Juno Recommends Techno August 2020

Review: Roy Of The Ravers may be best known for his lysergic rave pelters, but there's always been a hint of grandiose melancholy in his synth work that suggested there was more to the machine botherer than tear-out acid beats. Emotional Response worked with the artist in trawling through a vast archive of material recorded between 1997 and 2017, rescued from hard drives once thought lost, and now gathered as a compelling ambient release with the full fat hardware veneer of Roy's work to date, but coming from a more reflective angle. From cathedral-quaking drones to deeply submerged aquatic excursions, this album has plenty to draw you into the inner world of an acid hero.

Review: Second time around for one of Simon Whalley's most magical releases as CIM, the "Series Two" EP, which first landed on Headspace Recordings way back in 1999. Here it gets reissued by Delsin, with each of the five insanely good tracks being presented in freshly remastered form. There's plenty of variety within those five tracks, with Whalley confidently strutting between punchy, full-throttle electro ("Factory Preset One"), warming ambient techno/IDM fusion (the colourful "View 91 Fill"), weighty, percussion-focussed heaviness ("Edit Micro Tune"), and the kind of melodious deep techno/deep house fusion that will forever sound far-sighted and futuristic (EP standouts "Bias" and "Soft Rain"). Recommended.

Review: Two years ago, Transmigration decided to dig into much-missed Japanese producer Susumu Yokota's ambient techno work as Ebi, and more specifically an album he released in 1994 on influential German imprint Space Teddy. Here they offer up a belated sequel featuring three tracks from that sought-after set, and two from its' 1996 sequel. "Zen", a languid and unearthly affair featuring trippy, psychedelic acid lines rising above a chugging beat, is especially alluring, though the same could also be said of the intoxicatingly deep, quiet and exotic "Chuu". Elsewhere, "Sei" boasts enveloping, melancholic chords and more twisted acid riffs, while "Kaze" and "Tsuki" successfully throw additional IDM influences into the pot.

Review: For the second missive on his recently launched Fencepiece label, Steve Pickton has delved into his archives and dusted down a trio of cuts from the early days of his career in the mid 1990s. On the A-side you'll find two tracks first featured on his 1994 debut album as Phenomyna, "Unexplained": the crunchy, deep space techno/electro fusion of "Travellor" [sic] and the deeper, warmer sci-fi electro flex of "From Afar". Over on the flip, there's another chance to enjoy the superb "Tau", which originally closed his first solo Stasis album, "Inspiration", way back in 1995. It's a spacious and ear-pleasing affair that wraps lilting synth-strings and bubbly, Detroit techno style electronic motifs around a skittish, futurism-inspired techno beat.

Review: As Jonny Automatic Tasty Dillon prepares to release his sixth studio album A Farewell To Reason, Lunar Disko take us back to 2012 and one of Jonny's many discographical highlights "Fieldwork". An EP of four stages, the concept takes us across the day using Foley sounds. "Field In The Morning" is a bright, bouncy piece dusted with birdsong, "Field In The Afternoon" is a warmer, more energetic piece of acid house, all bleepy and relentless with its rolling drums, "Field In The Evening" brings a more sobering reflective note while "Field By Night" climaxes with an intense acid rave-up, like all the best days spent in fields should. Eight years old but still as timeless as ever, Tasty has always lived up to his name.

Review: Nite Fleit has had a barnstorming couple of years with drops on Planet Euphorique and Unknown To The Unknown, a team-up with Mall Grab on Looking For Trouble and now this rabid electro stormer on Helena Hauff's Return To Disorder label. Compared to some of the grungier, punk-inflected electro you'd expect to find on the label, this is bright, bold, big-room stuff with plenty of ravey motifs to move large masses of bodies. "Empty Nest Syndrome" is hyped up to 11 while "Naive" pivots around a hard as nails electro beat. Watch out for the mad arps on "Can't You See" and "Rebel Faction" too - they're gunning for your cerebellum and you should take heed.

Review: Well Street continues to be a hotbed of innovation in the cloudy climes of contemporary UK techno, with label mainstay Loop LF returning for his third EP. The record opens in subliminal style with the restrained, heavy-stepping sideswipe of "IZ 200" before melting into "Drifting Forwards," a richly dubbed-out dreamscape of clicking and popping percussion and sparkly chord drops with a purposeful swagger around the rhythm section. The B side kicks off with the nervy minimalist techno abstraction of "C Rota", where sound design plays a vital role alongside cyclical rhythms in creating a truly transcendent yet strikingly sparse sound. "Mondo" closes proceedings with one of the more forthright tunes on the record, following a strident if still proudly leftfield groove that captures a little '90s downtempo funk and gives it a cosmic, hi-def refit.

Review: ASC continues to explore the techno dimensions of his sound in more detail with the Nereid alias. "Splay" leans in heavy on cyclical rhythms and billowing clouds of dubby atmospherics to create a profoundly immersive experience. "Plask" has a more pronounced set of ingredients that subtly nod to vintage industrial and electro while adhering to the modernist techno focus of the project. On the flip, Svreca is up first with a version of "Vapid" that locks into a tight and nervy broken beat pattern and teases out slow and sustained energy shifts accented with dub processes. The original track is a more spaced out affair with a slow half-time beat and ample space for an eerie wash of sounds to unfurl in dynamic, hypnotic patterns. This is advanced techno with an exploratory instinct and a seductively steely feel.

