BINH Vinyl & CDs

Review: Cult Berlin favourite Binh heads to the Far East's finest minimal label, Cabaret, for his next outing He has been releasing here since 2014 and in that time has only subtle evolved his style. But when it ain't broke, why fix it? This EP features four more tracks of timeless house and techno for the underground connoisseurs. It is squelchy acid that defines opener "Mandarine", while "Rolli Glitzer Kurz" is more dark and paranoid as it journeys through the cosmos. "Beeboo" closes out with clunky metallic hits and detuned piano chords that make for a fresh vision of future techno.

Review: Berlin based retrovert Binh returns for another much anticipated edition of his Time Passages series with Lost 'N' Rex EP, which follows up some great ones of late by Evan Baggs, Metamorphic Interface and Omar. Featuring six doses of old fashioned techno and electro that take their cues from the early '90s sound; from wacky and strobed-out jam of "Rice In" which you can imagine him playing at one of his regular marathon sets in his hometown, the old school jack of "Waescherei" that calls to mind Blake Baxter's early sounds on KMS to the nefarious underwater electro of the title track which gives a respectful nod to Motor City legends Drexciya.

Review: Since his last solo outing on Caberet in 2015, Germann Nguyen AKA Binh has impressed via fine releases on Time Passages, Perlon and My Own Jupiter. There's naturally much to admire on the Eastern Bloc EP, not least the rubbery bass, skittish drum machine bounce and vintage Detroit techno chords of opener "Greenburger". You'll find plenty more fizz and elastic synth-bass on cymbal-heavy tech-house roller "Kinziger", while closer "Revdone" sees the producer underpin starry chords with a thrusting, acid-flecked techno groove. Arguably best of all, though, is the title track, a fine chunk of revivalist Motor City techno futurism featuring a seriously mind-altering acid bassline and a cascading melody line.

Review: Berlin minimal hero Germann Nguyen aka Binh returns to Perlon for a full length LP, following up highly lauded releases previously for the label, as well as putting out some impressive grooves as part of Treatment (with Oner Ozer), collaborating with DJ Masda on his Cabaret imprint and with his own brilliant Time Passages label. On the Noah's Day LP, Binh shows us that he's one of the best at merging classic electro sensibilities with minimal house; a current trend that's sweeping the Berlin underground at present. Fast tempo rhythm patterns reminiscent of early Detroit and UK techno come into the fold, as well as obvious nods to the classic reductionist sounds of DBX and Pantytec. This guy's one of the most exciting producers of the moment and this could well be one of the year's best releases.

Review: When Bihn launched his Time Passages label back in late 2014, he was still something of a newcomer to the minimal scene but that changed last year thanks to some fine records for Cabaret and the mighty Perlon. There was the small matter of his Treatment album alongside Onur Ozer too! There is therefore a tangible sense of expectation behind this new Time Passages 12" from the Berlin artist and the three tracks on Dreifach will satisfy Binh fans. Indeed this 12" find Germann Nguyen embracing the needs of the dancefloor like never before, especially the two B-side productions. The title track is a more spectral affair, with a certain rusted charm to it.

Review: After the adventures in Meditations from Thomas Melchior, Perlon's latest release of an impressive 2015 so far finds the label turn to a lesser known artist in Bihn. The production alias of Berlin based Germann Nguyen, BIHN emerged last year with a pair of low key 12"s as well as working with Onur Ozer as Treatment. What Nguyen lacks in profile he makes up for in punchy Perlon-worthy productions skills on the basis of his two tracks here with opener "Visio" a quite haunting cut where stripped back drum programming allows a neat bassline and detailed synth work to shine. Complementing this, it feels like "Ruski" is Nguyen letting his more urgent desires reign free and is likely to become a B side many selectors cherish.

Review: It's still relatively early days for Binh, who has made his presence felt with a release on Cabaret that firmly places him in the bosom of minimal tech house, and his first release on Time Passages further confirms the fact with some stout and slinky grooves for the darker kind of dancefloor. "Basic Trance Induction" uses a mystical pool of pads to create its atmosphere, while the crisp beats fall in an ever-so-slightly cracked formation that keeps things nice and kinky. "Chakka Chakka" is a more full-bodied track thanks to a cheeky bass purr and some sizzling hats, while "Apparent Contact With The Dead" goes all out in its mission to creep you out with squelchy gurgles, domineering toms and all kinds of spectral sounds.

Review: It's a first time out in the spotlight for Binh, who steps up to Cabaret with some devoutly weird minimal abstractions that keep the groove rolling even as everything else about the track seems to splinter and fragment into infinitesimal pieces. "Downtown" wouldn't sound out of place in a Villalobos DJ set with its gurgling rhythms and displaced samples, while "Dubix" has a more pronounced structure that rubs and wiggles itself into a trusty house groove. "Bud Light" has a little tenderness rubbed into its bones with some delicately humming melodic parts in between all the thin slithers of percussion.

Review: For the label's first compilation, Cabaret Records has decided to introduce us to their Alien Family. By the sounds of the collection, they're a motley crew of studio mutants united by a love of creaking hardware, sci-fi synths and intergalactic dancefloor workouts. Happily, highlights are plentiful, from the acid-fired, bleep-heavy throb of S-Audio's "Remote Circuit" and weighty electro crackle of Binh's "Wova", to the dreamy underwater deepness of EK Box's "Watair" and the classic deep house/Detroit techno fusion of So Inagawa's futurist masterpiece "Solitary Affair". Evan Baggs's contribution, the TB-303 madness that is "AZS", is also superb.

Review: As label statements go, the Textures series from Concrete has been superbly successful in transferring the ethos of their increasingly legendary Sunday boat parties to a label format; the diverse approach to DJ bookings matched by a wonderfully far reaching spread of artists across the three Textures 12"s. Previous instalments have seen contributions from Abdulla Rashim, Jared Wilson, Bleak, Sampling As An Art and Awanto 3 and this final record of the showcase series demonstrates Concrete's willingness to embrace the techier fare. Telegraph's Jean-Guillaume Cabanne hogs the A Side and represents Concrete's desire to embrace local talent, whilst Club der Visionare resident Binh offers a stripped down but smudgy highlight in the form of "Hufer". Priku ends the series in requisite style with "Mare Mirare" and his presence demonstrates Concrete is aware of Romania's current status within minimal circles. It remains intriguing to see what Concrete have planned next after such an impressive start.