Fuse Imprint Belgium Vinyl & CDs

Review: Fuse is of course one of techno's most venerated clubs. It's been a hotbed of underground action for decades and has run its own in house label before, though not since 2016. After being dormant since then, it now gets revived and the first drop is from resident Altinbas. It is exactly the sort of high octane techno you could expect to hear in the club, which has been open since 1994 and is Belgium's longest-running techno venue: dark, tense, full of futuristic synths and wall-rattling basslines that take you into the next dimension.

Review: Altinbas delivers a blistering and futuristic techno release with 'Sustain' on Fuse Imprint Belgium, showing his talent for crafting elite techno tracks. Side-1 begins with 'Trail Of', a techno killer driven by pulsating bass and a fast-paced beat that packs a punch. Following is 'Life Force', which dives into a mysterious, minimal soundscape with alien-like textures and an intricate, classy rhythm that adds depth to the EP. On Side 2, 'Purpose' emerges as a melodic builder that balances minimalism with an upbeat tempo, demonstrating top-notch production and a refined touch. The EP concludes with 'Sustain', a melodic highlight that caps the record on a high note, delivering a memorable and resonant finish.

Review: Across five tracks, Belgium's own Phara lifts the lid on a formerly sealed jar's worth of feeling, indulging a new outlet for much of the same ideas explored his longer-standing alias In Glass. Here dub techno atmospherics riffle against the vitrine pulse of his main alias; 'Unfold' builds patiently, layering filtered pads and gently rising energy, while 'Flow' rides a rip-tidal groove and seafoamy chords. 'Wave To Wave' drifts out yonder to early techno terra firma, while 'Solitude' prefers a sixteenthy chord teething. Phara's evolution is patent - always in dialogue with his roots, yet never static.

Review: To the Fuse Imprint comes Temudo, an extant favourite artist of the Klockworks and Blueprint labels. Described as a leading light of the latest wave of Portuguese techno, Temudo is known as a co-founder of the Hayes Collective; his group-minded sensibility comes to a head here on the new EP 'Meteora', which could easily function to express the inner workings of an alien hive mind. Temudo's designer beats are one of a kind, tracking naturalistic, physically-modelled tones (acid lines on 'Meteora' and 'When I Grow Up' burble like the tuned peckings of an automatic bird's bill). Moments of expansion and constriction propound, as on 'Vrthng', a swung techno number of intimately cheeky space and size, juxtaposing well the massive, reverby openings-out that characterise is predecessor.

Review: For more than a quarter of a century, Fuse has thrived on timeless music and pioneering artists, both local and international, all of which have helped make it Belgium's longest-running dancefloor. To celebrate this legacy, Fuse releases a 30-track compilation of techno's finest from around the globe. Each track represents a year, starting with Jeff Mills' iconic 'Step to Enchantment' from 1993. The compilation features legends like Planetary Assault Systems, DVS1, Steffi, Rodhad, Donato Dozzy and DJ Nobu, all of which sound superb as well as showcasing the evolution of techno. Fuse also highlights its vibrant local scene, proving Brussels' enduring influence as this milestone honours past guests and new partygoers alike across a mighty seven slabs of vinyl.