DJS: MOST CHARTED - TECHNO - MOST CHARTED IN AUGUST 2016

Review: Following acclaimed releases by Jeremiah R and HVL, Organic Analogue is proud to present an extensive new release from a true underground hero of UK electronic music, DJ Guy. The tracks on the Structures 12" prove that the same spellbinding atmosphere, swooning melodic content and crafty arrangement flex is as present in Guy's contemporary work as it is in his earliest tape rips. Elements of Drexciyan electro and UK ambient techno can be felt throughout, but they're delivered with an equal dose of ingenuity that is all his own. As well as his plentiful techno output, Guy equally turned his hand to some crucial experimental jungle over the years. Rhythms 94/99 harks back to the era of Black Secret Technology, Plug and Depth Charge, all phased, diced up amens and dreamy pads that form a link to Guy's 4/4 work while once more demonstrating how on point his productions were at such a seminal time. The tape they have put together contains ten tracks recorded by Guy between 1994 and 1999 as well as an additional remix by White Peak that draws upon all the tracks for source material.

Review: One of Artefakt aka Robin Koek and Nick Lapien's first records was The Fifth Planet, which appeared on Delsin. Now the duo surfaces on another local Dutch labels for Theory. Lapien is better known for his ebm/wave-influenced work as Metropolis, but this release sees him return to deep Detroit-style techno. The title track effortlessly marries acidic pulses with soaring string melodies over a jerky rhythm. "Moving Hori-zon" follows a similar path with 303s and atmospheric synths singing in unison over an angular groove. The pair take the tempo down but don't abandon their love of spell-binding melodies on closing track "Solaris".

Review: Ayman Rostom has really taken to The Maghreban, with a succession of singles for Versatile and his own Zoot label that have shown him fully capable of bringing his sampling talents to the realm of house, disco and techno. The latest missive from The Maghreban comes on Black Acre, a label Rostom has previous with after that superb library music LP as Dr. Zygote a few years back. Two tracks deep, Lose It presents all that we love about The Maghreban; the title track sees a classic "girl I'm starting to lose it" phrase lifted off an early jungle classic from Boogie Times Tribe assembled with a monstrous analogue bassline and plenty of feverish effects tweaking in the mix. "Wrong Move" is just as smart, delving into the darkest depths of rugged breakbeat science.

Review: As Until My Heart Stops turns 10, we head back across the Atlantic , this time to Boston and a stunning ep from the still hugely under rated DeViere.DeViere is a music producer and radio disc jockey (Progressive Black, 90.3 FM WZBC Newton) based in Boston, Massachusetts. He first came to our attention with the Transcendental Numbers ep on Jamal Moss' Mathematics label in 2012 and we've waited on each release ever since, including last year's huge Future Shock Disco ep (a collaboration with Jamal himself). Here DeViere presents 3 beautiful examples of his deep, soulful craft and a fitting way for UMHS to hit double figures.

Review: Melbourne-based producer Rory McPike has been busy of late, delivering EPs for Butter Sessions and Normals Welcome under the now familiar Dan White alias. This outing for Brokntoys explores similar territory, with McPike utilizing a range of vintage machines and synthesizers on a quartet of spacey, melodious, intelligent techno influenced cuts. The intergalactic electro of "Buckley's Escape" impresses via shimmering electronics, snappy beats and a spine-tingling extended breakdown, while "Digital Detox" is as melodious, sweet and picturesque as you'd expect. Arguably best of all, though, is "Ghost Train", where fluttering chords and spaced-out melodies ride a swinging, snare-heavy 4/4 groove.

Review: Blawan's new side project Bored Young Adults is up next on Will Bankhead's label The Trilogy Tapes. The Shy Dancers On Bungalowdorf Beach features some restrained and slow burning techno experiments that differ from Jamie Robert's more usual hard-hitting sounds. The seething title track treads the same path as Kassem Mosse or Vactrol Park. The Fentanyl techno of "But We Need This Bench" sounds like an old Regis record played on -8, while devoted fans of the young UK producer's sound will get something a bit more familiar on the menacing hypnotic techno grinder "Check Up From The Neck Up".

