Techno Recommendations Best Of 2015

Review: Deep house veteran Ramon Lisandro Quezada AKA DJ QU makes his debut for Giles Smith and James Priestley's Secretsundaze imprint with a fine EP of woozy, off-kilter house. "SS1" is rolling, hypnotic and trance-like in its' dedication to groove, with darting electronics and looped riffs riding a wonky, late night rhythm. "Fearless", on the other hand, is loose and trippy, all curious vocal samples and swirling strings. Finally, "Loveboxx" offers a dose of saucer-eyed late night fun via a pulsating bassline, cascading chords, delay-laden percussion and dusty, sun-baked melodies.

Review: Long-serving Brit in San Diego James Clements dons his familiar ASC guise once more, for a typically atmospheric trip into deep, ambient-influenced abstract techno for Canada's Silent Season imprint. As usual, there's much to admire, from the sparse percussion, glacial electronics and icy melodies of "Deep Freeze", to the minimalist, modular-sounding hum of closer "Raging Seas". Arguably best of all, though, is "Immersion", which sees Clements expertly combine early '90s style dreamy ambient chords, textures and melodies - think Pete Namlook or early Irresistible Force - with scraped metal textures and impeccable IDM beats

Review: Ever the champion of brains and brawn in equal measure, Maceo Plex makes his debut appearance on Drumcode with this punchy beast of a single. "Conjure Dreams" features plenty of Plex signifiers, from the rounded and rowdy bassline pump to the haunting tone of the synth lines, neatly packaged in a chunky framework of big room drums. "Conjure Floyd" meanwhile burrows into more minimal territory where the tones are amelodic and the percussion takes the lead, calling to mind the restraint and tension of classic M_nus productions where so much could be said with so little.

Review: While establishing the Fit Sound imprint affiliated with the Detroit distro outlet of the same name , Aaron 'Fit' Siegel has been careful not to load the imprint with too many of his own productions, choosing instead to deliver material from Marcellus Pittman, Anthony 'Shake' Shakir, MGUN and Dungeon Acid. Here he makes a welcome return with two tracks of melodious, atmospheric, Motor City deepness. "Carmine" is particularly alluring, with twinkling melodies winding their way around yearning pads, bittersweet chords and shuffling, cymbal-heavy percussion. "First Found" is a little more forthright, with off-key pianos and scattergun electronics riding a tougher, locked-in groove.

Review: Through The Spirit Realm is Refracted's first LP to date, and it comes Canada's excellent Silent Season, a home to Rasmus Hedlund, Quantec, and ASC, among others. "Enter The Jungle" quickly gives a picture of what's to come thanks to the track's abstract blend of animal sounds, a myriad of noises which is swallowed up the warm and dubby swings of "The Jungle Is Thick" - a Donato Dozzy kinda lick. The whole LP follows a similar string of thought, one that binds stripped back techno together with deep ambience and slow-moving plates of drone; "The Ritual Begins" is simply hypnotic and we could keep it on for hours on loop. It's tribalism at its most cutting-edge, and an altogether fantastic debut performance from this growing techno personality.

Review: There's a delightfully celebratory feel about this debut volume of Cititrax Tracks, a new 12" series from Minimal Wave offshoot Cititrax. As beautifully presented as we've come to expect, Tracks Volume 1 boasts a quartet of dancefloor-ready smashers from a blend of new faces and label stalwarts. Amato (aka The Hacker) kicks things off with the glistening EBM funk of "Physique" - all restless synth refrains and pounding bottom end - before LIES affiliate Tsuzing go all dark, psychedelic and twisted on the thrillingly intense, acid-flecked "King of System". An-I go all DAF (with a touch of Front 242) on the fuzzy and dystopian stomper "Mutter", before Cititrax regulars Broken English Club delivers a storming chunk of industrial-tinged analogue funk ("Glass"). Bravo!

Review: Not content with white and black offshoots of the main label, the perma-busy Lobster Theremin crew expand proceedings further with the arrival of a new and totally separate platform from their previous offshoots called Mork (wot no Mindy?). Keeping to Lobster Theremin's theme of "passion for championing newcomers", Dutch producer nthng is responsible for Remember Us this inaugural Mork 12" - which doubles as his debut - and adds further credence to LT's canny A&R manoeuvres. It's hard to pin down nthng stylistically with bits of Fred P thrown in along with Prince Of Denmark's earlier work on Staub. The ultra deep title track is a particular delight.

