of Patrik Dechent, the title track has more in common with conventional rolling house than the label’s usual twitchy electro/techno beats. However, ‘Salty Dog’ stays true to the GP style, its shuffling, jerky rhythms interpret Chicago house and the melancholic alienation of Detroit for modern tatstes.
20-year-old Greek producer Argy leads the charge of the new wave of European minimalists with ‘Love Dose’, an intricately crafted, acid-laced stripped-down track that owes debts to the Bug’s label. Meanwhile, Luciano’s remix pushes in a different direction to the increasingly boring Villalobos. Sounding like an update of old Relief releases, the meeting of raw, primal rhythms and steely, modern know-how is revelatory.
When Danish trio Who Made Who put out a version of ‘Satisfaction’ last year, it appeared that they were just another act cashing in on the mash up sound. Thankfully, their debut album proves that they are neither cover-version chancers nor punk funk pretenders.
Sure, most of these tracks are based on loose rhythms and slack, unquantized drums. But there are enough unexpected twists and turns and nods to electro, tripped-out acid and Chicago house to guarantee that we won’t look back in a few years time and grimace when their name is mentioned.
From the opening bars, you can tell that Soap Opera is the work of a rare talent rather than one of the myriad of faceless producers inspired by Basic Channel. Grummich has developed a distinctive style within the minimal canon and his spiky beats, gnarled bass and deconstructed percussive slivers underpin every track. Irrrespective of whether he is chilling with hypnotic numbers like ‘Incoming’ and ‘Orange Moon’, or going for the dance floor jugular with the mad time signatures of recent single ‘A Roboter’ and the insistent ‘The Animal’, a bold experimental approach defines this mini-masterpiece.
Taken from Lawrence’s first album for NovaMute, ‘The Night’ boasts his trademark seductive, lullaby-like melodies over a gently pulsing dub techno backing.
Techno star in waiting Joris Voorn lives up to all the accolades with ‘Listen’; a wonderful piece of symphonic ambience and the beautiful key-shifting chord progressions of ‘Don’t Believe Everything You See’, which is set to a bubbling percussive backing.
The last Coco Machete release, by Scandal Inc, revisited hip house and now Lance de Sardi also looks back in time to Italo’s melodic sensibilities in ‘Fear & Loathing’.
Electronic music needs larger-than-life characters like Chleonis Jones, the American singer/poet/producer who decamped to Berlin and hooked up with the Get Physical label.
Based in the US rather than Berlin, techno’s hub, ‘Green Nights’ takes influence from the German capital’s most famous label, Basic Channel, to deliver 10 tracks of static, dubby late-night grooves.
Chester is inspired by Detroit techno, but unlike many of his peers, he succeeds in replicating the delicate balance of otherworldness and soul that made original Motor City productions so influential and this release exudes warmth that has become increasingly rare.
The work of a Berlin-based DJ collective, ‘Schuss Aus Der Hufte’ is a slamming, metallic funk affair which climaxes in an acid haze. There’s no respite on the title track either, where a dirty bassline and a hail of percussion tear through the stripped down beats.
French DJ Jennifer Cardini is lumped in with the minimalists, but this release has all the swing and sassiness of a Chicago house record mixed with epic, recycled trance chords. Admittedly, it is realised in a contemporary style, which means that the percussion is sharp and metallic and the bass has a dark, bleepy edginess to it.
Recorded live four years ago, this EP shows that Swayzak were way ahead of the minimal techno pack. Operating in club mode, they fuse a mixture of hypnotic Basic Channel chords, haunting Detroit techno and understated, pared down beats.
Misc leads the mighty Sender’s charge with the label’s most banging EP yet. The lead track is like Raumschmiere in 4/4 techno mode, as grating industrial noises are juxtaposed with supernatural chords and stomping beats, while a wild, distorted bass bullies its way onto the dance floor.
Dean Meredith likes to indulge his love of disco music, but don’t worry, there’s not a cheesy filter in sight here: instead, Meredith prefers to trawl the obscure depths of Italo and early house music to create ‘Marching Orders’, where a drum machine creates tight claps and a rigid, basic bassline.
Dean Meredith likes to indulge his love of disco music, but don’t worry, there’s not a cheesy filter in sight here: instead, Meredith prefers to trawl the obscure depths of Italo and early house music to create ‘Marching Orders’, where a drum machine creates tight claps and a rigid, basic bassline.
