Vault Netherlands Vinyl & CDs

Review: Four distinct late-night techno tracks, each packing a punch. Side-1 opens with 'Guilt', a tight, dark, and brooding techno banger, designed to keep the dancefloor moving with its relentless energy. Following that is 'Troia', a primal, alien-like track that mesmerises with snappy rhythms and hypnotic soundscapes. On Side-2, 'Crea' delivers a stomping, sci-fi-infused beat that feels like a journey through futuristic landscapes, perfect for intense moments in a set. Closing out the EP is 'Vowels', an eerie, dark cut with unsettling atmospheres that create a sense of mystery and tension. The 'Crea EP' is a showcase of Alarico's range in techno, blending brooding moods with driving rhythms, making it an ideal pick for late-night sessions.

Review: British producer Hurdslenk arrives on Vault Recordings with four tracks of fiercely propulsive techno. Following recent outings on Key Vinyl and Frenzy Recordings, he maintains his floor-focused trajectory on 'The Myst' EP. The pounding drums, paranoid swells and discreet vocal textures of 'Rain' start with direct intention, before the dissonant stabs and driving claps of 'Sirens' add further four-four fuel to the fire. The quick-fire cymbals of 'Reversed' soar over thumping kicks and haunting vocal cuts, before the moody atmospherics and magnetic rhythms of closing track 'Focal' somehow manage to maintain the EP's breathless tempo. No nonsense here.

Review: 10 years of Amsterdam's Vault Records is celebrated on this latest edition of their Vault Sessions techno compilation. While many a label can lay claim to ownership of and control over a "vault" of music, how many of them can submit to surrender 20 such golden sonic ingots when faced with a ransom to release music, *and* still keep enough in the strongroom to keep the books balanced? While we've now the keys to many a high-profile private client's dirtiest collateral deposits - Jpsrv35's twinkling blood garnet 'Soulsearch', Quelza's illegal software 'Automated Assistance Program', Grace Dahl's precious heirloom 'The Green Room' , Stef Mendesidis' diplomatically immune 'License To Fly' - we suspect that many more such greats lay hidden behind astringent locks, impervious to the next heist. All tunes leave us Vaulting!