Review: Dutch techno maestro is back and delivers a fine four track EP for Berlin institution Ostgut Ton. On the A side: "Falling For You" is deep soulful techno with a nod to Detroit with its funky synth bassline and melancholic piano notes leading you fully into oblivion over its nine minute glory. On the B side we have "U1-U8", possibly a reference to the Berlin underground routes and quite fitting really. A stomping epic warehouse techno cut that could match anything Shed or Mike Denhert have done of late. Finally "Ahmadiya" gets back on the soulful side with its dreamy bell melody and entrancing stabs, dancing on top of a vicious broken beat shuffle.

Review: John Shima is a prolific electronic music producer. He has a sound maybe best described as futuristic & intelligent, with a hint of quarkiness at times. He brings true depth and emotion into his productions, usually illustrated by using spacey pads, electrofunk basslines and intelligent drum programming. This EP contains two tracks, carefully selected from his archive to compliment one another and to bring you his productions of highest quality.

Review: Having made his name during the late '90s and early 2000s as a maker of particularly forthright techno, Oliver Ho has broadened his horizons in recent years. Nowhere is that more obvious on his Broken English Club project, which debuted last year with a pair of industrial and EBM minded releases for Jealous God and Minimal Wave offshoot Cititrax. Here he returns to the latter, laying down more fuzzy, straight-to-tape journeys into analogue, mid '80s dancefloor experimentalism. There's naturally much to enjoy, from the peak Cabaret Voltaire grittiness of "Drycutting", and the bleak EBM throb of "Ritual Killing", to the ghostly synthesizers, Jaydee bass and droning textures of "Channel 83".

Review: REPRESS ALERT : After landing his malfunctioning PX-4000 on the purple planet, Captain DMX steps out of the smoldering cockpit. After barely setting foot on the dusty landscape, the Captain is startled by deep thudding from over the hills. Dragging his oxygen pack with one hand and his atomizer with the other, he sets off in search of the other-wordly din. Over the hill his pupils adjust to the stroboscopic lightning and below him lies a sea of strange creatures moving together as one body. A cosmic sermon takes place under the three suns in the sky, mechanical and stuttered frequencies set a manic pace and drive the dark creatures back and forth. Captain DMX sighs a heavy breath and starts to descend into the fray....

Review: Mystery production unit DJ Bmx continue their thrilling, no-nonsense adventures in the underground with the Conquest of Gravity EP for MIL. Techno-fused roller "Warrior Within" gets matters underway as thumping bass and ticking hi hats form the fore of the track, marching along over off-kilter bleeps and succinct glitches. The rough n ready aesthetic of the track sets the tone excellently for the EP, leading coherently into "Wonders of Time" where slight changes and improvisations keep your attention, with dubbed out key jabs that are matched melodically against atmospheric synth pads whirling in and out over crisp percussion clicks. "Spinning Across the Sky" maintains the inspiration for myriad sources; cosmic, dreamy chimes are sprinkled over a tentatively used piano sequence, distorted key kicks and muddied percussion. Its the only moment on the EP to include a vocal, and its used beautifully as it floats around the tracks central structure, lending it a spacious and depth-charged feel. "Radim World" finishes everything off with a touch of Pepe Bradock style elegance - the multi-layered arrangements are fluid and dynamic, resulting in well-executed deep house.

Review: Here's something to get the juices flowing: an "ultra-limited", white label 12" featuring reworks of material by Detroit veteran Delano Smith, by two powerhouses of Berlin techno: Efdemin and Tobias. The former handles side A, laying down a thrillingly cyclical, hypnotic concoction built around crackly textures, floaty, dubbed-out synthesizer motifs and Efdemin's usual driving, rolling percussion. Tobias opts for a bolder approach on the flip, filling out the sound-space with spacey pads, fizzing beats, a typically tactile Motor City bassline, delay-laden woodblock hits and effortless melodies.

Review: UK techno stalwart Steve Bicknell's Lost Recordings series must be one of the longest running in dance music; the Lost and Cosmic founder has been putting out previous unheard material from his early '90s heyday on and off since 2004. There are few surprises on this 10th edition, but plenty of slamming, no-holds-barred grooves. The hissing, spacey, cymbal-heavy "Track 3" is particularly trippy, while there's a gnarled, ragged intensity about the pulsating heaviness of "Track 1". Arguably best of all, though - ambient interlude "Track 2" aside - is "Track 4", an eerie techno shuffler built around a wonky, off-key electric piano loop and fizzing percussion.