Dean Meredith likes to indulge his love of disco music, but don’t worry, there’s not a cheesy filter in sight here: instead, Meredith prefers to trawl the obscure depths of Italo and early house music to create ‘Marching Orders’, where a drum machine creates tight claps and a rigid, basic bassline.
This debut release from Mathias Kaden is in keeping with the label’s love of grittiness and the title track is a shuffling, abstract arrangement that reaches boiling point midway through as Kaden drops a dirty, subsonic bass and insistent percussion.
They were techno pioneers in the '90s, but The Black Dog lost the plot badly over the past few years and put out records that were an insult to their former greatness.
Some producers have that secret ingredient that means their music stands apart from the increasing volume of records pushed out into the public domain.
One half of Black Strobe delivers his latest mix – how many more can he release? – this time for London club Fabric. As ever, there’s an emphasis on dark bass-led techno and house, featuring tracks from DJ Koze, Michael Mayer and Konrad Black.
The real highlights on ‘Sugar’ are the remixes: Trevor Jackson’s Playgroup mix unites tough bass licks with visceral Chicago rhythms and Metronomy bring Ladytron’s bittersweet pop into a domain where acid trax and '80s industrial are the main components.
Remember when dance producers weren’t afraid to cut and paste different sounds and styles to create great music? Scandal Inc remember the good old days, as ‘Good Look’ sets old elements, including an infectious hip house rap, haunting electro chords and a classic house vocal sample to a modern track.
‘Can’t Stop’ is let down by ‘Homeopathic Delight’, where passé pulsing electro rhythms ruin a decent hazy dub techno track. In contrast, the title track is a wonderfully moody late night affair, punctuated by razor-sharp percussion and a sick, squelchy bass.
Sebo K’s ‘Too Hot’ has been remixed in an experimental style by Shyza Minelli and UND, but the original version is easier to warm to because Sebo has invoked the rough and raw funk of Chicago and, as the shuffling drums and squelchy acid climax, his take is irresistible.
‘City Sounds’ is mid-'90s techno pioneer Stefan Robbers’ comeback record, but he has stuck to his trademark sound. The pulsing electro of ‘Lab Practice’ references current trends, but at the heart of this record are emotive, uplifting melodies and fractured funk sensibilities.
Less visceral and upfront than previous Sender releases, Carsten Jost still makes a strong statement with basic components – hypnotic, chiming sounds and shuffling, tinny drums – to create an unsettling mood, while K Lakizz further explores this theme with a remix characterised by punchy drums, tight percussion and a rough bass.
Ellen Alien’s label is on the money with ‘Washing Up’. Built on an undercurrent of dark bass attitude, a spiralling, howling analogue riff comes out of nowhere to guarantee its dance floor appeal and ‘big tune’ status.
The multi-talented Alex Kruger goes solo on ‘Pill’, a paean to Chicago house, electro and Basic Channel. The main action can be found on ‘Blackjack’, where upfront Windy City kicks and claps underpin a dark, swirling techno riff, but ‘Plastek’ and ‘Sam Returns’, which combine mournful, Metro Area-style chords and chugging, dubby grooves also impress.
One of Germany’s most respected DJ/producers weighs in with a mix that includes tracks from minimal luminaries Trentemoller, Thomas Melchior, Robag Wruhme and Steve Bug.
After a near ten-year hiatus, German acid duo Hardfloor finally make a comeback. Ramon Zenker and Oliver Bondzio’s re-appearance is timely: so many producers are trying to make 303 trax, but few have the magic formula that runs throughout this new album.
Like many great albums, Monster made little if no impression on first listen. Maybe initially, there was a sense that Rajko Muller was an underachiever – that he would never manage to emulate the heights he reached on his classic ‘Beau Mot Plage’ single or with his debut album, Rest.
If you are looking for classic soul music to listen to or sample, then this is a near indispensable collection: spread over two discs, it features classics from Bobby Womack, The Four Tops and my personal favourite, The Jones Girls’ ‘Nights Over Egypt’.
In the past, Sasha’s mixes were characterised by huge breakdowns and pumping progressive rhythms, but this new selection is a pleasant surprise, delivering mellow/ dub techno from Richard Davis and Funk D’Void as well as Euro electro/minimalism from Phonique, M.A.N.D.Y. and Superpitcher.
