Juno Recommends Minimal / Tech House: March 2023

Review: This rather unique and otherworldly EP from Dan Andrei is a world all unto itself. While this is a mood conveyed by its somewhat Lovecraftian front cover, the three tracks found inside are equally rare in sound. Matter-of-fact and up-front, yet tentacular, the sonics heard on the lead track 'Ultraviolet' and the closer 'I Dream Of Shrimp' put forward a kind of alien honesty, as if our extraterrestrial visitors have absolutely no fear, and come in peace. It's no wonder this music is able to bridge gaps; it's seen the Romanian artist butt heads with the best and brightest in the international breaks and minimal scene, of late.

Review: If your new EP has already been getting dropped by top dogs like Upsammy, Batu, Call Super, Ben Ufo and Bruce, you know it's a winner. And that's exactly what Lurka's first release on his brand new Make Your On Meaning label is - four tracks of red hot and brilliantly weird minimal. 'Powers' is razor-sharp hi-hats cutting up a scintillatingly smooth and militant tech house groove. 'Re Speak' has jumbled percussion and more wonky rhythms while 'String' layers up toms, tin pot hits, clattering sound effects and an undulating liquid baseline into something super seductive. The closer 'Mystick Crystal' is the busiest of the lot with its densely layered sound fx and samples underpinned by minimal funk.

Review: Manchester-based producer Pach, who you may remember from his much loved 'Pull Up & Dance' anthem on Darius Syrossian's popular Moxy Muzik label last year, produces a generously proportioned four track EP for the Aesthetic stable. Take note of the title, as it dictates the contents, with the A-side's two tracks, the title track and '21 Bump Street', proving to be the definite uppers, both adding a delirious feel of disco euphoria to a sturdy tech-house framework. The flip side features the slightly darker and more mysterious cuts 'Sticky Fingers' and closer 'Six N Switch', the latter featuring the sound of some rather decadent X-rated activities in full swing. Nice work if you can get it.

Review: Veteran German producer Peter M. Kersten dons the Lawrence alias once again for his twelfth long-player, following some fine self-released efforts and of course 2021's wonderful Birds On The Playground for Mule Musiq. Whether it's the armchair melancholia of 'Blue Moon' or the quirky microhouse of 'Jacob's Ladder', through to mesmerising downbeat journeys like 'Epiphany' or the late night mood music of 'Hamburg' (an ode to his beloved hometown) - Epiphany sees the Dial co-head cover a wide selection of moods and grooves and the many shades of deep house music, all in his inimitable and understated style throughout.

Review: There is no stopping the Mindhelmet label right now. It is run by the cult and underground head that is Truly Madly and it has been smashing out the music at a high rate of knots. This month comes the latest heavyweight 12' with a mix of new-to-the-label artists and some returning favourites. The always reliable cosmonaught Youandewan opens up with some nice freaky bass and silky 90s tech, then Sam Hudson keeps it deep on 'You Got The Ozone' which is a heads-down stomper. Liquid Earth intertwines silvery percussive lines, farting synth textures, rolling drums and alluring vocal sounds on his contribution and Lucas shuts down with the party vibes of 'Capitulo.'

Review: Iceland's Thule offshoot label 66 Degrees was a vital label back in the day. After a 20-year hiatus, it came back strong in August and now follows up quickly with a second superb EP. This one is a carefully curated various artists collection that pulls together some local house anthems new and old. Ozy's 'Sequential Dub' is a super smooth deep house number with lush chord work. Sanasol brings heavier, more raw house drums and grinding bass that will get floors in a sweat. Oz Artists mixes up a raw, mechanical groove with balmy, dreamy pads up top to make for something utterly compelling on 'Atomox; while last of all Terry Cummingz pays homage to dusty Windy City house on his perfectly lo-fi 'Cherry Bon Bon. Classy business for sure.

Review: Truly Madly's Mindhelmet label has been working on overdrive this last year or so. It has put out no fewer than seven EPs, all of them with their own style, but all of them tapping into the overall signature sound the label is fast honing in on. There have been solo artists' EPs as well as VAs, like this one, which is packed with talent. There is real kaleidoscopic funk to the smeared synth work and crispy tech beats of Jhobei's 'GFC', then Jomni brings squelchy acid lines and rugged bass to 'Hozukyo Ravine.' On the flip side are the punch physical drums of T Jacques and Sam Hudson's trippy late-night kicker 'Mr Purdy's Sweet Shop'.

