Polegroup Vinyl & CDs

Review: Berlin-based producer Conceptual is back on PoleGroup with five tracks of immersive and forward-thinking techno. 'Approach Slowly' is a creepy and unsettling soundscape riddled with anxiety before 'Il Silenzio Degli Innocenti' sinks into a roll techno rhythm and 'No More Excuses' layers up pressurised drums with otherworldly synth modulations. 'Sand Fury' is beautiful techno abstraction and 'Thousand Miles Per Hour' is a minimal hypnosis.

Review: Megaweight techno by producer Kwartz (Mario Campos) for Polegroup, pulling no punches, kicks or headbutts on this rapid four-track set. The golden mean for a club residency in this day and age is of course a regular peaktime set at Berghain, and Kwartz also happens to be one of their latest residents of this ilk - not that this should influence your decision to buy this one or anything! - though there is a correlation between productive qualities of the producer and the curative choices made at the Berlin clubbing institution. Massive tune 'The Golden Hour' and the Tarkovskyan 'Enter The Zone' both testify to this being causation, though there's no certainties there, of course. 'Under Control' and 'Animal Instinct' forge an increasing rapaciousness, betraying the artist's desire to utterly stupefy the dancefloor.

Review: Oscar Mulero has become one of the faces of techno thru many years of hard work and through the growth of a strong discography. With a DJing career now spanning over 35 years, Oscar has thrived regardless of the popularity rise and fall of the techno genre. His Pole Recordings label has been a beacon of light through the tougher times and is shining brighter than ever now. The Poisonality EP is his newest 12". 'Aroma De Falso Amo' is a foreboding builder that offers a unique rhythm and plenty of tension while the title track is a tribal groover like the kinds he is so well known for composing. Fans of Birmingham techno should especially like 'Iris Malicioso' which reminds us of Neil Landstrumm and Regis styled techno. 'Dos Pequenos Zorros' is a relentless pounder that should do damage by any DJ having the opportunity to melt faces off dancers faces. Oscar Mulero gives us four very strong techno tracks on this one EP.

Review: Portuguese power wafts our way from PoleGroup's very own Norbak, a pre-eminent producer from the label's neighbouring country. Across his relatively short career Norbak has developed a distinct personal style, ever-evolving and changing. On this latest EP, we first hear 'Regra' and 'Ferramenta', both of which aggressively ferment a series of metrically unsound stares-into-the-abyss, combining knocky, low-reg fidgets with toppier emergencies and washouts. B-siders 'Amarante 9am' and 'Nota' techno prisoners either, opting for a more classically industrial sound vis-a-vis alarming stabs and crackly lower mantles.

Review: The cover of Ribe's new EP for Polegroup seems to depict the face of some Middle Ages king buried amongst the roots of a tree and surrounded by prying eyes. It's intriguing and very much at odds with the distinctly futuristic techno contained within. 'La Penumbra' is shrouded in fog and mist as deeply buried kick roll unhindered. 'El Metodo' is a soundtrack to static electricity passing through a factory floor and sending things into overdrive. 'Las Raices' then has heavier, more raw drum kicks and absorbing ambiance up top and 'Bajo El Olivo' closes out with pinging kicks underneath the cosmic sound of a distant universe. Exceptional designs and heady moods make this a well-crafted EP.

Review: Ribe is back on PoleGroup which is always going to get our attention, as well as that of any real techno head. This time it is with Las Tres Puertas which is a superb eight-track double 12". The title track opens in dramatic fashion with chords full of tension and train track beats that loop infectiously. There is a more experimental feel to the fuzzy loops of 'La Rabia', 'El Sutil Arte' is full of edge and tension thanks to a loud, centred drone and 'El Nuevo Mundo' is a dystopian and swampy soundtrack to a dark day on a distant planet. In between are many more intriguing sound designs and unusual rhythms.