Back in stock: Minimal/Tech House

Review: This release by two talented French producers delivers a refined blend of deep and soulful house music with two different versions to chose from. 'Ju' on Side-1 is a deep, groove-heavy cut, layering soulful chords with a rolling bassline and a sensual vocal touch. The jazzy inflections and swanky lounge vibe exude sophistication, making it a late-night essential. On Side-2, the Traumer's Sunset version injects more energy into the original, pushing it toward a melodic, instrumental-driven burner. It retains the deep essence but lifts it with fluid rhythms and hypnotic layers. Elegant yet club-ready, both versions show a sleek, polished minimalism rooted in groove.

Review: Antraum's latest record is an exemplary case of whispery vocal fry working hand-in-hand with autotune: 'Fukai' serves fullerine-sharp, atomic sheets of vocal sound, set against harder beats, reducing our eardrums to the consistency of butter. It's no wonder that each and every release so far on the self-run outfit Omakase is so raw, so slicing, so cutting. The label is named after a Japanese culinary expression of indifference, "i'll leave it up to you", which, in the context of sushi dining, refers to chefs selecting and preparing dishes for patrons for them, rather than letting them choose. We're sure Claude Levi-Strauss, author of "The Raw & The Cooked", would've had something to say about this release. Because 'Yume' and 'Kemono' are also served as two further itamae's specials, assimilating ideas of music production and food preparation: beats, stabs and vocals are sliced, diced, sampled, mixed, filleted, and rolled into shiso-leaved bites.

Review: The Fruit Medley series has been hella juicy so far so we're glad another edition is ripe and ready for picking to kick off the label's 2025 season. This one features all newcomers starting with Cromie's 'Timereite', a chubby and clubby tech pumper with full throttle rhythms. Wilba's 'New Recipes' has lush synth smears over grinding low ends that echo early West Coast tech, and Darren Roach then gets a little deeper on the percolating 'Brettski Colectski'. Lazer Man's 'Time Of Ghosts' closes down with a mid-tempo, off-kilter house cut with steely drums and distant alien activity.

Review: Marvin Dash and Lowtec combine to serve up some house grooves here that perfectly embody the Workshop sound. They are lovably loose-limbed, dusty and ramshackle, and almost feel as if they may fall apart at any given moment, but that is the joy of them. Instead, they keep you locked amongst rickety drums, frayed pads and imperfect little vocal hooks that bring the soul. 'Track 1' does that with a hazy feel, 'Track 2' is more one out with a dubby undercurrent and sustained keys and 'Track 3' brings little more prickle and drive, like a super raw Omar-S track. 'Track 4' is all about the prying, bulbous bassline that unfurls with a mind of its own beneath DIY percussive sounds.

Review: Fedo prides himself on exploring beyond the usual genre tropes you get in minimal and tech house worlds. Opener 'Sin Titulo' goes some way to proving that with its innovative take on club-ready tech and boiled-down minimal synths. 'Calisthenics & Coffee' is a trippy blend of smooth bass and undulating neon pads. Warped vocals also pepper the mix to keep the brain and body occupied. 'Film Noir' indeed brings a darker energy and 'My Weapon' shuts down with some razor shape precision.

Review: Known for his hypnotic dance music, Southern Italy's Lomonte delivers three tracks rich in deep disco soul and tinged with a psychedelic shimmerisounds that have already caught the attention of dancefloor icons like Ricardo Villalobos. Attitude Records is his new label and the 'Attitudes' EP, a record that sidesteps passing trends in favour of crafting music with true staying power is it's first release. Opening the Side-A, the title track 'Attitudes' highlights Lomonte's remarkable touch for layering dynamic, textured rhythms into a groove that unfolds naturally, pulling the listener deeper with every bar. Over on the Side-B, 'Can't Get Enough' and 'Summer Vibes' reflect his talent for channeling uplifting moods without ever losing the music's subtle complexity. Rather than chasing ephemeral sounds, Lomonte commits to an honest emotional resonanceihis work feels timeless, not tied to any particular moment or movement. With nearly 20 EPs already under his belt, he demonstrates here why he's become such a respected name: each track glows with warmth, soul and an understated finesse.

Review: KUNST is a new series from Spanish crew Spherart Wax that looks to serve up nostalgic progressive and tech from the 90s and designed for packed dance floors. To kick things off, up step Mariche and Gutt for a mix of solo cuts and collabs. 'Autogroove' gets things underway with tight and turbo-powered tech, which ADR remixes into a deeper sound. Gutt's 'Your Mind' is taught and bouncy tech with wispy cosmic synths and then the pair come together for 'Phone Call', which is a standout cut with playful dial tones and rugged low ends all packed up in club-ready beats.

Review: After the inexorable 'Techno Disco Tool', Mella Dee shot like a shuttle from heartthrob disco-techno editor to all-star producer in his own right. 'Steady Movin' hears the British DJ and producer nod to Warp-era Yorkshire breaks, with his native Sheffield sound-checked through four in-yo-face selections, including 'NRG VIBES' and 'Fiedel Played A Big One'. Emphasising Reese bass movements and chunked up, peak-time thumpage, this one's ready-made for the edgier raver.