Trentemoller’s ‘Physical Fraction’ was one of this year’s big underground tracks, and, while it’s hard to tell if ‘Shift’ will enjoy the same success, it employs the same techniques with devastating results. Opening with reduced, fragmented beats, he adds layered FX and a menacing, squelchy bass, and brings the track to a wild climax using mental 303s.
Seeing as Optimo show such a flagrant disregard for musical genres, it’s no surprise that their Oscarr label doesn’t follow rules either. Magic Daddy is a musical schizophrenic, assembling assorted samples and blending them with a grimy drum backing on ‘Miscreant’, while ‘Cool It!’ sounds like what would happen if the Chicago revivalists started smoking crack.
20/20 were way ahead of everyone else when they released ‘ Les Annees Des Plomb’ by Volga Select, aka Ivan Smagghe and Marc Collin a few years ago, as its atmospheric, pulsing groove and Italo-eque melodies still sound way ahead of the electro house brigade.
Get Physical engineers Booka Shade team up with M.A.N.D.Y for ‘Body Language’ and the result is sublime, with their intricate, gritty grooves providing a home for seductive Warp melodies and sexy Detroit riffs.
Don’t expect any stadium rave on this collaboration and you won’t be disappointed. Indeed, the only elements that remain are vocals intoning the track title and claiming the Chilean-German’s version is ‘gonna make you sweat’ as his hazy, dubby beats amble on in the background.
The industrious Dahlbacks mix soulful vocals and tracky acid on ‘Barbariba’ and, while ‘Pellefantastic’ and ‘Snabeln’ impress with their brute force techno grunge, ‘Dumbolina’ is the standout track, an emotive techno swagger characterised by its recycled trance chords.
The criminally overlooked Phono Elements continues undaunted on its mission to put a fresh spin on dub/minimal techno, as Thorsten Diegel and Martin Worner expertly fuse shuffling, doubled up drums, fluid 303s and sweet, Detroit-style chords.
DJ T’s singles for Get Physical never fail to deliver, but can the much hyped German spinner maintain his floor rocking ability over the space of a full length album? Apart from the crap name, he has succeeded, primarily because he has stuck to what he knows best, and that's making great underground house music.
Two of Germany’s most in-vogue DJs weigh in with a definitive double CD mix of the acid/electro/minimal house and techno sound. Apart from US and Irish contributions – from John Tejada and Donnacha Costello - this is two and a half hours’ worth of the finest electronic music Europe from Guido Schneider, Trentemoller, Losoul, Booka Shade and DJ T.
London DJ/producer Will Saul first came to prominence as a breaks DJ, but thankfully, he has subsequently expanded his canon to include seductive house and deep, dubby techno. On ‘Space’, his debut album, he adds some unusual flavours – including African instrumentation – to create a rounded work that has echoes of Mathew Jonson, Charles Webster and the London breaks mafia. So many dance producers talk about making a proper artist album but invariably fail to deliver.
The taut, stripped-down techno of Berlin's Get Physical is at the bleeding edge of contemporary dance music. Now the label has released its first mix album.
Although he is hailed by the label as ‘the most imaginative Japanese producer’, Watanabe has not yet scaled the heights of Sakamoto and the Yellow Magic Orchestra, but this deep, spaced out techno collection is still worth an hour of your time.
Every day must be as easy as Sunday morning for London new jazz act Bugz if this compilation is anything to go on. Classic soul and funk from Marvin Gaye, Donald Byrd and Herbie Hancock feature here, with a sprinkling off new school hip-hop from the likes of Slum Village.
Featuring acid tracks from every year from the period chosen by German nutter Uwe Schmidt, this compilation shows that, despite the recent so-called revival, the 303 never went away, and underground producers like Plastique, Microsmiles and Tobias Selbermann were churning out acid tracks when it was unfashionable.
Is Michel De Hey techno’s very own Oscar Wilde? Indeed, if you had him down as just a standard party techno DJ, then you’re in for a surprise as this double mix includes electro/minimal house from Lopazz, Nathan Fake and Alex Smoke as well as the usual bangers from Leandro Gamez and Hardcell from the Dutch dandy.
Part of the burgeoning Parisian acid house scene, ‘Ask’, which boasts the author’s camp French vocals, is destined to get to places that most electro house tunes will never reach. However, Jerome Pacman’s EBM-inspired remix of ‘Let Me’ and Shonky’s Euro-electro track, ‘Paris Is Not Dead’, mean this is still an underground release. Vive le Shonky!
