Juno Recommends Electro: October 2023

Review: Cybotron are best known as the early purveyors of electro as we know it, responsible for the genre's more mechanised incarnations from as early as the mid-1980s. Now, though, they "re-emerge in our contemporary cybercultural age when artifactual futures begin a transition into a new era of "Meta'", with two new tracks on Tresor, 'Maintain' and 'The Golden Ratio'. While this sentence might take some decoding, we're fain to speculate that it has something to do with the current mass-mediated zeitgeist centring on virtual reality and its implications for metaphysics, both of which right up Cybotron's street as concepts go. Something about the perturbed spirit of 2023 has awoken Juan Atkins and Laurens von Oswald from their decades-long slumber to produce this vocoded, deep-waving, technocult opus. We must figure out what!

Review: Nullptr is in a fine vein of form right now. It's a project from Eddie Symons that again reaches new heights once more here with another delightful electro excursion on Central Processing Unit - his fourth for the Steel City label in just five years. Opener 'Recursor' takes you immediately to the stars with its punchy low ends and staccato arps lighting up the airwaves. 'Pulsar' glides less fluidly, instead bouncing about on broken drums with warped bass while 'Phase Function' is another slinky and serene one with synth magic really captivating the mind. And that's just the A-side - many more delights await on the flip, all of them equally well designed.

Review: For anyone remotely keyed into the early wave of techno in the UK, the promise of unreleased material from Stasis is a very exciting prospect indeed. Steve Pickton's project was tantalisingly short lived, but we were gifted some seminal albums and EPs in that time. Fortunately he's now struck up a steady working relationship with De:tuned, who are coaxing some unreleased material out of unearthed DATs that allow us to hear more of that next-level machine soul he's capable of. It's staggering to think tracks this good weren't released back in the day, but fortunately they have been now, with 'Hard Emotion' possibly taking the cake thanks to its gorgeous, rounded bassline and enchanting synth lines up top.

Review: Maltese producer Sound Synthesis continues a wildly prolific run following not one but two albums dropped this year, not to mention another four EPs before this one. His Orbital Mechanics series has carried some of his most sharply focused electro workouts of the past two years and so it continues with this new care package from the dark side of the circuit board. 'DNS Musik' is a nightmarish electro-techno growler, while 'Programming Your Mind' has a sleeker approach without disrupting the eerie mood. 'Endless Moments Of Beauty' has a stronger melancholic tint to its expansive pads, and 'Memorable Nights' lays on some heavy-hearted emotional tones which offer a fine foil to the tougher demeanour of the A-side.

Review: Binary thinking has been around since the invention of coinage in ancient times. Indeed, there are two sides to every coin, or slab of vinyl. It's this seeming representation of two poles - heads or tails, 0 or 1, the spiritual world and the physical - that has led us to polemicize them in art, exploring either extreme playfully. On one end of the extreme you've got ultra-lofty new age music. On the other end, there are releases like 'Blue Binary Code', in this case hailing from Spanish label and musical assembly line, Gladio Operations. Their camp specialise in the kind of merciless, rationally-calculating, dystopically functional, robotic electro we all know and love, and these four new tracks, adding once again to their prolifically generative output, range from the scientific and gnarly ('Agitated Particles') to the surreal and sanitized ('NH3'). Of course, what is electro but a mere Operation?

Review: Fresh from recent releases for Acid Boom, Klasse Wrecks and Craigie Knowes, Dawl continues his exploration of ear-snagging electro on this latest missive for Planet 17. 'Escapade' is a bleep-heavy workout with plenty of jack and an acidic quality despite the apparent lack of 303, while 'Cyclops' favours a trippier sound-set with plenty of disorienting effects flair. 'Future World' completes the picture with head-twisting synth lines pitched at the later end of the night and some deliciously boxy beats that capture the mystical energy of those early bleep records in fine style.

Review: Released in 2002 as the Drexciya project was forced towards an untimely finish with the passing of James Stinson, Grava 4 remains a high-point in the legendary Detroit electro pioneers' catalogue. As ever, the magic of the record lies in the balance between experimental, provocative sound design and fully physical, instinctive machine funk. Stinson and Gerald Donald were able to say a great deal within the parameters of their project, and Grava 4 remains leagues ahead of what most people think electro can be. Just marvel at the likes of 'Gravity Waves', which feels like the truest representation of the genre without ever following a pre-existing formula.

