Arts Vinyl & CDs

Review: A thrilling, high-energy journey through pulsating techno. Side-1 kicks off with 'Surface Tension', a fast, hard-hitting track with relentless, driving rhythms that command attention. '22-44' follows, bringing a sinister, sci-fi vibe with uptempo beats and spacey textures that transport you to another world. Side-2 opens with 'Eyes Adjust To The Dark', a dark, atmospheric builder that feels like the soundtrack to a tense sci-fi thriller. Its techy, evolving layers create an enthralling experience. Closing with 'Kviten', the track takes on a more percussive and intense rhythm, evoking the sensation of shooting through space at breakneck speed. This release is perfect for those who crave deep, atmospheric techno with a relentless pace and a cinematic edge.

Review: Once again, Frenk Dublin dabbles in dub and muses on spacetime hardcore continuums with his latest release for the highbrow techno collective Arts, based in Rotterdam. From the off of 'Chord Dancer' and 'The Lost Realm', we feel only lightly electromagnetically convected, with tonic melodics and pleasing phonic physics rattling against and past our ears. It's only at the turn of the B-side that we hear anything remotely less salutary, with 'Time & Space' preferring a mood of deep-space vacuity, and 'Sapphire Dub' advancing, at an ever glacial pace, through ejected fields of chord residua and rimshot-kick impact events. Closer 'Inspected' unsettles rather than resolves any remaining tension, its monotone echo blurts suggesting more to come.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record slightly warped***


Dynamic Forces are indeed on show in this slamming new slab from Arts. There is a real sense of control to the opener 'Lyra' despite its forward motion and punchy kicks, while 'Vaulting' gets much wilder and looser with its manic synth lead and raw onset of percussive pressure. Switching up things once more, 'Parallel' is a dubby techno tool and 'Shimmer' reverts to the careful tweaking of a deft lead synth over incendiary beats. 'Radiant' and 'Meraki' bring more raved-up and bouncy peak-time techno fun. This is a very useful and varied 12".

Review: Dynamic Forces are indeed on show in this slamming new slab from Arts. There is a real sense of control to the opener 'Lyra' despite its forward motion and punchy kicks, while 'Vaulting' gets much wilder and looser with its manic synth lead and raw onset of percussive pressure. Switching up things once more, 'Parallel' is a dubby techno tool and 'Shimmer' reverts to the careful tweaking of a deft lead synth over incendiary beats. 'Radiant' and 'Meraki' bring more raved-up and bouncy peak-time techno fun. This is a very useful and varied 12".

Review: Rotterdam-based techno label Arts returns with an EP from its founder, Emmanuel, including a remix from special guest German musician Shed. 4 cuts of banging big room techno, the first four tunes don't do anything radical, but they don't need to. These are tracks for DJs looking for fast-paced techno with big kicks, grooved-out percussion & dubby chords. The last track, 'Mascara', is probably the pick of the bunch, a surprising but very much welcome drum & bass cut that wouldn't sound out of place on techno-inspired drum & bass labels like Samurai Music or UVB-76.

Review: Emmanuel's ARTS is a Rotterdam-based indie techno label that quietly pushes at the boundaries. Introversion has released here before with his 'Hush' 12" back in 2022 and since then has landed on the likes of Fundaments and Makatoo, always adding to his reputation. This one opens with 'Laeddis', which is cantering, full-throttle techno funk with big, oversized hi-hats. 'Found Footage' is a scruffier cut with underlapping kicks and muffled trance chords up top, then 'Tesseract' gets slicke and turbocharged for a fresh future assault. 'Signs' closes with supple, mind-melting synth patterns that intertwine with wispy percussion and thudding rubber kick for pure techno perfection.

Review: French techno DJ and producer Klint has forged a long, panhandling utility belt of digital and physical for himself - Truncate, Planet Rhythm and Molecular Recordings outputs among them - and now he makes his debut on the milestone Rotterdam label Arts with a definitive attestation to his own creative drive. The Greek "dynamis" simply means "power", and its etymological link to "dynasty" is meaningful, not least since Arts are among the foremost families to do it right now. 'Subculture' and 'Time Flies' stand out on this release as the best gurgling, weirdo sound design cuts to typify both artist and label, mingling undeniable heaviness and impish experimentation.

Review: The highly respected and busy ARTS label has released their latest What Will Remain When We're Gone by Paul Roux. The title track is a melodic burner that succeeds triumphantly with heavy percussion, anthemic crescendos and at a blistering pace. Amazing! 'Burning' is a fantastic as well. Dramatic and engaging, we love the way it favors melody over the supporting rhythm giving it a more atmospheric sound. On the B-side, 'Maybe It's Love' adds some soft-spoken female singing to it giving us strong 2000s era flashbacks. This is a really strong and perhaps underrated 12". Give this the opportunity to play through and you will want to revisit these often. ARTS continues to come through with excellent techno.