Miami loudmouths Avenue D big up their behinds over a gut-wrenching electro bass, while Pete Heller’s remix retains the hilarious rap – “even your momma loves this ass” – over a brilliant jacking acid track.
Recorded in Munich and remixed in Rome, Passarani’s version fuses jacking Chicago house with punk funk slackness as a loose groove and wobbly bassline meet up. Francisco’s sleazy, breaking electro version is way off the mark though.
On ‘Mind’, a harsh, industrial bassline supports wave upon wave of electronic bleeps, which contrast with innocent female vocals and glacial chords. ‘Tears Of Joy’ starts off with the same terms of reference, but here, Fex is inspired by Chicago’s 303 legacy.
Label boss Benno steps out of the shadows to deliver a pumping, snaking affair with a dissected vocal audible through the gritty beats and a resonating bass, which is pretty much standard fare for one of Europe’s finest labels.
‘Boundary’ won’t win prizes for innovation, but Murmur’s approximation of Basic Channel / Chain Reaction dub techno and more contemporary Teutonic glitch is on point and the reduced, understated arrangements, skipping beats and warm chords are underpinned by seismic basslines.
Precocious teen producer Andy Stott delivers the purist electro of ‘8ight’ and the engaging abstract glitch of ‘Talk Touch’, but he really impresses with the dubby groove of ‘Long Drive’ and the soulful, haunting textures of ‘Replace'.
John Dahlback and David Ekenback deliver an EP that’s inspired by a wealth of influences: there’s gnarly techno on ‘The Tron’, deep, mellow sounds prevail on ‘Give Me A Hugg’ and the bleepy ‘Gin & Tronic’ pulses along with understated menace.
Following Tiefschwarz, it’s the turn of Anu Pillai to mix it up for Fine, which he does in a wide ranging style that takes in nu Italo, electronic hip-hop, Seymour Bits’ electro funk and even Aphex Twin’s off the wall ‘Windowlicker’. It’s a real mish mash.
Tiefschwarz haven’t managed to distil the electro house sound they pioneered into a coherent body of work until now. The temptation was undoubtedly there to bang out a succession of grinding ‘body’ tracks for this album, but instead, the Schwarz brothers have taken the time and effort to deliver a work that touches on indie and synth pop and which taps into the rich legacy of German electronic experimentation.
Damian Lazarus is another convert to the stripped down groove and this new mix features the scene’s big tunes – Trentemoller’s ‘Physical Fraction’ and Superpitcher’s epic version of M83’s ‘Don’t Save Us’ – as well as big names like Villalobos, Pier Bucci, James Holden as well as, erm, The Stranglers’ ‘Love 303’.
Their contribution to Robbie Williams' 'Rock DJ' may have gone unacknowledged, but Soul Mekanik, aka brothers and acid house veterans Kelvin Andrews and Danny Spencer, are now earning kudos in their own right for their dynamic and eclectic '80s-influenced debut album, Eighty One.
Don’t worry; this isn’t another jazz-funk odyssey, but one third of UK dub techno act Swayzak doing his thing. While last year’s Swayzak album, Loops From The Bergerie, had a synth pop sensibility amid its deep grooves, Taylor goes off on a more experimental tangent here, with outstanding results.
Country or city-based compilations are usually a pretty bad idea, but, apart from one or two mental techno tracks, this collection of Irish electronic productions impresses. There’s shiny Detroit techno from Eamon Doyle and Scott Logan, crunchy, broken beats from Sunil Sharpe and Fran Hartnett and sensuous electronic sound scapes by Love Rhino, Chymera and Ping Pong.
Can you dance to minimal? Adam Beyer seems to think so and, on his first Fabric mix, ditches his usual panel beating techno madness in favour of a more considered selection from 2 Dollar Egg, Dominik Eulberg and Reinhard Voigt.
Most of the tracks on ‘Norsk 3’ are the work of Norwegian producer Hans Peter Lindstrom, so this is hardly a compilation, but these niceties are irrelevant when the epic synths, over the top melodies and electronic grooves flow through the speakers and transport you to back to the golden age of Italian disco music.
He rose up through the techno ranks, but the only thing that Jamie Lidell has going for him is his voice. On Multiply, he makes token nods to his experimental techno roots, but only his vocals really matter.
