Juno Recommends Techno: February 2022

Review: Rumbling beat, mindbending dub chord and atmospheric safari by one of the absolute veterans of the Icelandic techno scene. Q-Box was originally released in 1999 on the legendary Thule Records and has since then been one of the ultimate go-to dub techno track for DJs worldwide. Now, 22 years later, the release has been remastered - and to add a little sprinke to the cake we have worthy remixes from some of the mightiest of the current Reykjavik techno scene.

Review: Sushitech presents the last part of its 15th anniversary reissues series. Timeless reworks of Paul St. Hilaire & Rhauder's now classic 2018 release 'Reconstructed', featuring legendary producers such as Rominimal heroes Amorf who provide a typically hypnotic reinterpretation of Control, Dutch minimal house maestro Ion Ludwig retains the dubby elements of the original on his rework of 'Stabilized' and likewise Steve O'Sullivan remains in glacial and cavernous territory on another sublime perspective of 'Control'. Elsewhere, Thomas Melchior serves up a typically arcane venture into the deep on his version of 'Dim Dim', while the much missed Soulphiction provides the perfect majestic backdrop for St. Hilaire's amazing vocals play centre stage on his version of 'Redeem'.

Review: 'PULSE 01' is the first release in PITP's new series, which is an ongoing exploration of ambient tech, while offering a more structured display of beat-driven ambient music. Pulse 01 features brand new tracks by SYNE and Influx.

SYNE is Dennis Huddleston from the UK, who is most recognized for his ambient work as 36. He returns to his SYNE alias for the first time in nearly 5 years, with only his second record since his 2017 self-titled debut LP.

'Dystalgia' is a 12 minute opus, spread over 3 movements. Soaring pads and razor sharp percussion combine for a dynamic, emotionally charged journey in sound. Showing love to the Detroit greats, but recognising the distinct UK influence which made him fall in love with Techno in the early 90's, it's a surprising pivot in Dennis' sound and one which all lovers of beautiful, melodic ambient techno should enjoy.

Influx is the techno/acid/trance moniker of James Bernard. With his first release in 1993 (Braineater EP on Sapho Records), Influx is no stranger to techno and acid. This project had been in hibernation for nearly 14 years until his 2021 remixes for his collaborative album with 36 and awakened souls (The Other Side of Darkness). Revel Dub is a dub-techno excursion with sprinkles of ambient and psy-trance rounding out the frequencies. The Slow Version dials back the tempo to half-time and travels to more ambient dub territories.

Review: Following a run of releases on his own Atlantic Thunder imprint, sometime Creme Organization and Shall Not Fade regular Lake Haze (real name Goncalo Salgado) appears on Cultivated Electronics for the very first time. As analogue-rich and mind-altering as much of his catalogue, the four tracks all sit somewhere between punchy, Drexciya-style electro and bleeping, angular techno. Our picks of the bunch are throbbing, buzzing, electro-not-electro number 'Osmosis' and the deliciously dark and foreboding 'Adamastor', though others may prefer the squelchy TB-303 lines, foreboding electronics, creepy melodies amd bustling electro beats of 'Sawshark'. Either way, it's a terrifically consistent and on-point EP that's well worth checking.

Review: Over the past few years Nick Gynn has been whipping up a storm with his loose and limber strain of trance-inflected club melters. Now he's landing in exactly the right spot to kick off 2022 alongside the good folk at EYA Records. Minting their Lonewolf series specifically, the 2000 & Something EP deals in maximal acid wrigglers with a playful but dark-tinted edge which should go down very well with the buoyant wave of psychedelic party people. Watch out for the electro stylings of 'Ritmos Obscuros', which closes out the 12" in body-popping fashion.

Review: Evan Campbell has already delivered some killer club cuts under the Ketamma alias, including solo EPs on Shall Note Fade, G-Town and Homage, and a solid collaborative 12" alongside UK veteran Lone. He's in predictably fine form on this first Steel City Dance Discs outing too, first slamming down some DJ Duke style NYC 'power house' (heavy grooves, soulful vocal samples and addictive piano riffs) on 'Higher (Steel City Power House)', before brilliantly fusing techno and classic house sounds on 'Saint Laurent'. Elsewhere, 'Picanya 2400' is a bouncy, rushing peak-time techno treat, 'Bososoku' is a surging, riff-heavy stomper and 'Move Like Vibert' is a loving, wholehearted tribute to Luke Vibert's bonkers-but-brilliant Wagon Christ project.

Review: RECOMMENDED
If you don't know the name u-Ziq by now then you've not been paying enough attention. Also referred to as Mike Paradinas, he's the guy in charge of inimitable UK label Planet Mu, which has been at the forefront of audibly varied dance music since 1995 that remains as close to IDM as you get in today's age.

That trend continues on this collaborative effort with past Mu signing Hanna Davidson, or Mrs Jynx. A record that was created as part of a therapeutic healing process in spring 2021, a time when both artists were dealing not just with the wight of a pandemic but, more significantly, for them, deep personal grief and profound loss, the result is a melodic masterpiece, an opiate opus of deep dive rhythms and noises.