Review: Some years back, Aleksi Perala joined forces with Rephlex co-founder Grant Wilson-Claridge to invent a custom musical scale, The Colundi Sequence, which boasts 128 frequencies "chosen via experimentation and philosophy". Perala has been using this as the basis of his attractive electronic work for some time, self-releasing 15 EPs of tracks since 2014. This epic, triple-vinyl album gathers together highlights from the previously download-only series - all with deliberately obtuse titles, made up of letters and numbers - and accurately showcases the depth and diversity of Perala's work. Clone is calling it "spiritual techno", and that's an excellent catch-all description for a set that variously touches on Motor City futurism, IDM, electro, dub techno, ambient and Rephlex-esque "braindance".

Review: For the latest wax missive on the admirable Knekelhuis, the Amsterdam collective have turned to Glasgow-based industrial/EBM digger Murray CY. As the title suggests, Murray CY edits sees the Contort Yourself man serving up scalpel rearrangements of obscure, experimental '80s dancefloor jams. Thanks to the obscurity of most of the source material, it's hard to know how revolutionary (or otherwise) these re-cuts are, though there's certainly plenty to enjoy. Our favourites include the mutant electro madness of "Caustic C*nts" by AGeM, the strobe-lit proto-techno pulse of Nocturnal Emissions' "We Are Getting Closer", and the decaying drum machine hum of Die Form's "Leders Klub", but there's barely a duffer in sight.

Review: Given the talent involved, you'd expect this collaboration between Detroit veteran Keith 'K-Dub' Worthy, Steven Tang and Jamal 'Hieroglyphic Being' Moss to be rather special. Predictably, it's excellent. The A-side boasts two versions of "Rarefied Air" from Worthy, who delivers nothing short of emotion-rich Detroit techno brilliance, complete with bouncy synth bass, swirling deep space melodies and restless percussion. The Dub, in particular, is superb. On the flip, Moss makes the track raw and uncompromising, layering twisted acid lines atop a thumping, tribal techno groove. Tang closes proceedings with a version that sits somewhere between the two schools, placing a long spoken word vocal sample atop mind-bending electronics, spacey chords and hissing percussion.

Review: Bergen label Club No No emerged in the Sex Tags/SUED/Acido constellation some two years ago and looked to be a platform for founder Snorre Magnar Solberg to experiment with like-minded souls such as SVN and Fett Burger. This fourth Club No No 12" continues the collaborative bent, with lead track "No No 4" a sublime lo-tech soul production with fellow homeboy Kristoffer Drevdal. On the flip, the deep hardware jams continue on DJ Fett Burger's version of "No No 4" which is an amazing 15-minute journey you'll wish never ended. This 808 State tribute (of sorts) has all the bird calls, rusty drum patterns and emotive pads you could wish for!

Review: There's been much online chatter about Levon Vincent's latest 12". Sadly, it's not been about A-side "Birds" - a thrillingly ragged, aggressive and powerful acid thumper that's up there with the producer's most potent work - but rather what's lurking on the flip. As the title suggests, "Tubular Bells" is a cover of Mike Oldfield's most famous work, whose twinkling melody remains one of the most famous and well known in popular music. Vincent retains that melody line, looping it up and tweaking it out over a typically rubbery and fuzzy 4/4 house groove. Some will love it, others won't; either way, A-side "Birds" is superb, making Vincent's latest Novel Sound 12" an essential purchase.

Review: Acid house hooligans Paranoid London are back with another session of raw hardware driven shenanigans on the We Come To Rock EP. On the A side, the title track is one totally infectious and funky groove which boldly declares "We come to rock!" no guesses where that sample comes from and that perfect amount of dust and overdrive coats this gutsy vintage flavoured groove. On the flip "Buck Stoppin" sounds like classic Egyptian Lover on this surefire DJ tool with an emphasis on some killer vintage drum machine rhythms.

Review: Scottish label Craigie Knowes are back with Knowes Universal Broadcast: Seg 1. Considering the likes of local heroes Vince Watson and Stephen Brown; we know the Scots have knack for hi-tech soul and this release does not disappoint. Starting out with "Baltra" then the epic acid odyssey "Fade Away", we then get treated to the soulful and emotive electro of Highfield Casual's "Highfield Daze" which will appeal to fans of Gerald Hanson or Gerald Donald without a doubt. On the flip Natureboy Gold (what a name!) serves up "Prozac Test" which is reminiscent of Laurent Garneier's acid epics of the mid noughties; you can't beat that for a compliment can you? Finally "Qaua" by Stephen Simpson closes the release out in sublime and dubby deep house territory; loving' it! Tip!