Andrea Parker’s Touchin’ Bass imprint digs deep to deliver underground electro that flirts with industrial and rave influences, but the real power behind these tracks is the bass, evident on the gut-wrenching low end frequencies on Eggfooyoung and Plaid’s contributions.
‘Surface Noise’ sounds like it was culled from Basic Channel’s back catalogue, but it gradually reveals multi-layered intricacies, as bleeps, ethereal FX and swirling, echo-heavy chords twist and turn through a succession of sub-sonic bass frequencies.
‘Suicide Kitten’ is a frenetic track, combining acid signatures with angular minimalism and a touch of old school Detroit melodies, while the ‘Bitten Kitten’ remake marries the dark bass attitude of purist electro with click house beats. It shows that a little imagination can go a long way.
Freestyle Man’s mix of ‘Soul Sounds’, is lame, sounding like an old rolling tribal house record with some weird acid sounds added in. However, the Dirt Crew mix is a different proposition, and the duo’s recycling of piano house lines and set against a pulsing backing, is edgy and fresh.
Thankfully, ‘Life’ has nothing to do with '80s Euro pop: instead, it takes a nocturnal trip through Italo, techno and electro. ‘Mixage’ is a pulsing, melodic trip to Rimini in the '80s, while on ‘Classics’, a bowel-loosening bass surge underpins moody, building chords. Imagine hearing that at the après ski!
It’s refreshing to hear that party techno boy Valentino is moving with the times and this new mix includes slamming acid from the Dahlbacks and Nathan Fake’s tranced out dub techno alongside the ubiquitous rolling techno from Hardcell, Patrik Skoog and Marko Nastic.
Built on the most basic arrangement, the strength of Landsky’s ‘Safari’ rests on its spooky, haunting riff , reminiscent of Joey Beltram’s early 90s flirtations with dark house music. Patrick Chardronnet’s mixes bring bleep techno riffs and unexpected frequency changes to the fore.
On ‘Swap’, Lawrence’s melodic take on dubby techno glistens with fragile hooks and mellow acidic sounds. Carsten Jost – one of Germany’s most promising producers – and Serafin both remix ‘Swap’, adding powerful bass undercurrents and clicking off beats to Lawrence’s sublime composition.
Chris Fortier makes a decent attempt at staying in touch with trends in the world of minimal/dub techno and includes some fine tracks from Alex Smoke, 2 Dollar Egg, Mathew Jonson and the Wighnomy Brothers on this double mix, but unfortunately, the rest of his selection consists of bland prog house.
Ben Larsen’s fusion of sparse, minimal shapes and niggling 303 sounds is similar to current Poker Flat releases, but David Duriez’ ferocious, jacking Chicago mix of Moody Preachers’ ‘SP 12 Resurrection doesn’t rely on such niceties and takes Phuture’s dark, acid-soaked Windy City legacy to new extremities.
Berlin-based imprint Sender’s grungy electronic missives are highly distinctive and this release from Pan/Tone aka Sheldon Thompson doesn’t stray from its in-house style.
Finally, an electronic album with a real concept! Finnish producer Jori Hulkkonen has unofficially divided this new long player into two halves: it represents his ambitions to make ‘serious’ music, unlike most of his peers, who only refer in passing to their desire to be rated as true artists.
There are so many German producers making minimal/dub techno that only the most distinctive sounds stand out: Sender have got it with their visceral funk and, at the other end of the spectrum, Lawrence’s windswept, melodic techno compositions are exceptional.
The most popular techno DJ in this part of the world unleashes the second ‘World Service’ to keep the rave monkeys happy. Boasting an electro mix that alternates between Hacker & Caretta’s Gothic ‘Moskow Reise’ and the hyper-breaks of The Advent’s ‘Light Years Away’ and a techno selection that explores the overlapping of the Rush school of techno and booty, ‘World Service 2’ will be this year’s biggest techno CD.
The title’s claim might be somewhat misleading: apart from a collaboration between Kurtis Blow and Krafty Kuts on ‘Gimme The Breaks’, this mix features a succession of run of the mill, hip-hop influenced breaks from the label’s back catalogue.
The Nottingham DJ duo stick to their rolling tech-house formula on this double CD. Disc one is a mix featuring techy tracks from like minded producers like Da Sunlounge and Hot Toddy, while the second CD boasts their well known productions and remixes.