Review: The ever-prolific Sound Synthesis is usually found dealing in a classic strain of electro, but on this appearance for the burgeoning AmenTec label he's switching things up with a foray into blistering jungle. On 'Electrical Synpases' he more than proves himself up to the task, creating a monster of a track which will send limbs flailing as soon as the drop hits. 'Emigdela Network' finds an interesting fusion of electro synthesis and ragga jungle touches, while on the flip we get some interesting remixes from Cridge & Powder and Tone Def delving into the machine funk you might have reasonably expected on the A side.

Review: Adj makes a physical brand of electronic music that is all about making you move with punchy rhythms. He's done so on the likes of Armada earlier in the year, as well s For Those That Know, Tensor Norm and Another Perspective, but now lands on Serenity In Keos with his latest. The man known to his mother as Andy Jaggers has long been vital to the UK scene and that isn't going to change on the evidence of this new one - a moody, warm and deep exploration of broken electro beats, sci-fi worlds and lithe synth details that are cinematic and emotive as well as being hella catchy for your heels.

Review: At the tail end of the last century and the first few years of this one, an Irish electro movement emerged from the ashes of the country's by then commercialised rave scene. It was spearheaded by Dublin's Decal, but spread to all corners of the nation - as this superb retrospective of the movement proves. The influence of Warp Records' mid-90s IDM output looms large over the collection (and not just because of the very Designers Republic-esque cover art), alongside inspiration gained from Drexciya and their Detroit counterparts, as well as the rawness of Berlin electro of the period, the sub-heavy throb of the earlier bleep techno movement, and the warehouse-ready rush of 'proper techno'. It's a killer collection all told, with the accompanying liner notes telling the story of a musical movement that few outside Ireland have previously acknowledged.

Review: MCL tracks back to the late 80s and the time when EBM, techno and house were colliding in Frankfurt. The project was spearheaded by Alexander Henninger and Ken Taylor, who had a barrel of laughs cutting up dark and punchy box jams with some cheeky Big Apple samples for the kind of unexpected dancefloor drop which will always incite a reaction from the crowd. There are a variety of mixes to choose from depending on which specific energy you want to bring, plus there's the bonus 'Short Wave Symphony' as the consummate B2 track which offers some pure synth divisions after all that seat-inducing action on the rest of the platter.

Review: In the past few years Tom Ferreira has swiftly established his Fasme project as a strident voice in the field of emotionally-charged electro. Following a string of singles for labels like Craigie Knowes, Dream Ticket and Feel My Bicep, he's now delivering his debut album to Analogical Force. Bloom should hugely appeal to those who crave heart-swooning melodic lines in the midst of their snappy machine rhythms, but there's a full spectrum of moods explored as Ferreira glides from the staccato Moroder pulse of 'Pursuit' to the playful acid strut of 'Comete'. Throughout, the feels are placed front and centre of this instantly endearing record from a fast-rising talent.

Review: Goodbye Esmond, Hello Kelvin is a stylish and wide-angle look at electro that explores every different mood and groove possible. The opener is a mournful scene-setter with downbeat chords but hopeful wisps of melody. 'Micro Machines' takes flight on slick, wet claps and driving kicks and 'Beam' is a brain-cleansing bit of cosmic electro pureness. There is a coy electro-funk to 'Magic Man' that allows you to dream while your feet get stuck in and 'Citrus' is a gorgeous late-night cruise on far-sighted chords that brim with emotion. The second 12" is just as classy and packed with evocative feelings.

Review: XY0815 is as electro as it gets, and that's been proven plenty on the string of releases for brokntoys reaching back to 2018. As is common with the prolific label, this is electro to sit up and pay attention to, taking the blueprint of machine funk and giving it a fresh twist which stands out from the glut of soundalikes. Gates Need Inputs arrived in its first iteration last year and we're swiftly treated to this follow-up volume of eight new tracks which edge towards braindance territory in the plaintive synths which shape out the atmosphere of each track. There's analogue warmth and sonic detail edged in everywhere, but equally nothing feels cluttered or necessary. Very classy gear from a trusted stable in the modern electro scene.