Review: Following the announcement that they've collaborated with perma-masked Zomby on his upcoming LP for Hyperdub, behooded hardware manglers Rezzett return to home soil for their latest, and perhaps best so far, 12" for The Trilogy Tapes. With a very defined, redlining approach to techno and hardcore tropes established across their prior output on Will Bankhead's label, the duo demonstrate there is still plenty of scope for invention on Doyce. In essence you get two versions of the same track either side of this 12"; the A-side is nominally the club cut though there is a feeling of restraint where usually Rezzett deal in speaker bursting madness. The "Yavas" version on the flip is quite something else however, discarding with any rhythmic elements over an eleven-minute journey into mind-bending sonics based around that quite exquisite mangled synth line.

Review: Ever since their first white labels started to appear a few years back, we've been big, bigs fans of Russia's Gost Zvuk label. That's because, aside from all the gnarly artwork, these guys are doing things on their own agenda: the sounds on these records are recognisable and yet different. Different in their approach, their style, and their message. On this Pavel 'BUTTECHNO' Milyakov debut, a record that sounds like it's been made by a veteran, we here shards of techno, but the genre is only used as a means of expression, one means to an end in terms of tying these alien sonics together under one groove. We won't describe this music in detail because it simply must be heard to be understood. Album of the week from us, don't miss it. Oh, and check the rest of the label out, it's all solid gear.

Review: Following turns on labels like Creme Organization, Rvng Intl. and Further Records to Bio Rhythm, Bedouin Records and Sequencias, among many others, it feels like only a matter of time before Jamal Moss has graced pretty much every label worth talking about. Following his Cosmic Bebop ?LP on his own Mathematics Recordings, Moss, under his adored Hieroglyphic Being alias, surfaces on Ninja Tune sub Technicolour. The Disco's Of Imhotep is a bright, distorted and colourful affair which harbours its own trademark, synthetic chimes, kicked off wonderfully with the sweetly tonal number "The Shrine Of The Serpent Goddess". Rather than pulling together tracks at random, the album overall sounds like something that's been crafted as a whole, and while drums and distortion may tear away at speakers cones the world over, it's the melodies of this record, annihilated or otherwise, that really make The Disco's Of Imhotep one of a kind.

Review: Japanese experimenter Kouhei Matsunaga has been quietly building an exceptional discography as NHK yx Koyxen and the numerous variances. With prior NHK yx Koyxen output on PAN, Skam and Raster Noton, Matsunaga's growing alliance with Powell's Diagonal label makes perfect sense. After debuting on Diagonal last year, he's back with Doom Steppy Reverb, a fresh NHK yx Koyxen LP that expands on his fuzzy, texture-laden, leftfield techno blueprint. So, while there's plenty of industrial-influenced darkness, claustrophobic tape hiss, and redlined rhythms, the Japanese artist also includes quietly beautiful textures and hazy, looped melodies. This is most evident on the foreboding, late night swing of "Y", where the application of dub delays helps emphasize the skewed, doom-laden mood. Superb artwork too!!!

Review: Avian boss Shifted is back with more noisy and textural techno experiments on the Six Steps To Resurgence EP. Starting out with electrifying "Persistence Of Vision" with its snarling modular synth drone that carries the track atop of a violently galloping rhythm; this is the kind of techno we're digging right here! Next up "Anti" is a savage drone journey that polarizes you in frightful fashion over its three-minute entirety. Something what we thought was more usually associated with his Alexander Lewis alias. Finally on the flip he gets back into straight up techno with "In Equal Measure", a tunnelling and trance inducing cut with its strong pads subliminally grasping you while the snarling and syncopated percussion grooves you in a particularly sinister fashion.

Review: Super Rhythm Trax / Don't man Jerome Hill steps up to deliver the first blow from freshly-minted label Sword, which comes as a heavy duty four-track 12" of no-nonsense techno. Starting as he means to go on, "The Creeper" sees the J man lead all and sundry down a wormhole of FM synthesis and unrelenting drums. This is not warm up material. On the B-side, "Drum War" fairly lives up to its title; if you felt Plastikman classic "Spastik" could do with a bit more of a monolithic edge, this should satisfy that urge. The accompanying "Drumapella" is a DJ tool for those who need to add some snare dynamism into the mix. Finally, Hill unleashes the original mix of "Plastic Jam" which previously featured in 'Stripped Mix' form on a split 12" for Milo Smee's Power Vacuum last year.