Long before The Glimmers were releasing mix CDs, The Idjut Boys were joining the dots between classic disco, funk, electro and house. ‘Press Play’ puts the new wave of eclectic DJs to shame, with long forgotten gems like Harry Thuman’s ‘Underwater’ and Willis’ incredible, slinky version of ‘Word Up’, made famous by Cameo.
Vinyl Junkie may have got through the rave years and this compilation will boost the depleted serotonin levels of his surviving audience. If you remember rave standards from Nebula 2, Teknotik and Sub Love, then you probably weren’t ‘on one’ in the first place and if you’re too young to remember the early 90s, well, this is how it sounded in all its hardcore glory.
‘Press Play’ puts the new wave of eclectic DJs to shame, with long forgotten gems like Harry Thuman’s ‘Underwater’ and Willis’ incredible, slinky version of ‘Word Up’, made famous by Cameo.
if the highlights include turgid trance and hard dance mush from the likes of Tiesto, Macro V and Ferry Corsten, we can only wonder at how god awful the club’s lowlights could have been.
Kelvin Andrews' debut artist album will dispel any bad lasting memories of his lame cover version of ‘Strings Of Life’, because the veteran producer has succeeded in condensing the last three decades of electronic music onto one disc
The emphasis on Trois Femmes is on cinematic soundtracks, a reflective outlook and chilled out passages tailored for an alternative Ibiza, where underground electronic music prevails.
Frank Lorber’s Nummer imprint lends Maurizio’s dub techno blueprint an austere, visceral outlook. A rolling bass lays the basis for a succession of blips, bleeps and FX on the title track, while, on the flip, hard, metallic beats surge through a hail of hissing, hazy sounds and warped 303s.
On the title track, Sweet N Candy fuse the pulsing rhythms of dub techno with the one-note bass sound common to electro house, while Christian Hoffmann lends ‘Polyester’ a throbbing, ominous bass sound.
Swayzak’s latest single features some of 2005’s best remixes. Brun and James Taylor lend the sparkling, pristine melodies of ‘Snowblind’ a dubby dance floor bias, and Mathew Jonson adds a live, shuffling drum and a deep bass to the angelic cacophony of harmonic chords that already dominate ‘Another Way’.
From the murky, punk-funk rhythms and rave stabs on ‘Raw Mission’ to the ominous synths of ‘If U Dance’, this taster for his new album shows that Mr Pascalidas’ scope is wider and more inventive than the rest of the Gigolos stable.
Aux 88 man Keith Tucker big ups his home town on the ominous title track, while ‘Elektronik’ and ‘My Mental State’ take inspiration from UR and Drexciya’s work, as haunting passages and melodic, wide screen sequences are realised against a backing of fractured rhythms and tight beats.
Gurgling 303s and old skool techno bleeps pulses along over that bassline on Freestyle Man’s version of the Chicago classic, ‘Washing Machine’, while the remix of ‘Pajaro’, by Summer of Love is powered by a murky low end that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Sender release.
Always following trends rather than setting them, this annual definitive compilation for the WMC boasts Sander Kleinenberg’s cool electro/R&B grinder, ‘The Fruit’, Tiefschwarz’s dark bass ‘Issst’ and Roman Flugel’s wired techno stomper, ‘Geht’s Noch?’ They may be cashing in on the underground but at least the silicone-enhanced body fascists will have something decent to dance to this year.
Chill out DJ Rob Da Bank is the brains behind Sunday Best and it’s not hard to imagine Empty Head fitting into his laid back approach to life. The work of Alan James and Michael Kirkman, this album takes its influence from Detroit electro and techno, distilling the music’s essence into glorious, hushed reveries.
While it’s not as daring as their other current mix CD, ‘How To Kill The DJ’, this new selection does nonetheless manage to fuse classic acid and techno tracks from Fast Eddie, Vapourspace and Mr Fingers with Hawkwind, The Stranglers, early Simple Minds and The Temptations!
Like our friends in the North, DJ Hell and Gigolos haven’t gone away, you know. On the latest annual Gigolos compilation, the German label keeps up with the changing times and features Tiefschwarz’s body-house rocker ‘Blow’, Play Paul’s electro-pop ‘Love Song’ and the psy-disco of Emperor Machine’s mix of Psychonauts.