Review: Despite the French-sounding artist alias, Ici Sans Merci actually started his career in 2006 in the underground scene of Amsterdam. His rates go way back before that though as this new EP is a brutalist, no-frills techno offering that will take you on a white knuckle ride from the first beat. 'Dream' is overloaded with distortion, square bass and rock-solid kicks, 'Warrior' has a little more bounce and funk thanks to the rolling bass, then 'Scream' layers up a bulky groove with twisted synths, wall rattling hits and plenty of late-night menace. 'The Dance' brings some urgent melodies to the party which only serve to up the intensity levels.

Review: Having launched their collaborative heavy techno series Louder Than Chaos via hook-ups with Perc, Rebekah, Hector Oaks, Optic Nerve and Italian twosome 999999999, Soma overlords Slam return with their biggest joint outing yet: a three-tracker made in cahoots with rave-igniting Belgian techno star Amelie Lens. In keeping with her dark, murky and percussively intense style, opener 'Uncontrolled' sees the trio wrap razor-sharp synth sounds and whispers of calming chords around a groove that sits somewhere between tribal techno and hard techno. 'Clarity' boasts similarly sweaty drums and more foreboding electronic riffs - spooky and excitement-building in equal measure - while 'Construct' is nasty, intense and deliciously wicked.

Review: A maddening new collab EP between James Ruskin and DVS1, 'Chapter One' hears the two famous faces flick through of a lost, prophetic techno tome, each track conveying the various omens and forbidden knowledge found on each page. 'Page 1' blends pitch-shifted, helicoptring stabs with pulsating beats; 'Page 2' sounds off-key alarms and awakens parasympathetic responses; 'Page 3' stims and satiates sax samples into something ever-more sinister; while the arpeggiating relief of 'Page 4' bloops away into the foreground like an electronic rainmaker. A thoroughly impressive 25th birthday celebration for the Blueprint Records heads.

Review: The second release on Lempuyang comes courtesy of Tomoki Tsukamoto. In the late 90s Tomoki put out releases on Gez Varley's G Records, i220, and of course ran his own Metrojuice Records imprint; putting out some of the most sought-after deep & dubby techno records under his alias W-Moon. After a hiatus of over 20 years he now returns with four new tracks under his own name, still retaining that deep signature sound.

Review: Possession is one of the most important forces in hard techno on a global scale, let alone its home in France, so you sit up and pay attention when one of its releases drops. Here we get a turbo-charged thumper from Dax J, the hard trance touch of Fractions with 'What Doesn't Kill Me', Tred's super speedy but also super deep 'Disobediant', and something more fruity and fun from the ever-incredible LSDXOXO. Physicality remains at the forefront throughout this release, representing the vanguard of uncompromising techno in the current moment and offering up dancefloor firepower you can't argue with.

Review: There's no stopping Possession when they get on a roll, and so their second various artists series reaches release number four with another grip of devastating techno bombs for the harder floors of the world. Randomer is up first, throwing down the hard trance-licked thumper 'Shiver' before Somniac One's subtly dreamy beast 'Midnight Intruder' comes marching into earshot. Charlie Sparks kicks off the flip with an unrelenting hard techno assault before Vizionn brings some hard house sass to bear on 'Dream'. It's a fun and feisty selection which tells you everything you need to know about the current wave of hard dance.

Review: Following a fine run of releases on Timedance a few years back, polyrhythmic techno king Samuel Smith has decided to strike out on his own. The talented producer's first single since 2018 is genuinely brilliant, with Smith first serving up a hot-stepping, dancehall and bhangra-influenced monster (the soon-to-be-everywhere 'Rayhana', where looped vocal samples, sweat-soaked drums and weighty bass catch the ear), before wrapping exotic, psychedelic, Indian-sounding lead lines around a rumbling broken techno groove on 'Dark Lavis'. Smith rounds off a superb EP with '5g Beats', a hard-to-pigeonhole drum workout peppered with stuttering vocal snippets, fractured electronics and 8-bit bleeps. In a word: terrific!

Review: Voiski's back - look out! The esteemed Parisian producer delivers yet more of his truly singular style of techno, on the latest release for local imprint Construct Re-form - which receives a much needed reboot after a four year hiatus. Hear and feel the sound of pure voltage on the hypnotic opening cut 'Super Blue Blood Moon' followed by the galloping warehouse techno workout 'Keep Up The Great Work'. Over on the flip, things take an off-kilter turn on the euphoric electro beat experiment 'Lady Monkekey' followed by the minimal 'Ultramarine Sunshine'. Tip!

Review: REPRESS ALERT ** German label Rawax brings you a much deserved reissue of Woody McBride's seminal classic Low from 1995 under the DJ ESP alias, originally on Damon Wild's Synewave imprint. This ia a proper zeitgeist from the heady days of the Minneapolis underground scene: from the overdriven old school bounce of 'Idom', the typically Midwest minimal acid of 'Subtlediff' which ventured the same cerebral pathways as Richie Hawtin's Plastikman alias, to the strobed-out main room warehouse energy of '4:38' over on the flip which is followed by the heads-down stomp of '6:01'. It's classic Woody all the way on this one - essential!

