Back catalogue: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Greyscale's director grad_u takes us back to his past and extracts 4 tracks off his highly revered album 'Works and Reconstructions'. Archive 02 is abundant with broken and concealed rhythm's that leaves any listener disoriented and taken back. Originally released in 2011 on ZeECc records, you can hear some of origins of grad_u's earlier beginnings. Languishing in dub and soaked in deepness this only previously on limited cd will get a proper release on vinyl and digital for the first time on homebase Greyscale. Know the future but by respecting the past.

Review: Greyscale unveils its latest endeavour, the Spectrum Series, as a way to continue to evolve its offerings and this time it is with something that makes a vibrant departure from its traditional black-and-white aesthetic. The inaugural release features the iconic Lithuanian dub track 'Kasdienybes Sventykla' by grad_u & Eazystyle MC as a way of commemorating its 15th anniversary. It came as a double CD in 2011 but now gets a first vinyl pressing on a nice 10" slab of wax. The track itself taps into the earliest roots of dub in the 70s and traces a line through the 80s with its heavyweight drums and endlessly echoing bass topped by great mic work. A pared-back instrumental features on the flip of this latest crucial drop from the dub dons at Greyscale

Review: Greyscale continues to mine a particularly engaging corner of dubby minimal tech house with this high-grade compilation featuring some emergent names from the underground. Grush exercises great restraint unfurling the sublimely reduced groove around 'Raizel' while Philipp Priebe locks into a slinky strain of house with some premium metallic chords shimmering through the haze. Nicolas Barnes has a fine combination of rugged low end and pin prick bleeps up top on 'Sonic Shadows' and Cirkel Square locks into the snappiest swing on the record with the funked up 'Grey Rythem', proving Greyscale to be right on the money like always.

Review: Deepchord label co-founder Mike Schommer is lesser known than his partner Rod Modell, but this new EP on Greyscale could well even things out a little. His third solo EP is a tender dub techno lullaby with distinctive vocals from Milly James. On "Come Home," the dubbed out chords ripple to infinity while James' angelic vocal lingers long in the air above, then "Breathe" slows things right down to a crawl for even deeper listening. "Cut You Down" is impressively cavernous then Deepchord remixes "Breathe" into a frosty and late night roller.

Review: Martin Schulte is the latest addition to the ever-growing ranks of the Greyscale label. He serves up a pair of tunes with remixes from the always in form VRIL and the label's own Grad U. There is a serious dub mood immediately established with 'Dancing Street.' Coated in static and laden with heavy chords, the grainy atmosphere draws you in deep and zones you out then 'Skyscrapers Street' brings a little more light with more airy kicks and shards of synth that puncture the dub fog. The Grad U remix is more techno leaning and forceful as it ups the ante, then VRIL spaces you out with ambient pads and spacious kicks suspending you in a vast cavern of motionless dub.

Review: Upwellings' latest for his local Lithuanian label Greyscale, 'Lark Dub', is something of a a dub techno masterclass, shifting through subtle echoic phases and left-right-panned chords. The four tracks here imply a journey through some otherworldly cosmos, with curiosities such as 'Fed On Dub' conveying a dark world of unfortunate (or, perhaps, fortunate after all) creatures whose entire daily reference intake consists of dub topi. It's a subsistence living, for sure, but rather than misery, it amounts to a spiritually satisfying, ascetic lifestyle. Remixes from Bluetrain, Ohm & Octal Industries round off the B, pushing through the vinyl crackle into detuned, forward-propulsive moods.

Review: After four appearances on Lithuania's Greyscale, Ajnkana delivers his first long player Integers Equations, with more than an hour of "tangibly eerie, atmospheric chords", ambience but not ambient-edged beats and dubby effects either destined for play on deeper dancefloors or comedown soundtracking post-party living room sessions. The titles may be blank as anything, all binary and consisting of 1s and 0s in slightly different orders, but the instrumental, slowly-enveloping tracks have plenty of personality. Fans of Sahko, Chain Reaction and Ilian Tape's more esoteric offerings will love it.

Review: Banyek is next up on the prolific Lithuanian label Greyscale with Alue, a new album that marks the imprint's 37th full-length overall. It is a typically expansive and immersive listen that takes inspiration from cities like Riga and Espoo. Dub techno, ambient and experimental all infuse the sound waves and the intricate craft of Banyek means you're always hooked onto some small detail as the gentle rhythms flow over you. There are stark melodies and more airy atmospheres, minimalism masterpieces and calming sounds a plenty as this most super exploration of tone, time and texture plays out.