Review: Over the course of their six-year career, French twosome Nummer have slowly morphed from fresh-faced angular techno enthusiasts, to makers of admired electronic music rooted in a widescreen and nuanced musical vision. Their growing maturity is much in evidence on "Night Confidence", an EP that effortlessly flits between deep, dreamy and delay-laden lo-fi deep house bliss ("Sea Junkies"), sleazy, acid-fired, alien-sounding late night house weirdness ("Hassen (Dub)"), extra-percussive fusions of Burrell Brothers style deep house and new age beauty ("Kyoto's Forest"), and the wonderful analogue/organic fusion that is rolling, outer-space house jam "Windchill". An inspired EP from a duo whose music is sounding fresher than ever.

Review: Woo York seem to save their best work for Tale of Us's Aftelife label. Their previous outing on the imprint, 2018 debut album "Chasing The Dream", was an underappreciated gem, and happily this EP-length follow-up is equally as impressive. Musically, all four tracks draw great influence from what some are calling neo-trance, employing riffs and arpeggiated synthesizer lines more often found in both trance and progressive house. The weightiest cut of the lot is "Dancing With Sirens", whose star attractions include squidgy bass, moody acid stabs and sustained, spacey chords, while opener "Echoes From Beyond" is sunny, summery and almost rush-inducing in its melodic positivity. "Minimalism", a deep and trippy excursion dominated by psychedelic acid lines, hoover noises and a lengthy breakdown, is also rather good.

Review: Having cut his teeth with some devilishly deviant drops on Primitive Languages, Lost Soul Enterprises and others, New York's R Gamble returns with a stunning mini-album for Public System that brings his canny twist on minimal wave and EBM to wax for the first time in years. As well as being a dab hand at programming his boxes to impart his ghoulish bangers, what sets Gamble apart is his sense of composition, making proper ear-snagging songs with structures and narrative. Marrying that accomplished approach with the clamour of his production style, and you've got yourself a slice of '80s inspired creepiness that's a cut above the rest.

Review: Chuck 'em in a black bag and give 'em a blotchy stamp. That's Delsin's modus operandi when it comes to re-releasing their favourite older material. And following their re-up of Son.Sine's beautiful Upekah 12", Claro Intelecto's first ever release makes its way on to the prominent Dutch label, a solid decade after it was first released on the now defunct Ai Records. For that 'must have' feeling "Tone" is the track you want to hear first; a gnarly acid work out of Drexciya-influenced techno that's been dragged through the mud and sounds all the better for it. Before that though there's a deeper and electro-leaning "Peace Of Mind (Electosoul)", and while "Signifier" mirrors it somewhat, it's deep house that's pure as the driven snow. And if you needed any more proof that Intelecto is the master of a phat-bassline, look no further than "Contact".

Review: Second time around for Cab Drivers' fantastic debut EP, which the Berlin-based duo initially recorded and released way back in 1996. As the original EP did, this reissue begins with the crunchy, Motor City-influenced techno throb of "Seat Belt" - all mind-altering, fast-paced bass, spaceship horn stabs and bustling beats - before moving on to the sub-heavy hustle of "Traffic Light". Over on side B, "Traffic Light" is a pounding slab of intergalactic techno-jack laden with alien-sounding synthesizer motifs, while "Hit and Run" combines darting, funk-fuelled space boogie motifs with driving drums and another restless, all-action electronic bassline.

Review: It would be fair to say that Netherlands-based Potuguese producer Lake Haze (real name Goncalo Salgado) has released music on some impressive labels over the years. His bulging discography boasts appearances on Creme Organization, E-Beamz, Unknown To The Unknown, Shall Not Fade, and now Private Persons. In keeping with the latter label's raw and forthright vibe, title track "Atomic Label" is a sparkling slab of Kraftwerkian electro blessed with notable percussive and low-end weight. "Brain Hack" sees Salgado pepper another rolling electro rhythm with trance-like stabs and sci-fi melodies, while "Moscow Forever" sees him take a more foreboding, creepy and paranoid musical stance. Finally, "Laniaka" is a raw, pitched-down electro treat laden with vibrant, alien electronics.

Review: Coyu's Barcelona-based Suara label continues to push the thresholds of hard techno, with this new one by legend Cisco Ferreira under his reknowned The Advent moniker. Brace yourself for The Movement EP, featuring heavy duty sonic artillery that must be handled with extreme caution. From the brutalist dystopian slammer "Witches Spell" to the unrelenting peak time fury of "Live 98 Tour" which is reminiscent of timeless classics like "Bad Boy", to the Detroit style breakneck electro funk of "Same 4" which is a collaboration with his son Zein. Ferreira proves yet again that even after 30 years in the game, he is still miles ahead of the rest - respect!

Review: Repress of a much sought after Belgian retro techno classic from 1994. Spokesman was comprised of Andy Bostyn and Luc Devriese, who had only one other release in 1996, but no doubt they'll be remembered for DJ Pierre's strobed-out remix of "Acid Creak" which still retains the zeitgeist of early '90s techno, while the completely mental bang and clatter of D.J.H.S.'s rework is the kind of sonic mayhem you could have heard at one of Richie Hawtin's Packard Plant parties in Detroit back in the day. It then goes out all guns blazing on the psychotic squawk and squelch of "Skittish Sky".