Review: Sticky minimal techno from The Mountain People, hailing from Switzerland - we suppose this is the kind of music that really would help you to scale a few mountains. It's meditative enough too, like music to aid alpine trances. Three tracks are likened to mountainous peaks; 'mountain015.1' shivers and knocks away, while '015.2' and '015.3' indulge in increasing increments of swing, getting wonkier and wonkier as the air gets thinner and thinner.

Review: For their latest deep dive into house history, the dusty-fingered sonic archelogists behind the Mint Condition imprint have delved into the mid-90s catalogue of San Francisco producer turned sound designer Safar Bake. 'Tangerine Train' first appeared on the tiny Aqua Boogie Records imprint in 1996 and in recent years has become something of an in-demand collectible. This reissue boasts all four mixes from the original 12": the hypnotic, acid-flecked deep house/early deep house fusion of the 'Absolute Runaway Train Mix', the densely layered, pots-and-pans percussion of the 'Runaway Train Beats' version (an insanely good mixing tool), the smooth, organ-based powered deepness of the 'Lost In a Tunnel of Dub Mix', and the pleasingly wild, roughneck, mind-mangling hedonism of the brilliant 'Last Acid Train To Euphoria Mix'.

Review: Four new tracks from EB Flow mark the latest release from the ever prolific Constant Sound label, as ever providing solid and dependable dancefloor gear that boasts a myriad of different flavours. 'Sunshine' wastes no time setting up a strutting, Van Helden-esque groove and lets it roll, adding a few vaguely nostalgic samples on top. 'Running' has more of a breaks feel, harking back to the days of rave's roots when breaks and acid could sit together naturally rather than in different genre pigeonholes. 'Before' is the most minimal of the four, peppered with frisky garage snares and a subtle but ultimately devastating filter breakdown, while a feelgood gospel-style vocal gives the closer, 'Searching', a lovely optimistic tint. Constant Sound continue to deliver.

Review: A sleek, stripped down groove slowly takes shape as radioactive effects fizzle away and philosophers discuss the probability of the existence of God... That'll be the inaugural release on Audiomutz - a label founded to use electronic music as a vehicle for telling stories - then, from the hitherto unknown Turturu. Herck turns in a remix, that adds its own twist courtesy of deftly employed live drum edits, while 'Ratting Club Stories' completes the package with whispered vocals and a neat meshing of a chugging electro b-line and jazzy percussion. Mysterious but enticing, we want to know more. (Early support from Petre Ispirescu, Lizz, Bryz, Vlad Arapasu, Plusculaar)

Review: Dana Ruh has made a lot of great music over the years, much of it in a trademark personal style that's deep, dubby and tailor-made for bleary-eyed early morning dancefloors. Even so, the first lady of Berlin deep house has gone even deeper on 'Different Places Different Favourites', her first outing on Smallville. Check first 'The Spirit', where echoing synth stabs and gentle acid lines ride a weighty, dub house style bassline and locked-in drums, before admiring the spacey, Move D-esque brilliance of 'TJ Mornings'. Elsewhere, 'L.A Nights' is dreamy, deep, hazy and soulful - U.S deep house viewed through a cloud of jazz cigarette smoke - and 'Reach Out For Me' pairs the wonky, stripped-back sonics of bleep with Ruh's trademark deep, dubby house crackle. Impeccable.

Review: Now well over its 200th release, Hot Creations remains one of the house scene's most recognisable labels. In that time it has done a fine job of evolving its sound and staying relevant, not least to singing newer artists such as label heads Jones and Foss do here. Bruno Furlan harks back to the heyday of Latin and stringy minimal made famous by Cadenza's Luciano on 'Bongoloco'. It's a jam that teases with its percussive lines drawn out and woven into rolling beats, while 'Vai' is a little more full-fat and dubby. Both are sure to be huge this summer season.

