Techno Recommendations November 2011

Review: REPRESS: The Hardwax-affiliated Power House label presents its second release, now available for wider consumption following a limited run. WK7's "The Avalanche" is throbbing party techno, with a punishing kick - the centrepiece around which all other percussive elements fall - reigning blows down relentlessly: this is the sonic equivalent of sticking a firework up the dancefloors' collective backside and lighting the touch paper. Drop it down to 33 rpm on the flip for "High Power", which is just as incendiary - the key point being that these are not just dumb slices of peak time dance music - they have clearly been produced with intricate poise, with detailed nuances and obsessive attention to sound design. The Hardcore PCK mix of "Higher Power" is perhaps the pick of the bunch, with a broken beat bass drum pounding alongside off-kilter chord stabs.

Review: Ever since it was debuted by Benji B on his Radio 1 show a couple of months back, there has been a general clamour for the release of "Danger", a rippling, techno-leaning Floating Points production that brings to mind his stunning (and slept on) remix of Sebastien Tellier. A peak time throbber this in not, with Mr Shepherd retaining his trademark jazzuality and penchant for deep pools of sub bass, with an epic introduction of soaring synths and rippling arpeggios. On the flipside of this Eglo 7" you'll find the deeply atmospheric "Miniature 27", which sees Floating Points dipping his toes into beatless, ambient waters. A stunning and most essential release.

Review: ** REPRESS ** The ever excellent D'Marc Cantu serves up this two track re-entry on MOS DEEP which serves as an enticing prelude to the producer's eagerly awaited debut album (of sorts) which is due later this year. Across both sides of the hand stamped ten inch Cantu demonstrates the ease with which he can work vintage, driving Chicago house rhythms and more emotive, utopian visions of machine made sounds. Lead track "How Are We Doing?" is the former, with wide reaching analogue thrusts gradually being joined by soaring strings over a driving jack groove. Our favourite however is the B Side "A Second Earth", a blissful saunter through laidback melodic touches and skittering rhythms that could go for infinity and not lose its charm.

Review: The imperious Sandwell District returns with this limited double 12" on clear vinyl from Belgian techno sculptor Yves De Mey. On a similarly experimental tip to the label's recent release from Bob Ostertag and Rrose's, Counting Triggers is essentially a series of challenging, exciting and at time terrifying sonic experiments. Rippling pools of sound attack your senses - nervous, twitching, paranoid soundscapes, richly textured and intricately layered. The crackling drones of "Particle Match" hint at what is to follow - and it is immediately apparent that De Mey is intent on exploring the darkest corners of sound design, with scant attention paid to rhythmic rules or dancefloor regulations. Highly recommended.

Review: Fresh from serving up the latest Berghain mix (as well as showcasing his natty two tone suit look) Marcel Fengler ensures the spotlight remains near with the launch of his new IMF label. Smartly standing for Imprint Marcel Fengler, the inaugural release sees Fengler indulge all aspects of his production palette across the three tracks. "Knavish" for example is a thick set sway through viscous waves of sonics, whilst "Hidden" aligns to more standard rhythmic templates with a decidedly downward trajectory. The title track "Sphinx" hogs the B Side, sounding most like the techno Fengler plays at Berghain, grasping its own searing pressurised funk amidst playful yet aggressive programming. Nicely stickered sleeve too!

Review: The second Ann Aimee Intertia sampler arrives, with four rugged cuts from Marcelus, Sigha, Redshape and Area Forty_One - all plucked from Delta Funktionen's upcoming mix for the Delsin sub-label. "24/7" by Parisian producer Marcelus opens proceedings; a loopy, visceral and hypnotic slab of concrete funk which shares A-Side spoils with Sigha's Sandwell District-esque paranoid throbber "Finding Myself" - one of those tracks where you discover new subtle sonic touches with each listen. Flip over for the 12"s most incendiary moment - the dusty thump of "Static" by Redshape - before Area Forty_One serves up our pick of the bunch: "CNTCT" is epic, there's simply no other word for it.

Review: If the ethereal end of techno is your thing, then you'd be well advised to check this latest missive on Surface. The brilliantly named Ever Vivid - an alias for Nick Dunton - delivers "Facing The Heavens", an introspective affair, led by airy synths and subtle chord melodies. Despite the use of hissing, nagging percussion, the overall approach is suited to home listening rather than the dancefloor. Dunton's "Leaving the Planet", under his own name, is a somewhat different proposition: here the bass is more pulsing and the combination of soaring synths and dubby chords create a sonic vapour trail that'll prove irresistible for those who love it deep.

Review: Keith Tucker's long-running electro project rarely strays into the straighter techno field, so it's interesting to hear how typical 4/4 producers approach Aux 88's original material. The most conventional version is Andrez Bergen's take on "Electronic Underground" under his Little Nobody alias. Using tribal drums and shards of glitchy percussion, the epic, soaring synths nonetheless remind the listener what city "Underground" originated from. Arne Weinberg's take on "Underground" is more rooted in the Detroit techno narrative, with doubled up claps and a wiry groove underpinning more subtle melodic bursts, but the highlight comes from G Man. It's been a long while since Gez Varley worked under this guise, but his symphonic string-led take on "Shadow Dancing" is a reminder of his prowess as a techno producer.

Review: **Repress Action! Now available in transparent gold vinyl, Modern Love come through with a long overdue repress of Andy Stott's We Stay Together, the follow up to his incredible reinvention on Passed Me By** Opening with the beatless "Submission", a Fennesz style wash of recorded waves subjected to crushing compression, he moves into the 100bpm territory of "Posers" which concentrates on a roughly treated, barely there vocal sample, and "Bad Wires", which slowly disorientates the listener with its sludgy bass loop and fizzing atmosphere. Meanwhile "We Stay Together" opts for a cleaner atmosphere with demonic undertones, whilst "Cherry Eye" offers the faintest sceptre of melody in a cavernous backdrop. Finally "Cracked" hypnotises with its metallic textures and undercurrent of acid which gurgles beneath. For anyone who considers themselves even remotely adventurous in their techno tastes, We Stay Together is essential.