Review: Given that Steven Julien made his debut as Funkineven on Eglo way back in 2009, this debut album has been a long time coming. Since those days the London producer has shuffled between sumptuous, synth-heavy experimental boogie, rasping techno and bolshy analogue house jams. All of these styles get a look in on Fallen, alongside bumpin' deep house, smooth jazz-funk, soulful broken beat, stripped-back electro, spacey US garage, and bizarre electronic wig-outs. That many of these styles are fused, chopped-up and played around with throughout makes Fallen hard to pin down, but also hugely entertaining.

Review: London techno legend Jerome Hill is back on his home turf for the 13th edition of Super Rhythm Trax. With a name like "It's Time For The" it hardly left anything to the imagination did it? But this crafty edit of the Cajmere classic. Other highlights include the Windy City hard house of "Lollypop Lady" which pays tribute to the notorious Relief Records imprint and the Dancemania dedicated jackathon that is "Def Jamming". One for the heads!

Review: Acronym is definitely a staple of Scandinavian techno powerhouse Northern Electronics and delivers the goods once again on the Guadalquivir EP. The trippy and swirling synth modulations on "Purity" provide truly mind melting goodness over its slamming electro beat. "Floating" (by comparison) is less intense yet equally more cerebral on this slow burning smack techno excursion. On the flip, "Constant Flow" is without doubt the highlight on here; this truly evil and all-consuming trip is one of the best examples of how great hypnotic techno is done, this side of Mike Parker or Donato Dozzy. Final offering "Cleansed In Fire" goes back to the young artist's original sound as heard on earlier releases for the label such as the Red River Gum or Nautilus EPs. Listen and learn!

Review: Having recently devoted more of his time to the breezy, melodious bliss of the D.K project, Dang Khoa-Chau once again dons the 45 ACP alias for a more downbeat E.P on L.I.E.S. It's arguably far more accessible than his previous work for the label under the now familiar moniker, but still pleasingly left-of-centre. There's much to admire throughout, from the poignant melodies, drifting keys and spaced-out drums of "Hang In There", and Marimba-laden deep space techno of "Smoked Out", to the clarinet-laden ambient textures of bittersweet closer "Graveyard Shift". While opener "Slick Response" - a bubbling, ear-pleasing chunk of metronomic techno - feels a little more positive, it's still largely melancholic in tone.

Review: Very cool ep from Skatebard on Vivod ! A mixed bag from the prolific Norwegian producer showing us why he's still at the top of his game. "Maskindans" kicks things off with some speak & spell funk followed by "Hissige Helger", a brooding Chicago-style banger sure to tear up some discoteques across the planet. On the flip are "Langbolgen" and "Gloymde Skogar". The former is an acid style work out, the latter is more of a subtle, hypnotyizing opus. All very strong tracks. Don't sleep on this. They will go fast !

Review: Open Recordings return with their 2nd release 'Flight' following the Departed Emotions EP released earlier this year. Frazer Campbell piloting the journey with 'Flight 82874' ... with 2 of the finest co pilots from hugely respected labels Slow Life and Wahlscheibe....S.Moreira and Allessandro Crimi re constructing the original into superb pieces of timeless music with a dubby outro for good measure!

Review: A year on from the release of Sensation, Daniel Avery has decided to get the track - and its' original B-side, "Clear" - remixed. Sandwell District and Eaux eccentric Rrose is the artist given the task of transforming "Sensation". She does that well, re-casting Avery's upbeat original as a clanging, clandestine chunk of trippy, feverish, late night techno full of infected electronics, creepy pads, and soft-focus rhythms. Fellow experimentalist Abdulla Rashim picks up the baton on the flip, delivering a version of "Clear" built around dense, pulsating percussion, ghostly electronics, and occasionally confused offbeat kick-drums. It's far bolder and more obviously club-ready than the A-side, but a little less intriguing.

Review: 12 months on from the release of Hunee's lauded Hunch Music full-length, Rush Hour has decided to release a pair of previously unheard reworks of album favourites. Stuttgart dynamo Mick Wills handles the A-side, turning "Hiding The Moon" into a spaced-out chunk of low-slung, late night techno (think sparse synth motifs, bubbling grooves, occasional acid lines and spooky atmospherics). Sex Tags deviant DJ Fett Burger serves up his interpretation of "Crossroads" on the flip, cleverly combining deep space ambient aesthetics with heavy dub bass, and hip-house era breakbeats. It sounds like an after-party destroyer in waiting.