Review: De Niro Is Concerned is the latest compilation to surface on Nina Kraviz's trip imprint - the Siberian artist's label gaining new momentum in 2015 and diversifying thanks to a selection of fresh artists - and it's an exquisite blend of house, techno and straight-up jack-funk. Among others, you have Iceland's Bjarki with the raw and sparse "Revolution", Millsian Detroit sounds from Deniro on Dumans, and Kraviz herself with Exos on the wavey and hypnotic "No Criminals". All in all, a wildly comprehensive bundle of house-techno hybrids for that 3am slot. Raw and diverse, wild and seductive.

Review: The second release on FINA White is a four tracker from rising Barcelona producer and former RBMA attendee Clip! Diverse releases on Discomaths, Classicworks, Sweat Taste and JD Records, coupled with his signature 'hardware only' live shows have really put Clip! on the map locally and throughout Europe. Key to his sound is a shifting style and impressive knowledge of sound design, displayed on this Brotherhood EP though four pure and unadulterated peak time cuts. There's a real menace to the bassline, low end throb and razor hats of the title track, whilst "R36" showcases the fusion of sounds Clip! can attain in his productions. On the flip side, "Forward" is, surprise, a no messing, relentlessly percussive banger whilst "Dissonance's Technique" heads down an equally straight-up, rough n' ready path.

Review: Inaugural release from Bokhari Records offshoot SORN, for explorations into techno, ambience & crunchy cosmic dirt. SORN takes its name from the alien race in the CS Lewis Space Trilogy. Black Merlin is no stranger to creating music for other worlds and offers two industrial monsters for proper systems and then finishes it off with the beautiful and aptly titled Orbit.

Review: Since making her debut on Sandwell District back in 2011, Rrose has become a familiar figure on the experimental techno circuit. Though she recently committed a quite singular album to the Further Records cause, it's Rrose's own Eaux label through which her revelatory material largely arrives and For Aquantice is another fine 12". Rrose's first 12" of 2015 features three more ghostly, otherworldly compositions, beginning with the creepy electronics and undulating rhythms of "Levitate". There's a greater rhythmic intensity to the wonky, delay-laden drums of the equally supernatural "Vellum", while "Signs" charges off in a classic off-key intelligent techno vein - all spiraling riffs, spitting melodies and psychedelic electronics.

Review: The master returns! Digital Solutions sees Juan Atkins toast some 35 years as a Detroit techno visionary with the release of a new Model 500 album after some 16 years! The notion of a new Model 500 long player was first mooted by Atkins last summer and now arrives as the most high profile release from his own Metroplex label in some time. Whereas recent years have seen Atkins open up Model 500, working with Mike Banks, DJ Skurge and Mark Taylor both live and on the smattering of 12"s issued through R&S, Digital Solutions is largely the work of Juan alone. Nine tracks deep, Digital Solutions features a crisp array of electro and techno productions from Atkins with "Standing In Tomorrow" and "Storm" standing out upon first listen.

Review: Christian Viers is fast becoming a prominent name on UK underground house and techno circuits, either as part of Lazlo Dancehall alongside Leon Vynehall or his long running A1 Bassline project. Techno-focused releases on his own label, Source Unknown captured the attention of the ears behind the newly formed FINA White resulting in the Bad Timing EP, which the label state is a "strikingly clear indication of the distinctive direction" they plan to take moving forward. Title track "Bad Timing" is a straight up techno banger whose menacingly melodic low-end tones, relentless thump and rolling toms are the driving force behind its robust and looming groove. "Without Time" is a similarly complex percussive cut, but with its jungle inspired Arabic horns, trancey synth-lead breakdowns and acid squelches, whilst UK house veteran Nail offers a more direct 4/4 take on the track with his typically classy remix.

Review: Following up from a beautiful EP on Fanzine, 4 tracks of atmospheric techno texture from Spain's Hoax Believers including a remix by Russ Gabriel. 180g vinyl only release.

Review: Refracted starts the year 2015 with the launch of his new label Mind Express. Dive deep into a concept of techno envisioned by Refracted.