Review: Hector Oaks' Kaos label has been busy this year with a steady stream of various artist releases, not to mention an incendiary 12" from u.r.trax. Now comes something different which finds Oaks teaming up with singer Coco Paloma for an EP which reaches beyond the confines of techno into a more pop-oriented direction. There's still plenty of dancefloor bite in 'No Hay Manana (Club Mix)', but it feels like Paloma's voice and lyrics are the focal point of this project. 'Danger For You' sees Oaks slowing his trademark heavy-hitting sound down to frame Paloma's stunning voice in a half-time thump which could well catch a wave and bother the charts. There's more late night action to be enjoyed on 'Chasing Highs' and then 'Player Three' switches things up once again with a pivot between trap and D&B that lands smoother than you might well expect.

Review: A stalwart of Bangkok's underground scene, Sunju Hargun's musical journey has been a varied one. From his minimal/tech house exploits on Little Helpers and Twin Turbo several years back, to his ventures into oddball electronica as Mogambo with Swiss multi-instrumentalist Jerome Doudet, or making meditative ambient as Khun Fluff (with Yantra Mandir), Hargun is a man who wears many hats. His latest release comes courtesy of Taiwanese label Jin, which follows up great ones recently by DJ Ground and Mr Ho. From the Deep Forest vibe of 'Chale' (which gets a low-slung acid trance rework by Marc Pinol on the flip) to the Sound Of Rome style hypnotism of "Track 2" - Hargun is truly in fine form on this one.

Review: The Hayes label excels in visceral techno once more with this no frills offering from Norbak. He has made a big impact with EPs on the likes of Soma and appeared on a VA 12" on this label last year but now makes his full solo debut. 'Palavra De Ordem' has loopy, rumbling drums and bass making a heavy groove while sweeping synths and filers bring the drama. 'Early 2000s' is then lit up with more trance-like chords and 'Meaningful Coincidences' drops into dark, stripped back territory. 'Forgiven & Forgotten' closes down with an unsettling mix of edgy synths, suspensory melodies and forceful drums.

Review: The last time Josh Wink appeared on REKIDS 15 years ago, it was as a remixer (for the record, he delivered a typically mind-altering rub of Radio Slave's 'Screaming Hands'). This two-tracker is, somewhat surprisingly, his first single for Matt Edwards' imprint, and follows high-profile outings on Bedrock, Drumcode and Ellum Audio. The US veteran hits the ground running on 'Detroit Stab', a loopy chunk of gently warming techno hypnotism marked out by swirling pads, simmering and spacey chords, restless machine drums and - you guessed it - tasty organ stabs. 'May Minimal' is sparse and druggy, with a trippy, constantly evolving lead line winding its way in and out of a jacking drum machine groove and flashes of wonky electronics.

Review: 'PULSE 01' is the first release in PITP's new series, which is an ongoing exploration of ambient tech, while offering a more structured display of beat-driven ambient music. Pulse 01 features brand new tracks by SYNE and Influx.

SYNE is Dennis Huddleston from the UK, who is most recognized for his ambient work as 36. He returns to his SYNE alias for the first time in nearly 5 years, with only his second record since his 2017 self-titled debut LP.

'Dystalgia' is a 12 minute opus, spread over 3 movements. Soaring pads and razor sharp percussion combine for a dynamic, emotionally charged journey in sound. Showing love to the Detroit greats, but recognising the distinct UK influence which made him fall in love with Techno in the early 90's, it's a surprising pivot in Dennis' sound and one which all lovers of beautiful, melodic ambient techno should enjoy.

Influx is the techno/acid/trance moniker of James Bernard. With his first release in 1993 (Braineater EP on Sapho Records), Influx is no stranger to techno and acid. This project had been in hibernation for nearly 14 years until his 2021 remixes for his collaborative album with 36 and awakened souls (The Other Side of Darkness). Revel Dub is a dub-techno excursion with sprinkles of ambient and psy-trance rounding out the frequencies. The Slow Version dials back the tempo to half-time and travels to more ambient dub territories.

Review: If deep, atmospheric and off-kilter techno is your thing, we'd recommend checking out this Kalahari Oyster Cult outing from Hypnus Records' regulars Primal Code. The Italy-based duo's work has long been hard to pigeonhole and the four tracks on show here typically blur the boundaries between sounds and styles. Opener 'AI Calculator', for example, peppers a minimalistic, sub-heavy polyrhythmic techno groove with turn-of-the-90s bleeps and creepy aural textures, while 'Autopilot' adds subtly evolving TB-303 acid lines and psychedelic electronics to a sparse, stripped-back rhythm track. The pair cannily combines elements of Villalobos style minimalism with IDM and "brain-dance" on 'Mainframe', while Priori's rework of 'AI Calculator' is foreboding, hypnotic and intoxicating in equal measure.