Syncrophone France Vinyl & CDs

Review: The prolific Dutch powerhouse that is Conforce (aka Versalife aka Boris Bunk amongst other things) is in techno mode here with this new green-marbled 12" on Syncrophone. Commuting Part 1 opens with the quick-stepping and deep dub techno rhythms of 'Octave Echoes' which is delightfully fluid. 'Stable Velocity' then bids up impossible smooth dub loops and watery pads into something buoyant and stirring both physically and emotionally, and 'Self Assessment' then ups the pace with thudding, infectious kicks and plenty of rippling synth details. 'Highway Hypnosis takes a more paranoid and stripped-back approach and closes out Conforce's finest EP in some time.

Review: Mike Dehnert delivers a versatile four-track EP of his signature slippery machine funq on Syncrophone, with tendrils of influence unfurling in a plethora of directions, from DJ Rush and Paul Johnson's springheeled Chi-town bump to the more recent soul leanings of John FM and Omar S' FXHE alumni. Opener 'Un' is the most conservative, with a restless shuffling b-line and surgically cropped hats assembled for maximum club pressure, while 'Deux' is a spacious, clattering soulful trip full of small room synth squelch and honeyed vocal mantras. The flip is both more pensive and noisy, with the distant hydraulic wheeze of 'Trois' giving way to the wonky, swaggering gait of the closer 'Quatre'. Proper.

Review: 'Proceed With Caution' is the latest four-track EP of classic Detroit techno from the city's Filthiest (one more recent alias of longtime genre purveyor Julian Shamou), coming packed as ever with a cleanly modern twist, and incorporating elements of breakbeat and g-funk swagger along the way. Easing up on the layering, and thus to provide extra room for snappiness and sonic aloofness, 'Up In Smoke' clears the air, displacing oxygen with pyrolitic combustions, sputters and snare-drummed bangs. Equally is the bass-heavier 'Check Out The Technique', evoking not just the awe of technique, but the horrors of technicity, in its doomy imitations of authoritarian war brasses by way of a synthetic analog bass riff.

Review: Fred P continues to be a prolific driving force in deep house, with his own Private Society label carrying a huge amount of his work these days. On this latest single he maintains one of his other close working relationships with Parisian institution Synchrophone, delivering three cuts of his refined, endlessly immersive music. 'Dance Of Rhythms' is a driving, sharply defined cut with a lot of action occurring in the lower register while the higher frequencies have acres of space to stretch out in, all the better to keep your head mellow while the hips sway. 'The Beauty In The Sound' is a more pattering affair and 'Vibe Science' favours a nagging drum pattern which nods towards jazz funk as much as techno. This is quintessential Fred P mastery, through and through.

Review: Elias Landberg continues to press ahead with the instantly identifiable Skudge sound, where the best of contemporary techno locks in for tight but funky grooves of the highest calibre. It's not often we see the project break away from the self-titled label, but here it's gracing Syncrophone with some of the finest uptempo, deep-diving gear you'll hear all year. 'Wander' has a snappy strut to the beat and lead riff alike, with the drums coming on like uptempo house as much as techno. 'Hidden Location' locks in harder thanks to the enduring creep of the background pads, while 'The Wind' takes on the dubbiest duties as it stretches out across the B-side.