Review: Swedish man in Berlin Per Hammar helps inaugurate the Les Enfants label with his signature brand of sleek, immersive dubby tech house, creating the kind of mind-massaging moods that will go down oh-so-well on a long-trucking dancefloor. 'Lystopad' is a lithe and limber workout with some lush subtle detail bedded into the mix, while Nu Zau steps up for a remix of the track which turns up the trippy dial in that quintessential Romininal fashion. Miroloja's version meanwhile is a cheekier inversion of the track which calls to mind mid noughties minimal tech house. Hammar bookends the release with another superlative trip into dubby pastures, with shimmering sonic matter to truly lose yourself in.

Review: This delectable new minimal techno release from Boulderhead features 'Bread Butter Noodles Spice' as its star track. Fittingly featuring a vocalist called Overnite Oates, this track hears the artist reel off many members of the dairy, meat, pulse and carbohydrate food groups - chicken, rice, jam, etc. - while being underlaid by an infectious analog groove. If the purpose is to whet our appetites for the economic consumption of the remaining three tracks, then let's hear them out: 'Moonstone Energy System' is a clangy one, 'Ultra' is a springy acid swing tune, and 'Framework' sounds like the minimal tech ideal of the garden of Eden.

Review: Ukrainian label Modeight continues its top recent form with a new 12" from UK brotherly duo Clay and Heath Ostrer, who are also known as Last Pines. They go deep and silky across their four tech house offerings here: 'Solon' is a steady one to draw you in with abstract motifs and a curiousness that keeps you locked. There is more drive and a jazzy sense of playfulness to 'Drift' while 'Nocturnal' cuts back to late night and heady business. 'Go Ahead' closes down with alien vocals, squelchy bass and a nice wet groove for intimate dance floors.

Review: Yecad Music launch their mission into the minimal world with a strong first showing from a varied cast of operators that mark this label out as one to watch. Sepp leads the way with the jazz-inflected, intricate patterns of 'Cabot Cave', while Vlad Arapaho has a knottier, techy offering by way of 'Compostella'. Swoy has a more melodic, organic-sounding approach on 'After' and Ted Amber taps into that hypnotic Arpiar style for the deep-diving 'Erutun', rounding off a sophisticated EP for those who like their grooves stripped back and undulating.

Review: It's been a big breakthrough year for Aerofunk, who follows up recent releases for Silias, Fraise, Party Tricks and Subsequent to bring his snappy neo-rave gear to Humanoid. There's an almost big beat quality to some of the production flair here, as gnarly hardcore ingredients collide with some serious production chops in pursuit of serotonin-mashing thrills. 'Call Me' is rubbery acid techno with a playful demeanour and plenty of bleeps, while 'FOU' keeps the breakbeats up with a fierce intention which brings Plump DJs in their prime to mind. 'Bumpin' is rough and ready techno, but it's also sporting a plethora of snappy edits to keep things crafty.

Review: Brand new label Private Lane's main aim is to promote young up-and-comers; who better to celebrate the myriad production chops of than that of French upstart Nairo and Austrian prodigy DJ Void? Sharing two sides of yellow 12" wax for two tit-for-tat tracks each, they deliver four asteroidal belters, culminating in the tech house masterwork that is 'Dream Drivers'.

Review: The long-running Bondage Games series creeps ever closer to a 10th installment here with four more cuts of stylish minimal house and tech. Mihai Popoviciu kicks off with 'Elevation Zero' and soon sinks you into a nice silky groove with warped pads and glistening tech drums. Pornbugs & Cristina Lazic keep the smooth and serene moods going with the subtle and supple 'November Haze'. NTFO then explores a spaced-out electronic house sound that is brilliantly seductive and dynamic on 'That's The Drill' then Rhadow's 'Seven Motions' closes with a clipped groove flecked with dub minimalism.

Review: Originally recorded over 10 years ago, Hearing Colors present a reissue of two extended minimal works from Ricardo Villalobos and Washington Miranda. For those who value the power of extended, reduced forays into the outer realms of the dancefloor, there's a lot of power to draw from these tracks. The A-side is more forthright, thanks to little more than a click woodblock hit which drives the groove forwards, while 'Murmullo De Los Vientos' takes on a subtler, even more hypnotic quality with a voice (presumably Miranda's) guiding us through the soundscape.