Review: Phenomena is a rather incredible 39th full-length album from the pioneering Lithuanian dub techno label Greyscale. Like all those that went before it, it is a captivating excursion into cavernous sounds. In particular, this one delves into the wonders of nature - meteor streams and starling murmurations - and flips them into immersive soundscapes. In mixing up vintage and contemporary styles, Basicnoise navigates deep emotional depths with technical finesse. 'Midnight Dub' has lush and organic chord progressions, 'Sakura Season' pays homage to Detroit techno's smooth, futuristic spirit and 'Reduxtion II' delivers crisp production and powerful frequencies. These are just some standouts along the way of this profound musical odyssey.

Review: Ambient tech house is often overlooked as a genre - too subtle for the clubs and too intense for relaxation. This is what makes the subgenre so special though, at the intriguing and cerebral meeting point of ambient dub and techno comes something 'other than' and thought provoking. 'Pattern Explorations' lies at that crossroads, the sounds rattling through your skull. The use of reverb and negative space makes the soundscape almost transcendent, elevating the listener to a different plane of sound on 'Pattern Exploration II', with the listener eventually being pulled into motion as new elements and grooves are added into the mix with each passage, like a boat slowly drifting out to harbour.'Pattern Exploration IV' is where the techno half of the brain takes over, as acid lines and rhythms are introduced into the chemical formula.

Review: The unstoppable dub techno and ambient label Greyscale seems to drop new music each week. This time it is BT Gate X-138's 'kV Pylon' that serves as the musical vehicle to take us on a trip through rich sonic landscapes and an array of emotions. Over seventy sublime and spacious minutes, this vital CD goes from grainy and lo-fi moodiness on the opener to explorations of the ocean floor on '330kV Test' via gloriously uplifting and optimistic pieces of melodic beauty such as '330kV Test'. It is another triumph from a label and artist that will find favour with all techno and ambient lovers.

Review: BT Gate X-138 returns to Greyscale with Gravitational Grooves, deepening his relationship with the label following 2023's kV Pylon. Ten sousing sonorities hear him reshape his signature dub techno sound with growth-mental finesse, emitting foggy atmospheres and slicing percs. 'Inertia' leans into soft chords and faint crackle before giving way to the stripped-down shuffle and understated melodic turns of 'Gravity', while 'Orbit' builds over and delay-heavy phrasing; 'Float' offers a breather with its ambient drift, while an embossed 'Mass' sears the ears with churlish mood-texture. Touchstones such as Konigsforst and In Moll are alluded to most subtly.

Review: .For the 100th volume in their ongoing 'Mood Series' of albums, Greyscale has chosen to offer up something very special: a double disc set of previously unreleased "secret weapons" produced by label main man Grad_U. It's an undeniably brilliant collection all told, with the long-serving artist offering up a rich selection of deep techno and dub techno treats in his distinctive style. Highlights are plentiful and include (but are in no way limited to), the house-infused, hypnotic techno positivity of 'Run Out', the intergalactic dub techno pulse of 'Compound', the acid-flecked intensity of 'Seismic Investigations', the immersive rhythmic sound soup of 'Whispering Rails', and the melodic flutter of 'Orbital Outpost'.

Review: The impeccable Lithuanian label Greyscale is a real leader when it comes to dub techno and already they are racing into 2024 in fine style with a first full-length of the year from label head Grad_U! The sublime and immersive Sustain has eight larges ambient soundscapes that are detailed with field recordings from another planet. Each one is alluringly empty and beautiful, intriguing and unsettling to make for an escapist trip to another dimension. The way the producer manages to conjure up what feel like familiar emotions in such a faraway world is second to none and will leave you wanting to do it all over again the second it ends.

Review: Igor Arsenjev works as Gradient and puts out an awful lot of music. It's all about deep dives in ambient, dub and techno and is well designed and super seductive for the mind. Greyscale's 25th album comes from this long-time label friend and is his fourth for the label. It is another warm and comforting listen with subtle stylistic shifts that draw you in each time. There are late-night drivers as well as more dance floor-orientated sounds, hypnotic groovers and masterfully minimalistic meditations. The opener itself is a quick highlight with brilliantly designed and rolling drums under smeared chords that set a fine tone for what is to come. A real triumph.

Review: To celebrate 15 years in the game and coming via Lithuania's Greyscale label, Gradient delivers Dub Stories, a two-CD masterpiece that focuses on his evolution. CD1 opens with 'Dub Story 1,' setting a vibrant tone that flows into the airy 'Dub Story 2.' Tracks like 'Dub Story 3' and 'Dub Story 6' pay homage to classic dub roots, while 'Dub Story 4' and 'Dub Story 8' push creative boundaries with dynamic melodies. CD2 continues the journey with the deep, evocative 'Dub Story 11' and the celestial 'Dub Story 13.' Tracks like 'Dub Story 16' offer serene, minimalistic breaks, while 'Dub Story 19' delves into deep, contemplative layers. The album closes with 'Dub Story 20,' a grand finale that leaves a lasting impression. Dub Stories is a fitting tribute to Gradient's legacy and a shining example of quality in the dub techno realm.