Review: Featuring unsung heroes of acid house and distorted funk, past and present, Stealth Mission a new project focused on raw, warehouse music. The label's first release sees Mark Ambrose, Andreas Gehm, Naked Eye People and Ben Sims' sought after edit of Donnie Keys which was featured on his Fabric mix early 2014.

Review: Contest for Supremacy is DJ Spider and Marshallito's second release for Will Bankhead's label and features three quite mind boggling productions. If you lock into Rinse on the regular you should be familiar with lead cut "Nuclear Winter" which features their trademark sticky programming and bizarre vocal incantations before a midpoint deviation into the most delightful jazz piano breakdown and sampled African chants. The grubby beatdown of "Geiger Count" bristles with kinetic energy and sci fi overtones, just wait for the track to unravel as a voice utters "hello, I am from the planet Mars and I need help". B side hogger "Zero Point" is the nearest thing to a banger here and is rife with more unsettling, post-apocalyptic vocal samples.

Review: Although his productivity has waned in recent years, there was a time when Icelandic producer Thor - AKA Porhallur Skulason - was responsible for some of the most highly regarded deep and dub techno around. Consequences, a timely career retrospective, revisits that period, collecting together the best of his output from the late '80s and early '90s. It features a mix of well-known cuts - most notably the dub techno classic "Aliens Don't Boogie" - with a range of lesser-known jams (the highlight of which is probably the jazzy, becalmed deep techno of "Good Day"). The triple-vinyl set also includes a trio of cuts from Oz Artists, a largely overlooked collaborative project alongside fellow Icelander 42 Cows In Town.

Review: There's something rather endearing about this debut EP from Swiss producer Tissu. Perhaps it's the intergalactic dreaminess of Motor City inspired opener "Ground Loop", or the eyes-closed combination of bubbling acid lines, skittish machine drums, and sorrowful chords of "4 #2". Alternatively, it could be the cybernetic deep house bounce, fluid chords and restless hits of "Unnamed Vehicle", or even the chunky, undulating drums and picturesque pads of closer "Up". Most likely, it's all of these things combined. Either way, Unnamed Vehicle is a very impressive debut. If he keeps this up, we'll soon have a new techno star on our hands.

Review: San Francisco label Dark Entries keep up the tireless pace of releases, focusing here on the acid house phase of Psychic TV, the long running and hugely prolific music project of Genesis P-Orridge and a cast of contributing musicians. Characterised by some spectral didgeridoo playing, "Alien Be-In" first appeared in original format on Psychic TV's 1990 LP Towards Thee Infinite Beat and it's license for reissue by Dark Entries is complemented by some fine remixes. The band's own Fred Giannelli turns in a mono mix "sourced from the Emax floppy discs" but the real coup comes from the pair of B-side remixes involving the ever-excellent Silent Servant. One, in collaboration with John Tejada, is gripping techno whilst the other solo effort is redolent of Juan Mendez's recent Cititrax outings. Another must have from the DE crew!

Review: The New Zealand brothers' second helping on Amadeus Records, No Signal Found is built for an intergalactic warehouse soiree. Out in early 2015.

Review: Increasingly spoken of in hushed tones by the techno community, a new album from the Giegling collective will always be regarded as a big event. It's through the Forum offshoot that has previously delivered fine long players by Vril and Prince Of Denmark that Giegling now present Aufgang, a debut set from mystery production unit Zum Goldenen Schwarm. Previously spotted in fits and spurts, Aufgang represents the most substantial statement from Zum Goldenen Schwarm yet and it's eight tracks of strange atmospheric pieces and immersive deep electronics already feel like another classic Giegling long player. How the title track develops over it's three parts to a quite epic 15 minute finale is particularly satisfying to hear.

Review: Having first emerged as one of the last contributing artists to the now defunct Sandwell District, the enigmatic techno producer Rrose has since channeled her unique brand of techno through the Eaux label. Vanishing Pools is the second Eaux 12" release this year and finds Rrose once again providing some superb spectral techno. Proceedings commence with the creepy modular throb and off-kilter touches of "Hole", before ratcheting up the intensity on the discordant dancefloor buzz of "Purge". There's a strange, industrial-influenced feel to the droning electronics and metallic hits of "Curl", while "Adrift" seems more concerned with mood and texture than dancefloor dynamics. As if to make amends, Rrose finishes with "Undergrowth", a paranoid chunk of slowly evolving ambience.