When he’s not off partying with Sven Vath or DJing for three days in a row, Richie Hawtin runs the Minus label and its latest compilation runs the full gamut of the techno spectrum, from his own skeletal ‘Circles’ to Mathew Jonson’s full-blooded bass track, ‘Rainforest’.
Instead of merely rehashing the Chicago-influenced sound they have become known for, the hotly-tipped German duo take a European stance here, blending the crisp beats and handclaps with a minimal groove and Kraftwerk’s sense of melody.
You’ll recognise ‘Safari’ immediately; it’s the sparse, grinding house track with the sound of elephants mating in the breakdown. Crosstown Rebels have recruited some of this style’s big hitters to rework ‘Safari’ .
From the '70s porn image on the cover to Comtron's pervy contributions, there's no doubt that Black Label have hit on a strain of electro that's high in the sleaze stakes.
Silicone Soul became synonymous with undemanding, mainstream house music through their success with 'Right On, Right On', but, as their second album demonstrates, there's far more to the Glasgow duo's work than providing the soundtrack to football programmes.
The crazy Belgian DJ duo start off all sleazy and guitar-based then drop tracks from Italo/electro's new wave, before ending with a re-edit of Chicago's 'I'm A Man'.
The mix of folk, country & western, orchestral sweeps and the inherent sense of melancholia make Manzanita as emotive as any of Derrick May’s greatest moments.
Free party types Spiral Tribe – they were behind the legendary 1992 Castlemorton rave - deliver a compilation as well as a DVD documenting their travels. If you’re into going apeshit to industrial techno and psychedelic trance in a disused factory in Slovakia, then this is for you. If not, avoid it.
It’s another year, so that means another compilation from the ever-reliable NRK. Musically, it’s the same deep, flowing techy house as ever, with contributions from Miguel Migs, David Alvarado and Nick Holder and a mix CD from Hipp-E.
Prog fans, if you are still awake, approach this compilation with caution. The Bedrock resident has compiled and mixed Choice, but the selection features his favourite classic club tunes – including The Grid’s ‘Flotation’ – as well as more diverse tracks from St. Etienne, Young American Primitive and The Cure on the second disc.
So famous in Chicago that they've named a day after him, Frankie Knuckles has used his position as the world's top house DJ to highlight the cause of people living with HIV.
For a style of music once so obsessed with the future, the unthinkable has happened to Detroit techno: it’s stuck in the same spot it was in ten years ago, churning out a vision of futuristic music that now, ironically, sounds dated. ‘Everything’ is the Burden brothers’ solution to this dilemma.
DJ T has tapped into a sound that constantly turns in new directions. On ‘Acid Bath’, dramatic, cinematic chords and acid lines combine for an overblown climax while the title track’s understated handclaps, skeletal percussion and foreboding ebm bassline outdoes Black Strobe and Tiefschwarz in the dark Goth house stakes.
The EBM influence is creeping back into club music and this release, by a Russian artist, integrates robotic, industrial beats and cold, stark rhythms with warm techno chords on ‘Contemplation’. It’s slower than the average techno club track, but, as dance music’s categories become increasingly redundant, that’s immaterial.
Fans of ‘Rocker’ may be disappointed with these subtle remixes. Ricardo Villalobos samples what sounds like a busy day in the rain forest over one of his typical, never-ending grooves, while Robag Wruhme gets down to business with a driving, stop-start display of stuttering electronic funk.
David Duriez keeps the jacking tracks coming: tight drums and ominous bass pulses power this streamlined affair, and an old school snare roll makes a cheeky nod to his love of all things retro. It isn’t all warehouse thrills though and ‘Menth A L’Eau’ sounds like classic Ron Trent.
New school acid house fans will search high and low for this record. The original version boasts dramatic chords, a deep male vocal intoning the track title and a resonating, bleepy bassline, while Klaus Wunderbaum’s version layers 303 lines into a blissed out nirvana that’s as timeless as Phuture’s greatest releases.
Two of jungle’s most experienced DJs go back to back on this double CD of drum’n’bass anthems. It’s a greatest hits of the last decade, so everything from Alex Reece’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ to Shy Fx’s ‘Bambaata’ and Ray Keith’s ‘Chopper’ are included. If you ever went raving in lycra, then this is the perfect compilation for you.
Taking the ‘concept’ compilation to a new level of daftness is ‘We Can…’, which sees 70s funk and soul legends like Tina Turner, Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder take on The Beatles’ back catalogue. Times must be tough over at Harmless.
