Techno Recommendations July 2011

Review: Sandwell District enter Phase 3 - we're still not exactly sure what that means, but it sounds exciting - by debuting the sounds of the mysterious Rrose. Both cuts on here are absolutely stunning - "Secretion" opens with a reverb laden 4/4 thud offset by rasping hats - proper techno in other words - before a droning metallic loop enters the equation. The kick drops off, the machine loop builds and boom - the pummelling bass drum returns with extra gusto! Flipping over is the driving arpeggiated rhythm of "Bare Hand" which comes replete with a razor shop kick and meaty bassline. Phase 3 is already sounding pretty hot.

Review: Whilst Token have kept us waiting for their next release - it was some six months ago that they eased out Inigo Kennedy's The Darkest Valentine - the pummelling qualities that permeate through Transantartic from Phase ensure it was entirely a period worth enduring! No stranger to the label with several Token releases under his belt, the title track sets the mood for what to expect with searing chords weaving in and out of the mix amidst a throbbing groove embellished with straight 808 jacks and bubbling metallic undertones. The sudden jolt into an explosion of colour and energy proves to be quite captivating. Elsewhere "Dome Argus" relies on a succession of alien sounds amidst the rough industrial thump to equally impress these ears, whilst Side B is dedicated to the scratched, textural mind altering techno purism of "Plateau Station".

Review: Fresh from ruling the Red Bull tent at this year's Sonar Festival, the ever excellent Cosmin TRG adds to his annus mirabulus. We've waxed lyrical about the Romanian's deviations towards a distinctly unique take on the techno thump for Rush Hour and Hessle this year, and both tracks here continue to demonstrate his growing talent for productions in this area. "Fizic" arrives in a swell of purple synth flourishes, finding a bumping low end groove that fights its way through a relentless shower of neon stabs and rough industrial textures. Complementing this is the more euphoria inducing "De Dans" which takes full effect when the skittering array of kicks and snares drop into place. The playful way that subaqueous synth lines are introduced adds to the energy filled sensation. In a word, big!

Review: Sigha wastes no time in treating us to more of his pressurised, crunchy techno - swiftly following that crucial Hotflush release with the second drop on his own imprint Our Circula Sound. If heads were impressed when Dettmann was enticed into providing a remix for the last twelve then those same heads will be further dazzled with the accompanying remixes cast for "The Politics Of Dying", with both James Ruskin and Shifted onboard. This shouldn't shift the spotlight away from Sigha however as the original title track is filled with the sort of metallic textures and tightly wound rhythms that are perfectly suited for the dark spaces. The mysterious Shifted takes on "Over The Edge" and delivers a darkly brooding techno odyssey with controlled percussion rattles and dubby nether regions. Ruskin hogs the B Side with an elongated version of the title track delving deep into the dystopian ether with menacing results.

Review: Detroit Underground put out wildly variant musical styles on their label, from minimal to house, techno and electro - they certainly can't be genre pigeon-holed! This release comes from Swedish duo Kritical Audio and spans through the aforementioned genres and at moments even into dubstep, breaks and D&B territory. Moody, mind-tripping journeys are intricately created on Katacomb through eerie synths, deep glitchy 303 basslines and arresting electro rhythms. "Bugsmasher" rides electro punches and pounding 303s while the title track finds itself with a low slung, dubstep feeling. "Oceans 1300" meanwhile explores yet another route with emotive synths and tight percussion, while the spaced out atmospherics of "Taipei" round off an excellent 12".

Review: The third in Delta Funktionen's Setup One series maintains the Dutch producer's ability to make deep, robust techno that simply works on the dancefloor. "Another Dimension" contains those idiosyncratic rasping hats and disturbing vocal cuts - and like all techno primed for the floor, the beat just feels that little bit more robust when it comes back in after the breakdown. "Miss Communication", up next, contains some thunderous drums rolling deep beneath radar bleeps before the unbeatably named "Minds Into Meltdown" maintains the sweaty momentum on the flip. The toughest of the lot though has to be "Data Economics", one of the most weird, paranoid, downright brilliant dancefloor tracks we've heard all year. Just don't do what we did and accidentally blast it through the office speakers at 45 RPM...

Review: Keith Tucker revisits his Optic Nerve alias for the latest excursion into utopian strains of Detroit futurism on the 3 Dimensional EP- returning to the Glaswegian imprint Diametric for the first time since producing the debut drop back in 2009. Slightly erratic rhythms run throughout this release with "Virtual Depth Perception" setting the tone as hurried percussion is matched by a dizzying concoction of liquefied synth textures. A similar aesthetic characterises "Illusionist Theme" which sees a backdrop of pitch shifted melodics laid over crystalline washes, with off kilter drum programming lending proceedings a crisp edge. The experimental tone continues on the flip with "Retina Display Scan" drowning a vocal turn from Kelyn McKnight deep beneath a skittering arrangement of percussive textures and vast swathes of synthesised colour. Subsequent to this Tucker works through four interludes which will appeal to the more creative minds out there.

Review: M>O>S Recordings founder Aroy Dee awakes from his production slumber with this wonderful blend of melodic house and techno on his own imprint. The Delsin-affiliated label has been in fine form of late, releasing the stunning Morphosis long player What Have We Learned and a gem of a 12" from D'Marc Cantu this year. "Beauty" features some particularly affecting chord movements, rising and swirling as the track reaches a heady climax. On the flip the aforementioned Morphosis dons his Ra H moniker for a simmering, Chicago-influenced version of "Beauty", while "Life" rounds off the 12" with some dusty Trax-style analogue bump - this one just needs Jamie Principle wailing over the top!

Review: Some two years on from the second instalment of Clone's killer series of Unit Moebius reissues via Classic Cuts, Part 3 of The Golden Years arrives and it's been totally worth the wait, not least for the inclusion of The Hague icons' seminal slice of subaqueous techno "Dolfinarium". Alongside this, Clone present three further excursions into raw, emotive techno with the final "Monoman" a particularly gleeful acid dripper. The realisation that these four tracks still sound crucial several generations on demonstrates the quartet's importance in electronic music. Finally, any criticism for Clone belatedly rounding off this series of I-F and Co would be seriously tempered by the sheer amount of quality music that emanates from the lowlands based emporium.