Review: Premier dub techno outlet Greyscale from Lithuania welcomes back Lotech/Hijack following the success of his last album here, Static Phase. He has served up another full length's worth of sublime deep dub techno explorations here, and that marks his rather remarkable 36th full length in total. Winter Constellations is inspired by the Canadian's love of star gazing and the vastness of space and results in plenty of widescreen and cinematic tracks that are subtly detailed with celestial moods. From the power of 'Let's Forget Who We Are' to the infinite depth of 'Auriga' via the airiness of 'Night Sky Dreaming' and 'Horologium', this is another masterfully immersive work that really exploits the album format.

Review: Stiroll's Sofia marks the Ukrainian artist's return to Greyscale Records with his first full-length album, painting a sonic portrait of a day in the life of a suburban area. The album invites listeners to experience the subtle intricacies and layered sounds of a community awakening, bustling, and finally resting as night falls. The journey begins with 'Intro - Dusk,' a brisk and atmospheric opener that evokes the early morning stillness before a city stirs to life. The full chord remnants and distant echoes set the stage for the day ahead, capturing the anticipation of the morning. 'Standbye' follows, offering a more airy and purposeful vibe, moving away from minimalism to suggest the first signs of activity, as if the world is slowly beginning to wake. 'Foundamental' continues this progression, riding along with gentle sounds punctuated by flares of static, hinting at the humidity and energy building in the air. The track flows effortlessly, mirroring the natural rhythm of a day gaining momentum. As the day matures, 'Sequence To None' introduces more serious, conflicting chords, perhaps reflecting the push and pull of daily routines and interactions. The crisp production and deep bassline ground the track, offering a sense of structure and direction. Midday arrives with 'Vidlunnia,' a sparse, downtempo piece that feels like basking in the warmth of the sun. The chords wash over the listener like rays, creating a relaxing, chill-out atmosphere with a broken rhythm that invites reflection. The pace slows with 'Interlude - Fall Moon,' where a churning, almost mechanical heartbeat drives the track forward, building tension as the day begins to wane. The ominous mood that emerges in the second half hints at the challenges that often accompany the close of a day. 'Nulle Part' shifts the mood with a more pronounced beat, offering a straightforward yet catchy rhythm that feels both harmonious and conflicted. The hypnotic quality draws you in as it moves toward a positive, yet complex resolution. 'Fall Control' then soothes with heavily processed sounds, offering a brief moment of respite before the album's closing tracks. 'Hope' stands out as the most original dub track on the album, blending strings with a lofty melody that soars before plunging into deeper, more uncertain territory. The track feels otherworldly, capturing the complexities and contradictions of hope itselfia fitting theme as the day begins to wind down. Finally, 'Outro - Dawn' signals the end of the day and the album, with ambient washes that gently alert like a clock, leaving the listener with a sense that it is time to close. Sofia is a meticulously crafted album that encapsulates the ebb and flow of daily life in a suburb, bringing together the sounds of different people and languages into a unified, sonic narrative.

Review: Subset makes a welcome return to Greyscale with his second full-length album after the success that was This Quiet Earth. The follow-up, Ambient Particles, is another widescreen work of great cinematic details that again showcase Sunset's studio skills. The track titles give an insight into his thinking behind the music with the likes of 'Sandstorm on Mars' swirl of textured pads over baron landscapes of undulating bass and 'Cocooned Under the Stars' feels adrift in the endless darkness of space with only distant twinkling pads for company. Elsewhere 'Chains In The Wind' is a spacious and dubby ambient techno trip and 'Ambient Particles' brings a little more movement with its rolling drums. A sophisticated and soothing album once more from Subset.

Review: Greyscale use the end of 2022 to look back at what they have achieved so far. And that's a lot as this third volume of their already much-loved Mood Series proves once more. This one focuses on releases #41 to #60 and features the label owner grad_u making the selections. Top ones they are too, with Conor OG's deliciously deep 'Disembarking' setting a nice dub mood before there are excursions into frosty minimalism from Francisco Aguado, sub-aquatic bass bliss from Stoll hypnotic horizontal rhythms from BT Gate X-138, amongst many more standouts. 2022 was a fine year, then, and we're already looking forward to what 2023 has in store for us.

Review: Lithuania's Greyscale is a prolific and high-quality label that draws another fine year to a close with a reflection on their Mood Series which has very much become part of their defining legacy. This success is thanks to "our artists, teams, pressing plants, families, friends, and most importantly, you-the listeners." they say, so well done. And here comes another fine entry to round out the year with Compiled 4 celebrating releases #61-#80 on a double CD. Once again it has been assembled by label founder grad_u, it features a wealth of grainy, dubby, warming atmospheres, rolling rhythms and wispy synths that soothe mind, body and soul.