Review: Credit 00 continues to bring his own brand of deviant machine music to the forefront on Rat Life, this time aided and abetted by the mighty Wolf Muller. The two reportedly got into the studio in Dusseldorf in 2018 and took an omnivorous approach from chopping up breaks and sampling acoustic instruments to wringing as much funk as possible out of every synth in reach. While the tracks have been stewing for some time, now they're finally available on this release, sounding like a perfect summation of two distinct voices in the leftfield reaches of German club music and not like anything either has released before.

Review: Zonate is a new label exploring the crossover between electro and techno with some classy branding based around all your favourite foliage. The Monstera E.P. welcomes Samuel Jabba onto the A side following his previous stints on From The Void Above and Genie In A Bottle. The vibe is seductive darkness for red-lit dancefloors, with a little sprinkling of trance-house mysticism to keep heads firmly tripping. On the flip Cabanelas makes good on the promise of past releases on Montevideo Electric and Partisan by dropping some growling, prowling workouts for those who like tech house functionality powering analogue sound palettes.

Review: Poly Chain is the brainchild of Kyiv-born Sasha Zakrevska, who follows up her Fairy Disco LP from last year with this six-strong EP of cold and calculating electro workouts for Mechatronica. The likes of 'IRIS-T' favour a breakneck pace and the kind of steely sound design which aligns with DJ Stingray's approach as a DJ and producer. On the B side, 'Tryton' and 'ATACMS' play around with some more fluid synth shapes, but the mood remains tough and edgy throughout this knockout release from a sharp-rising talent in the electro field.

Review: Strap in for this rugged electro exploration from Russian producer Larionov who has written it after sacking the heavens and distilling what he's seen into six cuts alive with dazzling melody. They are as bright and shiny as any distant star in the darkest of nights right from the off - 'Morning Lite' opens up with a sense of longing for a better future then 'Across The Sky' has withering sci-fi motifs and a textured baseline powering along the drums. Elsewhere on this most intergalactic trip are the more punch and urgent drum patterns of 'Strange Lights' and the neck-snapping hits of 'Space & Time' which has a fantastically squelchy bassline.

Review: Toni Moralez is back with a new project by the name of Echoes From The Grave and it debuts on Mutual Pleasure with four tracks of murky underworld electro. 'Don't B Shy (Turn Around)' is pure sleaze. A dirty banger for dancefloor madness. 'I Wanna Suck Ur Dick (Long N Hard)' is a more lithe and bouncy cut with bright hooks buried below naughty vocals and hurried drums and then 'Take Off Ur Clothes' keeps the filth going with another highly potent electro groove overlaid with some urgent synth tension. 'Take Off Ur Clothes' (feat YBM - partiboi69 Cheek Spreading rework) is a slick and unrelenting minimal electro rhythm with real future charm.

Review: NYC experimental producer Neud Photo is up next on EYA's Lonewolf series with a killer five-tracker, 'Echoes'. The EP brilliantly oscillates between various inspirations with a strong machine sound, making for an incredible and haunting journey into electro, new beat, minimal and techno. Beginning with a bang on the compellingly haunting, riveting 'Replica', we hear myriad cowbells, FM "ow"s, and future-gothic vocal samples abound; the track harks deeper dancefloor explorations to come, from the entrancing call-and-response, push-pull structure of 'Lotus Eaters' to the brittler, rippling, more skeletal coldwave closer 'Flash Pressure'.

Review: Barcelona's appetite for electro and breakbeat knows no bounds right now, as proven by this knockout record from Eliaz and C.ru.z on the latter's 22Recordings. Eliaz takes up the A-side with 'Mind Tricks', a playfully dark stomper with snarling analogue synth lines aplenty, while 'Wobble Invader' comes on with the cheekiest, nastiest bass money can buy. C.ru.z has a more synthwave-informed style taking hold on 'Distance From Earth', while 'Absoluto Control' brings the sauce with some wild sampling and subtly swinging energy that will get heads turning left, right and centre. 'La Calle De Abajo' finishes the record off with a crafty jacker that proves C.ru.z is on a hot streak right now, and you'd best keep up.