Review: Neil E and Big City Bill's latest doubles as the second offering from Spincycle, yet another a split 7" single on 180g vinyl. The twins' journey began two decades ago high up in an unnamed mountain range, where they met, after which they descended onto the city in search of purpose. Thus spake Zarathustra: down below, they toiled away in dimly lit garages, decoding mysterious symbols cast on walls by home-gaffed fluorescent lights. At first, their work seemed like madness, but there comes a time in every madman's life when toil leads to breakthrough. Thus were sowed the two fine harvests you hear here: 'Dry Rub', with its tugging taut sound design, and 'The BBV', a mistier firmament of altitudinal unknowns. No need to map out the terrain first - just give in to your ears.

Review: Sydney talent Pistaccio delivers an operatic deep progressive debut for Perspective, the fresh new label helmed up by Kepler. Pistaccio, an emerging artist, disobliges us of the need to crack open the clamshell to get to the flesh; these cashews come ready de-shelled. 'Wonkers' sends us bonkers with its forgiving, smooth-groove sound palette, while 'Eukalyptus' and 'Swallow' fly south through increasingly tricky and unvarnished shuffles. The title track closes things out on a well landscaped front-porch popper, complete with "confused?" vocal samples and quizzical sus chords on Rhodes.

Review: Russia's Moonrover Records triple up as a vinyl, digital music and podcasting platform, exploring the outer spatial limits of our shared cosmotic consciousness through sublime, interstellar minimal tech house. Here Stanislav Gontar aka. PRT Stacho crosses the event horizon, as 'Time' and 'Sputnik' offer flux-continual swells between otherwise calculated and regrounded beats. It's like gazing out the satellite window, as warp-drive thrusters on the hull's flanks illume junky space debris as it whizzes past.

Review: Canada-born, US-based Topology aka April Terry continues to carve out dark underground minimal sounds with this new single on VRNT. 'Vika' is a melange of ghostly vocal whispers and dreamy ambient pads, sci-fi sound designs and icy-cold hi-hats. The drums keep time with a hefty thud and make this one perfect afterparty tackle. The Maher Daniel remix ups the pace with some more silky and quick drums and smeared pads for a soft, sunrise feel when the first rays peak through the blinds.

Review: A new-ish name, but Obscure Shape and classically trained musician Conrad - the two halves of Urban CC - are already experts at blending high-energy techno with deep, playful textures. Side-A kicks off with 'Mana', a nicely paced, uptempo techno weapon that channels a vintage 90s spirit, full of raw drive and momentum. 'Azul' follows, switching gears into a bouncier, tech house-flavored groove. Deep basslines anchor the track while playful, urban-tinged sound effects add a fresh, streetwise character. On Side-B, label head Traumer steps in with a remix of 'Mana', reimagining the original into a deeper, more melodic journey. Rich chords flow over a hypnotic groove making this a sophisticated and atmospheric alternative to the more direct original. Finally, 'Kredo' closes the EP on a high note i a sleek and classy techno cut. Its clean production, hazy euphoria and warm atmosphere create the perfect vibe for those special late-night or early-morning moments. A dynamic and well-rounded EP that shows both a respect for techno's roots and a clear creative vision for where it can go next.

Review: Capodopere's eighth release comes from the enigmatic Vid, a dedicated genre explorer not bound by usual rules. Side A's 'Transpose' features a groovy dub bassline and intricate percussion that mesh together into a hypnotic rhythm that invites fluid body movement and deep mental immersion. Vid's subtle, warm textures make it both a dancefloor weapon and a cerebral experience then side-B's 'Stereochord' shifts to a darker tone with sequenced patterns and a deep bassline underpinning industrial textures and eerie echoes. The track's relentless energy and nocturnal atmosphere make it a real afterparty gem.

Review: Somewhere between a rolling terrace session and a very well-behaved afters, Aloque's second 12" offers a quietly confident take on modern club gear. The Valencia-based label launched with a bang last year i their debut sold out quickly i and now they return with four new tracks from co-founders Vsan & Jose Marti. If the first record introduced the label's sound, this one deepens it. 'Creilla' opens the A-side with a stripped, percussive groove that unfolds patiently, stitched together with dubby effects and subtle movement. It's restrained but functional i the sort of track you'll play more often than you think. 'You Will (Remaster)' leans into darker territory: heads-down and system-facing, with a weighty low end and just enough melodic tension to hold your focus. Over on the flip, 'Stabito' takes things into smokier, slower territory. Airy stabs drift in and out over a skeleton of drums, soft-edged but purposeful. 'Calibre (feat Badano)' closes with more urgency i a focused, dry pulse driving the most direct track on the record. With two sharp 12"s under their belt and a clear sonic identity forming, Aloque sit right at the centre of Valencia's shifting dance landscape i these records already feel built to move well beyond it.