She might hate dancing but Chloe sure knows a thing or two about making other people get up on the dance floor. Apart from using an obvious big tune - Tiga’s ‘Pleasure From The Bass’ - this mix focuses on house music’s acidic, minimal side, with great cuts from Steve Bug, Kiki, Robag Wruhme and International Pony.
Italian producer Marco Passarani’s work flits between acid and electro, techno and house, and, on ‘Sullen Look’, his playful nature comes to the fore. There’s melodic, Warp-esque bleeps on ‘Red Panda Sunrise’ and ‘Earth’s Heart’, shades of Kraftwerk on ‘CBS Master Theme’, the sexy, infectious Italo of ‘Clair’ and, best of all, an androgynous male vocal fronting a twisted electronic house cover version of 80s soul sugar daddy Alexander O’Neal’s ‘Criticise’. Like much of Passarani’s work, this is bizarre but brilliant.
These one letter DJ surnames are beginning to sound tiresome, as is the notion that a sound as monotone and conformist as breaks can be really so popular globally. Having said that, Oz DJ Phil K’s new mix isn’t as dull as most breaks mixes and he drops some quality electro and techno from Agoria and Product 01.
Whoever said old punks can’t dance had never heard of Dutch band Oil, who moonlight here as electro producers. With the same white boy guitar, nasal whine and indie strut that Happy Mondays used to sell before things got too druggy, ‘Crack…’ sees the boys’ track bubble with Italo melodies and benefit from a menacing EBM remix from Kid Goesting.
Like getting trapped in an office lift after everyone has gone home for the weekend, ‘Faceline’ is a claustrophobic, nightmarish experience. Ponebo, and the remix by Eclat and Cocoon resident Dorian Paic, lay down oppressively bleak bass tones, overpowering handclaps and noisy interference to create this unsettling feeling.
Ilya Santana’s debut release for Balihu was put together on the most basic software programmes, but this EP still sounds like he had access to top of the range kit. The beats and handclaps are crisp, the Italo melodies are seductive, the acid lines arrive gradually at irresistible climaxes and the EP boasts a warmness alien to most club records.
It’s hard to believe that ‘Mr No’ was made back in 1980, before UR were even in high school. A deep space electro track, its tight, metallic breaks, rich, haunting chords and grinding bassline wouldn’t sound out of place on a modern production. Joakim’s mix is respectful to the original, retaining its key components, just adding a shuffling, clubby beat.
Mu are still best known for their sleazy, trippy 303 anthem, ‘Paris Hilton’, but this, their debut album, sees them delve deeper into a style that’s darker and weirder than their only big hit.
David Duriez’s imprint has been responsible for releasing some fine underground house music in recent years and this hip house remix package upholds its high standards. On Land Shark’s version, the vocals are twisted and teased into an old skool acid mash up and A Jackin’ Phreak’s re-shape fuses restrained minimal funk with deep chords. Both are well worth a spin.
These classic tracks form the basis of house and electro and, thankfully, Lawson and his mob have re-interpreted them respectfully here. The Frankie Knuckles standard is beefed up with tight drums and a pumping bassline, while ‘Inner City Life’ vocalist Diane Charlemagne sings on their clubby, panning re-make of Moroder’s one-note electro disco.
Mad German techno woman Ellen Alien’s Bpitch label is often as much of a miss as a hit, but this compilation has more highlights than lowlights. Kiki, Sascha Funke and Paul Kalkbrenner, as well as Mode Selektor in more accessible mode, all contribute to this fine compilation.
Old dub reggae bands don’t retire, they just transform themselves into DJs and mix compilations like ‘Beatz & Bobz’. Dreadzone deliver exactly what you’d expect from a typical breaks set, although the ravey ‘High Noon’ by Tom Real and Renegade Sound Wave’s bass rumble are the undoubted highlights.
Compiled and mixed by Joe Ransom – no, we’ve never heard of him either – this mix features some breaks, some hip-hop a dash of house and electro and, as a grand finale, Dynamite’s tale of woe about working in the music business, ‘Industry’.
Having conquered the music scene in their native Sweden, purveyors of dark electro-pop and socially aware lyrics The Knife have turned their attention to the rest of Europe.
The first lady of underground electro weighs in with a mix that draws on her label’s impressive catalogue, as Eggfooyoung’s skeletal funk rubs shoulders wit
